MUMBAI: In a first of its kind move, Khandelwal Digambar Jain Panchayat in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, has taken an initiative to introduce several reforms in the lavish weddings among the community.
The panchayat has come out with a Code of Conduct (CoC) to control extravagant spending on food, as well to as wipe out some non-productive traditions followed in the community’s weddings.
The panchayat finalised the CoC, to be implemented from January 1, 2015, at a meeting on Tuesday. It has warned the community members that those who would breach it would have to face boycott on their weddings.
According to the CoC, the number of food items at any wedding should not be more than 16, including the pickle, chutney etc. The sangeet (music concert) on the eve of the wedding should be avoided. Women and girls should not dance on street.
The panchayat has issued a diktat that the wedding must take place within half an hour of the fixed muhurat (auspicious time), instead of delaying it by either dancing or delivering speeches.
Mahavir Patni, chief of the CoC committee, told Express that the panchayat has asked the community members to boycott weddings in the families that breach the guidelines.
“We have taken a decision to cut down the expenditure and save valuable human working hours. At present, there is a rat race among our community members in holding lavish wedding ceremonies. Some people take loan to maintain their prestige. We believe such type of extravagant expenditure is unnecessary. If we notice that someone has not followed the guidelines, we will only greet the groom and bride and leave the wedding mid-way, without eating anything,” he said.
Patni informed that the community members preferred to have at least 50 food items in the wedding. The cost of each dish goes around Rs 2,000.
“You can calculate the expenditure, if, say, 1,000 people attend the wedding. Even if one keeps 100 dishes, people will eat as much as they need and the rest will go waste. We will be happy if the wedding cost comes down from, say, Rs 50 lakh to Rs 10 lakh by implementing these rules,” Patni said.