One Man in Gujarat Broke a Taboo by Inviting 18,000 Widows to His Son’s Wedding

A widow’s presence at a wedding is considered a taboo at many places in India. It is believed that they bring bad luck, and are no invited to festivals and other celebrations.

But when a businessman in Gujarat was organising his son’s wedding, he decided to crush this superstitious belief and invited about 18,000 widows to bless the bride and groom.

Similar Story

IIT Madras Offers Free Online Course For Engineers: Here's How You Can Earn a Certificate

IIT Madras is offering a free online course for engineers on data science via the SWAYAM portal. Read on to know more about duration, syllabus and how to get a certificate.

Read more >

Picture for representation only. Source: Natesh Ramasamy/Flickr

Jitendra Patel, a resident of Mehsana, invited the widows from five districts of Gujarat, including Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Patan and Aravalli.

“It was my heartfelt desire that the couple should be blessed by widows, who are mostly neglected by the society. Their presence is considered a bad omen at auspicious functions but I wanted to prove that all these beliefs are nothing but superstitions,” Jitendra Patel told The Times of India.

To make them feel even more special, every widow was presented with a blanket and a sapling. They promised to nurture the plants back home. Additionally, 500 widows coming from financially weaker backgrounds were presented with a milking cow each, to help them earn a living.

55-year-old Hansa Thakore told TOI that she has never expected such honour and so much importance after she became a widow.

Featured image for representation only. Source (R): pixabay

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).