28
April
2008
The Indian Express
Muslim couple marries off adopted daughter, calls priest for ‘saat phere'
They had adopted Babita, who was born in a Hindu family, when she was
very young
ALLAHABAD
I N a rare example of communal harmony, a Muslim
couple solemnised the marriage of their daughter Babita according to the
Hindu rituals in Naini area of Trans Yamuna on Friday.
The couple, Ghulam Mohammad
and Rashida Begum, had adopted Babita 14 years ago, who was born in a
Hindu family. The Muslim couple had only two sons.
Desire for a daughter
prompted them to adopt Babita, who was a little girl then. Her father
Chander Yadav had died in 1994 and soon after Chander's death, her
mother Drupathi Devi also died. However, before Drupathi died, Ghulam
and his wife had adopted Babita from her and assured her of treating
Babita as her own children.
The Muslim couple, indeed,
brought up Babita like their own daughter; in fact, she was a pampered
child.
A few months ago, Rashida
asked her husband to search for a suitable groom for Babita. They,
however, were in a dilemma of where to marry her- in Muslim community to
which they belonged, or in a Hindu family in which she was born.
Finally, the couple decided to marry her with a Hindu boy and began the
difficult search for a suitable groom. Wherever Ghulam, a contractor by
profession, went to settle her daughter's marriage, he had to face some
uneasy questions. Few Hindus appreci ated the idea of marrying a girl
was brought up in a Muslim family. His search, however, ended when Ganga
Prasad Yadav, a resident of Barauli village under Ghoorpur police
station, agreed to marry his son Babloo Yadav with Babita.
Ghulam's family carefully
ensured that all Hindu rituals were observed in the wedding. The
marriage was preceded by a ring ceremony, and marriage cards were
distributed as per the Hindu tradition. The wedding card had a picture
of Lord Ganesha, as is customary among Hindus.
Ghulam Mohammad was
mentioned as the girl's father in the card.
Over 2, 000 people were
invited to the wedding, which was solemnised in Ghulam's own residence,
not a rented hall or a hotel. Everyone in his family participated
enthusiastically. A purohit solemnised the marriage. The ritual of ‘saat
pheres' was also performed. To uphold the sanctity of the marriage,
Ghulam requested a Hindu couple Dhyanchandra Kuswaha and his wife to
perform the ‘Kanya Daan' as, being a Muslim, he could not undertake the
ceremony.
When Ghulam and his wife
performed the ‘vidai', even his neighbours turned emo tional. Much
against his own tradition, Ghulam also gifted the new-wed couple the
necessary household items.
While ensuring all Hindu
rituals, however, Ghulam also ensured his own Muslim tradition of
simplicity was observed. There was no pomp and show. "Photography and
marriage revelry are not allowed in our religion and that was why we
avoided them," said Ghulam.
Notably, he doesn't think
that he has done some something extraordinary. "It was the marriage of
my daughter and I did what every father has been doing since ages," said
Ghulam. |