Snehmilan – Papa ni pari

October 12: A special snehmilan ceremony was held at Bhavnagar, Gujarat ahead of our main event – Papa ni Pari. Organized by Mr. Suresh Lakhani – a top diamond merchant and philanthropist, Papa ni Pari is a mega mass marriage ceremony where he gets 551 fatherless daughters married in a luxurious fashion regardless of their caste, race or creed.

Our goal with Papa ni Pari is more ambitious than ever. We’ve increased our capacity from 281 girls getting married in the ceremony to 551 girls getting married simultaneously in the ceremony, a mammoth 96% increase. We intend to keep raising the ceiling every time.

Marriages in India are a magnificent affair celebrated with extensive decorations, colour, dresses, music, dance, costumes and rituals that depend on the community, region and religion of the bride and the groom, as well as their preferences. In Papa ni Pari, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and girls of all religions are welcome for marriage. Every religion has its own tradition and customs. We aspire to follow each ritual for every religion to the best of our ability. Every girl has a marriage of her religion, a Muslim girl has a nikah with all rituals followed accurately, a Hindu girl has her wedding in mandap in front of Vivaah-homa also called “sacred fire ceremony” and so on.

In this snehmilan, we met with the parents of the to-be bride and groom to understand their traditions. Since the level of the event this time is colossal, there are a lot of factors to be considered. There is no room for error, as this is a special occasion which only comes once in a girl’s life. We are determined to make this special day exceptional.