Mare owners lose their share thanks to low-key weddings

Most people are either postponing their weddings or leaving out the brass band and mares in view of restrictions on social gatherings

Once an integral part of the ‘baraat’, mare owners are finding themselves out of business as the social distancing requirements in view of the Covid-19 outbreak has forced people to go for low-key weddings.

What’s adding to their woes is that they have to spend a huge amount on the upkeep mares even as there are no earnings. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

What’s adding to their woes is that they have to spend a huge amount on the upkeep mares even as there are no earnings. “I have 15 wedding mares and spend around Rs 2,000 a day to buy fodder. With no cash inflow, this is becoming increasingly difficult,” says Darshan Lal Pappu, who has been in the business for the last 25 years.

He says that they were getting bookings until April but once the state government imposed a 30-guest limit in July, people started opting out.

“People are either postponing their weddings or leaving out the brass band and mares,” he says, adding, “The months of April, November and December are crucial for us as this is when most of the weddings take place. If the restrictions continue, I am not sure how our families will survive.”

One of his employees, Gulshan, says, “Each mare service provider employs at least 15-20 people. Most of us do not have any other skill. How will we provide for our families if we don’t get work?”

Naresh Kumar, a mare service provider on Noorwala road, says, “There are no buyers for mares. Otherwise we could have earned at least Rs 50,000-60,000 by selling one mare.”

He added that the state government should ease the curbs on wedding gatherings or else they would die of starvation.