An Indian diamond trader has thrown a mass wedding ceremony for 111 fatherless women and given each one gifts worth thousands of dollars, saying giving a bride away was "sacred".
Mahesh Savani said the women, whose families were all too poor to finance their weddings, saw him as their foster father.
The 44-year-old said he had given each one gifts of gold and other items worth 450,000 rupees (RM24,850) to start their married lives, as well as paying for the wedding.
"Material gifts are not important, but I have given my name to them and will fulfil all my responsibilities as a father of the bride for the rest of my life," he told AFP before the ceremony was held at a school in Gujarat state on Sunday.
Savani, who has now organised the weddings of 251 women, said he began his charitable campaign in 2008 when one of his own staff members died.
"I was very shocked when one of my employees died just 12 days before he could marry off his two daughters. It was very difficult for the family to arrange for marriage," he said.
"So I decided that I would become their foster father and marry them off. This is how it began," Savani said.
It is not known how much the giant ceremony wedding cost, but Indian weddings are famous for their grand scale with multi-course feasts, decorated horses, brass bands and huge tents arranged to entertain hundreds or even thousands of guests.
AFP
Mon Dec 01 2014
Indian brides and grooms (pictured in gazebos) and other attendees are seen during a mass wedding of some 111 fatherless daughters in Surat - AFP PHOTO / STR
X ubah ciri 'block', komen masih boleh dibaca
CIRI block di X (Twitter) ialah cara paling mudah untuk menghalang akaun tertentu daripada muncul di susur masa atau pemegang akaun membaca ciapan anda.
Sambungan bluetooth dari bumi ke satelit berjaya dilakukan
Hubble Network, sebuah syarikat pemula dari Amerika Syarikat berjaya melakukan sambungan bluetooth dari bumi ke satelit di angkasa lepas.
UNESCO hadiahkan semua wartawan di Gaza anugerah PBB
Sebagai sebuah badan PBB yang menggalakkan keamanan dan keselamatan dunia, bumi gaza telah menjadi enjadi tempat paling maut bagi wartawan dalam sejarah susulan serangan kejam israel membunuh puluhan ribu manusia.
Piala Thomas 2024: 15 skrin besar tayang aksi separuh akhir Malaysia-China esok
Peminat sukan badminton tanah air berpeluang menyaksikan aksi separuh akhir Piala Thomas 2024 antara Malaysia dan China yang akan ditayangkan di 15 lokasi skrin besar di seluruh negara, pada Sabtu ini
Kes demam denggi berkurangan pada ME17, tiada kematian - KP Kesihatan
Jumlah kes demam denggi dilaporkan berkurangan kepada 2,237 kes pada Minggu Epidemiologi ke-17 (ME17) iaitu dari 21 April hingga 27 April lalu berbanding 2,321 kes pada minggu sebelumnya.
Polis giat buru suspek samun pemain TFC
Dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 8.30 malam itu, mangsa yang juga pemain bola sepak kebangsaan berusia 25 tahun cedera di kepala, kaki kiri dan lengan kiri.
Bapa ditahan dera anak usia 2 tahun
Seorang lelaki diberkas dipercayai mendera anak perempuannya yang berumur dua tahun dalam kejadian di sebuah rumah dekat Taman Pinggiran Cheras.
Kes demam denggi menurun pada ME17, tiada kematian - KP Kesihatan
Orang awam dinasihati supaya mengelak daripada berada di luar rumah pada waktu puncak gigitan nyamuk aedes.
KPM sedar sistem pendidikan berdepan krisis
Semua pihak termasuk Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia sedar bahawa sistem Pendidikan negara sedang berdepan dengan krisis.
Lebih 500,000 pelajar Sabah nikmati manfaat pembaikan sekolah daif
Seramai 514,070 murid dan pelajar di Sabah menikmati prasarana sekolah lebih baik hasil usaha berterusan kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi Kementerian Pendidikan dalam menaik taraf sekolah daif serta kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan bangunan sekolah di negeri itu