April 5 2016, 18.33 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
New Delhi, April 5, 2016: India is a traditional patriarchal country is known for crimes against women, female feticide, child marriages and whether you are poor or rich you have to pay a huge dowry for marriages.
In 1971 after the war of Bangladesh, the Guild for Service in partnership with War Widows Association launched its 1st group marriage function. In a society with strong religious, cultural, conservative society, a widow remarriage was considered a bad omen. Hence we started with widow remarriages. Later we included marginalized and differently abled couples, inter caste and inter community marriages. So far we have successfully settled the lives of 50,091 girls including widows inter caste, inter community, differently abled couples towards a change in the society since 46 years of its existence-initiated by Guild for Service.
These expense-free marriages abolish the practice of dowry, promote inter-caste and inter-community marriages and widow remarriage. It is through such endeavors that the Guild for Service seeks to function as a catalyst for change in society.
We are happy that as agents of change, we have been able to bring about a changed outlook towards marriage and remarriage. The couples are happy that the dowry system, honour killings are eliminated in our group marriages. All marriages are performed in the day time so that electricity is not wasted. 5thApril, 3pm will see 33 group marriages of couples who are handicapped, widow remarriages, inter caste and inter community marriages.
We are thankful to Ms. Bhargavi, a very enthusiastic and dynamic student of Class XI - DPS Vasant Kunj, who has provided immense value and contribution by actively coordinating with Guild for executing successfully the Group marriage ceremony of all 30 couples, facing economic hardships. We are overwhelmed to see the young generation participating in the noble cause says Dr. Mohini Giri while talking to the media.
The couples will be given essential items and the wedding attire to start their life. The Guild is particular that these couples who are getting married should be with jobs and girls should be in vocational training. The Guild undertakes vocational training for the girls and gives a lecture on family planning was delivered to the couples by counselor from the Family Planning Association. On this day couples are also explained the meaning of marriage and advantages of a small family. Couples are given condoms so that they have a small family. It would indeed be a red letter day for us if you will a partner as an agent of change and join us.
We would like to request you to kindly join us in our endeavour to provide fillip to National Integration and Communal Harmony or would be most grateful if you could depute someone to cover the event.
We look forward to your participation as we believe that it is through the process of sensitization that one can instill a passion of commitment to work for marginalized and spread a desire in many to serve for this cause.