Coronavirus unties the wedding business knot amid lockdown extension

At stake is the livelihood of millions of gig workers who provide wedding-related services - jewellers, designers, tailors, caterers, pavilion and tent providers and so on

Sindoori and Krishna flew from New York to Chennai for their big fat wedding at their hometown on March 30. Nearly 1,200 guests were invited and one of the largest venues in Chennai was booked. But Covid-19 forced them to postpone the celebrations.

Thousands of other families across India took similar decisions as social distancing rules kicked in and state governments imposed restrictions on gatherings at weddings to no more than 10 people. But the search for alternative auspicious wedding dates is the least of the problems afflicting an industry that KPMG estimates is worth around $50 billion a year.