51 couples tie knots in mass wedding in Delhi

Amid colourful folk performances and robotic drones showering petals, 51 couples from different castes and communities, including two Muslim pairs, got married in a mass wedding ceremony at the Chhatarpur Mandir campus in south Delhi today.
The brides and grooms, from different parts of Delhi and belonging to economically weaker sections, brought under one umbrella by city-based NGO Ladli Foundation, exchanged garlands amidst spiritual chants as drones showered flowers and shot aerial photographs of the ceremony.
"This is a symbol of social unification and empowerment of the community, which may be behind economically compared to others, but which strives to rise up the ladder. And, our role is just to provide that platform and opportunity," the Foundation's president, Devendra Gupta said.

Raj Kumar, the foundation's convener, said this was the culmination, but the process took about six months.
"We have to work out every details, check and authenticate claims made by prospective brides and grooms and then finally put it all together," he said.
Kumar said among the 51 couples, 49 are Hindus and two are Muslims. "Nikah is performed for Muslims, and if any Christian couple is there, then we get a priest too," he said, asserting that "our message is of social equality and harmony".
Gupta said this was the third wedding ceremony organised by the Foundation. "Last year, we had 101 couples tying the knot."

Barabanki MP Priyanka Singh Rawat, chief patron of the Foundation, attended the function and also felicitated some women from different fields.