Mass Hindu marriage defies poverty in Pakistan

• Nation is clawing its way out of a financial crisis.
• Weddings are a costly affair in Pakistan.
• This is a good opportunity for me, says Sateesh Parmar.

KARACHI: 122 Hindu couples, belonging to the destitute class of society, have tied the knots in a mass marriage ceremony in Pakistan recently.

The joint nuptials on January 7 were a riot of celebration in defiance of poverty in Karachi, as the nation is clawing its way out of a financial crisis.

“I am getting married here because my parents are poor. They cannot afford the wedding expenses,” 25-year-old bride Kalpana Devi told AFP, swathed in traditional red attire.

Her financial misfortunes — and sharing her big day with dozens of other brides — failed to dampen her spirits.

“I wish that everyone could get married here,” she said.

Weddings are a costly affair in Pakistan, where the bride´s male relatives are also often expected to pay a dowry to the groom´s family, with the expense delaying the marriage of women.

“This is a good opportunity for me as my financial state is very weak. I was not able to raise funds for the wedding,” says 25-year-old Sateesh Parmar, the brother of bride Neha Parmar.

The Pakistan Hindu Council, which hosted the ceremony, says there are eight million Hindus among the 240 million people living in Pakistan, according to last year’s census.