Progressive Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohra Jamat-Udaipur alongwith the Bohra Youth Association, Udaipur, organized a mass marriage programme starting 11th to the 14th of May 2010. Seven couples got married. The programme was very well organized and was a huge success. This was the 13th round of mass marriages in Udaipur since the fist historic one on the 16th of March 1975 in which more than a 100 couples participated.

Women gather for Mehndi ceremony in a masjid.

Various functions as per the Bohra traditions including Sagaai, Mehndi, Dora ceremony, Nikaah, Baraat procession and public reception were organized during these four days. The public reception was held in the large grounds of the Udaipur branch of Field Club. The traditional Dholki and military bands were arranged to grace the occasion.

Distinguished guests from different parts of India and other countries participated in the ceremonies. Some of the names include Tayyebi Zamindar (Ahmedabad), Zainuddin Vali (Godhra), Abdullah Bhai Engineer and others members from the Aurangabad jamaat, Fakhruddin Bhai and others members from the Fateh Nagar jamaat, few yougsters from Banswada, Safia Sadiq Ali and others members from Malegam, Comrade Inayat Husain's son from Bhopal, Asghar Ali Engineer, Yunus Baluwala, and Saifuddin Insaf. Reformist Bohras from Udaipur working in Kuwait, Dubai and US etc also attended the ceremonies.

Local politicians and important personnel from local administration were also present and spoke on the occasion. Among them were Hukumchand, Prof. Mohammad Shafi Aghwani, Gulab Chandra Katariya - M.L.A. from Udaipur, Yudhistar Kumawat, former Chairman, Municipal Council, Udaipur; Jagat Mehta, former Ambasador to Pakistan, Jinni Shrivastav, social activist, Anuradha, human rights activist from Hydrabad, Sikh Granthi Saheb, Dr. Sujan Singh, President of the Sikh Welfare Society.

Members of the Orthodox (Shabab) Jamat, Anjuman-e-Burhani, like Gulam Husain Manager, Dr. Abbas Ali Saifee, Yaqoob Engineer, relatives of Ibrahim Engineer etc. also attended the wedding reception. This inspite of an SMS circulated warning Orothodox Bohras not to attend.

One Alfia Paanwala, daughter of a staunch Orothodox supporter, Akberbhai Paanwala openly rebelled and got married to Mazhar Husain son of a reformist mulla, Peerkhan Saheb. She was beaten up and locked by her parents.

Udaipur residents experience power cuts every morning and evening these days, but the city administration made sure power was provided to the Boharwadi and Field Club through out the day to facilitate the proceedings.

More than five thousand members of the Jamat were served in the Jamatkhana while more than ten thousand guests were served vegetarian buffet dinner at Field Club, Udaipur.

There was a wide coverage in the local news paper on a daily basis.

Sagaai

 

Mehndi

 

Nikaah

 

Baraat