When anyone says the word ‘wedding’, what comes to our minds is a lavishly decorated wedding hall, bride dressed in all her finery and of course, the quintessential band baaja and the fanfare that comes with it!
This of course is what a typical Indian wedding always looks like. But perhaps, not anymore after you read what this couple did.
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If things proceed the way they did at this Amravati-based couple’s wedding, Indian weddings might turn the tables in the future and take on a whole new meaning in themselves.
Abhay Deware and Preeti Kumbhare fell in love while they were studying for their UPSC and MPSC examinations. The duo married each other on July 10, 2016, did things a little differently on their D-day.
Deeply affected by the alarming increase in the rate of farmer suicides, Abhay and Preeti decided to ditch the whole concept of a big fat Indian wedding. Instead of a lavish wedding, they decided to make it simple and informative.
Instead of splurging on a grand wedding hall and expensive caterers, the couple decided to spend that money wisely for a good cause. They donated Rs 20,000 each to the families of ten different farmers, who committed suicide due to failed crops and other similar reasons. Not just that, they also donated Rs 52,000 to five different libraries in Amravati.
What’s more? Their wedding also included motivational talks by activists like Chandrakant Wankhede, who deals with the issue of farmers committing suicide. Madhu Uke, Ashish Lohey and some more activists were also present.
Informative posters and banners related to this topic were also pasted up all around the venue. The wedding meal did not include twenty or thirty different options as we see in every Indian wedding today. Instead, it included a simple meal consisting of chapatti, sabzi, rice and dal. This is what Abhay Deware said to a leading daily:
"The idea was revolving in the mind ever since I met President Pranab Mukherjee during his field visit. He advised us to become an agent of socio-economic change. Fortunately, even my wife was having similar thoughts. My in-laws also supported us and they were the ones who took the lead in finding out families where farmers had ended their lives."
Abhay conducted thorough research on the costs incurred during weddings and was shocked to see the results, which stated that over Rs 1 lakh crore were spent on weddings in India every year. His findings also revealed that marriages were one of the primary reasons, due to which families from the lower income segments were forced to sell away their property, take loans and spend their lifetime savings in one go.
Being educated citizens of the country, both Abhay and Preeti, felt they must act like responsible citizens and try to bring about a change in the society.
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Hats off to this couple! We need more such Abhays and Preetis in the country, and we ourselves can be one of them. So, spark off the change by starting it yourself!