One card, five weddings. One venue, five ‘mandaps’. One feast and guests from five different directions.
Former Congress MP Sujan Singh Bundela has set a fine example by clubbing his own daughter’s wedding with that of four girls belonging to not-so- affluent families.
The wedding card sent out by the former MP proudly proclaims ‘Panch Kanya Vivah Mahotasav” (wedding of five girls).
The wedding is scheduled to take place on November 29 at Shri Tuvan Temple complex in Lalitpur district and the card has five enclosures—each for one couple.
Mr Bundela’s daughter Mayuri Raje will wed Sitanshu Singh and the remaining four brides are Varsha Birthare, Gitanjali Katare, Neha Chaturvedi and Sarita Misra.
While the former MP remained unavailable for comment, a member of the Bundela family spoke to this correspondent in detail about the unique wedding.
“All the five weddings will be held simultaneously in the temple complex in different ‘mandaps’ and each couple will follow rituals that are peculiar to their family. Each family has been given the five card albums and is free to invite as many guests as it wants. There will be no difference in the scale of celebrations,” said a family member.
He further added that the idea came from the former MP who wanted other girls also to have a wedding that he wanted for his own daughter and every family member is extremely happy with the idea. According to him, only vegetarian food will be served at the wedding since the event is being held in the temple complex.
Interestingly, the five sets of parents whose daughters will be married at this event, have decided to jointly welcome the five baraats and participate in each others rituals as well.
After the five baraats are welcomed into a temple complex and dinner is served, a special cultural programme has been organised for the guests. Noted singer Sukhwinder Singh and Shraddha Pandit will regale the audience with their songs and Shakti Mohan will present her dance performance. Comedienne Shailesh Lodha will keep the audience in good humour.
The wedding, incidentally, has already become the talk of the town and the local people are greatly excited to witness the event.
“It is one thing to organise mass weddings and another to include your own daughter in it. Sujan Singh Bundela has set an example and we hope other politicians will follow it,” said Chirtarth Joshi, a local businessman in Lalitpur.