LETS HELP COUPLES IN THIS VILLAGE IN GUJARAT GET MARRIED.

We are raising funds to support a simple wedding for 7 couples who can not afford the cost of a wedding. This approach of ours has significant advantages as outlined below. Usually, the parents of a girl are put through undue stress and financial pressure when they need to get their daughters married. The result is : 

1. No dowry. Results in a debt-free situation.

2. Promotes communal harmony as marriages across religions are done.

3. A good low-stress marriage augurs well for a good start in life.

4. We ensure prevention of child marriages.

5. Better family planning through the awareness talks we do.

WHERE WILL THESE  MASS WEDDINGS TAKE PLACE ?

These weddings will take place in KERWADA village in Gujarat. Kerwada is a village in Amod taluka in Bharuch district of Gujarat. It is located 173 KM from the state capital of Gandhinagar. The total population is 3034 and number of homes are 598 with a female population of 48.2%. The village literacy rate is 65.5% and the female literacy rate is  a very low 28.7%.

BACKDROP :

The concept of mass marriage first came into existence in the year 324 BC when Alexander the Great married the eldest daughter of Darius Arsine. He ensured that other 800 couples including the soldiers and leading officers of Persian army also get married. This concept then became a part of all cultures. In fact, today mass marriages involve a lot of regions on a single platform.

In the Indian subcontinent, getting someone else’s daughter married is considered a very noble act bringing blessings upon the family which has helped fund it. Rajas and Maharajahs used to hold grand ceremonies for the benefit of their weaker subjects.

In modern times the concept has caught on very well primarily for economic reasons. Today such weddings are conducted on a regular basis all over India. NGOs, trusts, religious institutions, corporates, affluent individuals, politicians support and hold such events on a regular basis. The government also supports such efforts.

Mass marriage allows people from an underprivileged background to get married like a regular marriage ceremony. It also has a very positive social and economic impact on the couple.

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ADVANTAGE 1: We eliminate the menace of CHILD MARRIAGE 

India ranks No. 1 in child marriages. An astounding 150 underaged girls are married off every hour in our country.We make sure to check the birth or school leaving certificate of every candidate. There have been instances where the girl is less than 18 of age. We educate them as to why it is not advisable to perform this illegal act which is also health destructive for the woman. 

ADVANTAGE 2 : We ensure communal harmony

Our trust insists on having people from different communities taking part in the event. The selection process gives us the chance to determine this. Every couple is married according to their customs and religion but at the same time and place. So it is a beautiful and rare sight to see Muslim and Hindu rites being performed almost simultaneously.

ADVANTAGE 3 : Debt and dowry free weddings

The custom of dowry is still prevalent all over India. One of the primary law of mass marriage is that absolutely no dowry will be given or asked for. This completely eliminates stress and a debt-free situation. Else parents have little or no option and end up begging, borrowing or worst of all taking loans from loan sharks at atrocious interest rates which they keep paying back for the rest of their lives.

CASE STUDY :

Efforts of the Yuvacharyas bear rich fruit, farmers saved from distress selling their land

Vagodia (Gujarat): We often hear of farmers committing suicide because of crop failure or debt burdens but the sorry plight of a farmer who is forced to sell his good, fertile land to get his daughter married rarely makes the news. Putting their family’s future at stake, distraught farmers sell their lands to ensure the happiness of their daughters.
When Art of Living YLTP trainer, Parth Joshi, came to know that Ramesh Bhai Padiyam, whose livelihood depended on the meagre 25 bighas of land that he owned, was on the verge of selling his land in order to get his daughter and niece married, and that there were many more farmers in the area who were in similar plight, he came up with a noble idea to rescue them from this dilemma. Appealing to the farmers not to sell their land, he presented an alternative solution to their problem. With the assistance of the Sarpanch, Yuvacharyas, and other volunteers plans were made to organize a mass wedding ceremony where caste would be no bar.

After three months of diligent planning and propagating the idea in the ten villages around Vagodia, a mass wedding ceremony was organised on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, April 28th, 2017. Sixteen girls got married at the ceremony that was organised at the farm of the Sarpanch of Tavara village. The ceremony began with the sacred chanting of the Rudrapuja. Every bride was gifted with Rs. 30,000 worth of household articles which included settees, beds and beddings, steel almirahs and the like. This was made possible by the financial support extended by the villagers.
The auspicious resolution of Parth combined with the efforts of the Yuvacharyas saved sixteen farmers from the distress of selling their fertile lands. We are proud to have a young Art of Living teacher like Parth Joshi and we hope the echo of this noble act reaches far and wide and will be a source of inspiration to many.

ABOUT MANSINJHI BHASAHEB MEMORIAL TRUST

Named after  Sri Mansinhji Bhasaheb, who was a pioneer congress leader from Bharuch, a Member of Parliament during the time of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He had held several positions such as Chairman of the UPSC, Minister of State for Industrial development, Minister of state for shipping and transport and Head of the Haj committee. He was an epitome of honesty and simplicity and devoted his life for the well-being and development of his area. This has inspired us to continue with the humanitarian tasks & work progressively towards the well-being of the downtrodden of our villages. 

The Trust operates in 4 key areas of development:

Education:

The trust intends to set up a school in the vicinity of village Kervada for education from primary to the 10th standard. 

Legal assistance:

The trust has set up free legal advisory and help center at the district level to assist and advice farmers, laborers, women in distress on their rights and options in law. 5 lawyers from the vicinity attend the center on weekends to advice small farmers and other villagers on their rights and other issues free of charge.

Health:

Primary medical camps are being organized from time to time at the time at the villages enabling early detection and treatment of ailments. Free medicines and consultation are also being provided. Several hospitals from Bharuch and Vadodara participate. Especially popular are dental and eye clinics. 

Community unity

For the progress and unity of the entire Rajput community regular grand meetings are being organized all over Gujarat with the help and patronage of the SAMAST GUJARAT RAJPUT SAMAJ to increase cooperation and understanding between the Hindu and the Muslim Rajput of Gujarat. Gujarat has over a million Muslim Rajput. This community has converted to Islam about 500 years back but even today is not well accepted either by the staunch of either religion. We together with SAMAST GUJARAT RAJPUT SAMAJ support and propagate the cause of uniting them and bringing them into the mainstream of the society.

COSTING FOR A TYPICAL WEDDING :

The total cost is less than 59000 INR per wedding and the detailed costing is outlined below. We are raising 4.13 L INR for the 7 weddings through this crowdfunding campaign. 

Every such endeavor, however noble its intention can only be accomplished with a substantial amount of funds. To see a healthier and happier India please contribute to our cause.  Please do donate generously and contribute to this noble cause and see the dreams of a poor girl turn into a reality.