No band, no ‘baaja’ and well, just a few ‘baraatis’

Arguably the smallest baraat (marriage party) comprising the groom, his father and a relative from a Jharkhand village arrived in a remote Sonbhadra village on Tuesday,

Arguably the smallest baraat (marriage party) comprising the groom, his father and a relative from a Jharkhand village arrived in a remote Sonbhadra village on Tuesday, where the groom tied the knot and the couple then returned to the Jharkhand village.

The groom along with the marriage party

The bride’s father, Jaseem, said that a few months back, he found a suitable match for his daughter and fixed March 24 was as date of Nikaah. As per schedule, bridegroom Zubaid Alam along with baraatis (members of the marriage party) in three SUVs was on way to Korachi village in Duddhi area of Sonbhadra district, which shares a boundary with Garhawa, from where the baraat came.

As the vehicles reached Ramanujganj on the UP-Jharkhand border, police personnel on duty stopped them and asked them to return. On pleading, they said only the groom, his father and one more person could go as baaraat. The rest of the people were asked to return home.

Jaseem said the bridegroom’s father Khurshid Alam called him and requested him to send a vehicle to fetch them to the village. Thereafter, Zubaid along with Khurshid and one witness, Shakeela, reached the village around noon on Tuesday and the Nikah took place as per schedule.

The newlyweds, set for a taste of love in the time of corona, then left for the groom’s house in Bhandaria village.