Odisha: Wedding season catches viral fever
BHUBANESWAR: Life has become uncertain because of the lockdown, and this uncertainty has claimed its first victim — weddings scheduled for this month.
According to astrologers, the wedding season is supposed to start from Friday and continue till July 12. This month has five auspicious dates — April 17, 19, 20, 26 and 27. But with no clear indication of which way the Covid-19 situation will turn, and large gatherings likely to be banned in the near future, most people have chosen to put off weddings for now.
Sripati Acharya, an astrologer, said there were also several dates in May, June and July but added that people were also apprehensive about these months as social distancing guidelines were unlikely to be withdrawn soon.
Shalini Mohanty, a doctor and a native of Saheed Nagar, was scheduled to marry Sushobhan Bahninipati, also a doctor and a native of Nayagarh district, on April 26. With the extension of the lockdown, they have decided to postpone the event. “It was impossible to go ahead with the plan,” said Shalini’s father Debdas Mohanty, a retired government servant. Like the doctor duo, thousands of marriages slated for April are being postponed. “We are not finalising another date yet. You never know what will happen,” Mohanty added.
“We had planned my son’s marriage in March but because of the lockdown, we rescheduled it to April 20. Now, we have decided to postpone it altogether and won’t fix a date till the cloud of uncertainty has passed,” said a Balangir-based businessman.
Amareshwar Mishra, an astrologer based in Balangir, said at least 50 marriages scheduled for April 19 and 20 in Balangir town alone had been postponed. Some, however, are going ahead by cutting down on gatherings and receptions.
“Initially, we planned our marriage in March. Then we rescheduled it to May 3. We will go ahead with the plan but will make it a family affair. The reception will be held when the situation normalises,” said Chittaranjan Pradhan, a native of Bijepur in Bargarh district.
With weddings being deferred or solemnised without the usual fanfare, the economy dependent on the industry is also badly hit. From marriage mandap owners to decorators, florists to wedding planners, everyone is now counting their losses. Siddharth Saha, a flower grower in Sambalpur, said, “I had grown gerbera over 50 decimal of land ahead of the marriage season. Now I have no choice but to destroy them.”
-
Download
-
Subscribe
Start Your Daily Mornings with Times of India Newspaper! Order Now