No lavish weddings in Kashmir: Mutton sellers, wazwan cooks, jewellers pay the price

Business in Kashmir's traditional wedding season has taken a massive hit as thousands of couples have opted for simpler ceremonies instead of lavish ones due to the restrictions imposed in the valley following the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

Mutton suppliers, camping agencies, jewellers, wedding wear outlets and wazwan (traditional Kashmiri cuisine) cooks have seen their business slump due the no-frills wedding ceremonies after restrictions were imposed on the movement of people.

The local dailies, which have managed to publish a few pages, have a dedicated page for advertisements related to the cancellation of wedding invitations extended to relatives and friends.

"Due to the prevailing situation, the wedding ceremony of my son, Yasir Bashir, will be held in a simple way. The invitation for the 'walima' function (banquet performed after marriage ceremony) is hereby cancelled. Inconvenience caused is regretted," reads an advertisement published in a local Urdu daily.

There are over 25 such advertisements in Monday's edition of the daily, which is being circulated to limited areas in the city. Many families have opted to convey the message of cancellation of wedding feasts through a private television news channel, which has been running both video and text messages free of cost for the benefit of the people.

Abdul Majid, whose daughter is getting married on Saturday, said. Gulistan News is available both on the cable network as well as on various platforms of direct-to-home (DTH) television. "It becomes easier for people like us to reach maximum persons on the guest list as there is no other way to reach them," he said.

The wedding cancellations have severely affected the businesses, which sustained on these occasions.

According to Mushtaq Ahmad, a wazwan cook, an average wedding feast has a guest list of 600-800 people. "But now, we are asked to cook for only 150-200 people, which basically constitutes the close family and friends of the groom or the bride."