Big fat Kashmiri weddings to slim down as J-K govt limits guests, menus
The big fat Kashmiri weddings known for their extravagant celebrations and multi-course wazwans will get trimmer from April.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced restrictions on the number of guests to be invited and specified the number of dishes that can be served at both public and private gatherings, mostly weddings, to limit wastage of food and essential items in such ceremonies.
The department of food, civil engineering and consumer affairs said it imposed the restrictions after it received complaints regarding “injudicious use of essential commodities and extravagant expenditures being made in both private and public functions’’.
“Whereas, it has been observed/reported that large quantities of food items, besides beverages, fruits, sweets etc are not only being served during these functions but most of it gets wasted and is thrown into dustbins,” it said in a notification.
The order will come into effect from April this year.
While families will be allowed to invite only 500 people for their daughter’s wedding, the number has been restricted to 400 if one’s son is getting married. And only 100 can be invited for smaller events like engagements.
The wedding menu is also likely to be restricted and nonvegetarian dishes cannot accede more than seven with only two servings of fruits and sweets. Manzoor Ahmad, a 30-year-old, who earns ₹4,500 a month is set to get married in the summer, is happy about the order. “The rich have no problem but people like us are forced to follow. A marriage in Kashmir can leave you in huge debts,’’ Ahmad said.
The government also put a ban on the use of crackers and loudspeakers for both government functions and weddings. The order, however, does not specify whether loudspeakers can be used during public speeches of the chief minister and other political leaders.
It has imposed a complete ban on sending dry fruits and sweets with wedding invitation cards and laid down norms for disposing of leftover food and non-decomposing disposable items.
The restrictions would be applicable in both Jammu and Kashmir regions. While the wedding season is almost coming to an end in Jammu, marriages take place between May and October in Kashmir valley.