<p>Bhawna and her younger brother Vikas on Friday could not hide their excitement on the eve of their weddings.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“It will be a new beginning for me,” said Bhawna, 21.<br /><br />They are among 50 poor couples, one of them Muslim, who will get married as part of a mass wedding ceremony organised by an NGO at Chhatarpur Mandir in south Delhi. <br /><br />Kalavati, the widow mother of Bhawna, 21, and Vikas, 20, is also eagerly awaiting for the big day.<br /><br />“I cannot bear the expense of my daughter and son’s wedding. So the mass marriage is a big relief for me,” she said. <br /><br />The event organised by Ladali Foundation Group will have a special arrangement for Haider, 20, and his bride Bilkesh, 18, to solemnise a Muslim wedding.<br /><br /> Biklesh, who lives in Okhla, will tie the knot with Haider, who is a tempo driver, in the presence of the bride’s nine siblings.<br /><br />Aasha Begam, mother of Blikesh, said: “I have 10 kids and three of my daughters’ marriages were arranged by my neighbours. As my husband is a labourer, a mass marriage is the most suitable option for Bilkesh.”<br /><br />Renu, 22, who hails from Badarpur and is a graduate, will tie the knot with Monu, 25. <br />The eldest among five siblings claimed she found her perfect match on her own.<br /><br />“My father is a vegetable seller and he cannot afford the cost of my marriage,” said Renu.<br />Ladali Foundation group president Devendra Gupta said: “Our aim is to arrange weddings of girls from poor families.”<br /><br />“The government has launched a ‘beti bachao and beti padhao’ scheme but there is no government policy for girls’ marriages,” said Gupta, recalling the difficulties he faced while organising his two sisters’ marriage.<br /></p>
<p>Bhawna and her younger brother Vikas on Friday could not hide their excitement on the eve of their weddings.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“It will be a new beginning for me,” said Bhawna, 21.<br /><br />They are among 50 poor couples, one of them Muslim, who will get married as part of a mass wedding ceremony organised by an NGO at Chhatarpur Mandir in south Delhi. <br /><br />Kalavati, the widow mother of Bhawna, 21, and Vikas, 20, is also eagerly awaiting for the big day.<br /><br />“I cannot bear the expense of my daughter and son’s wedding. So the mass marriage is a big relief for me,” she said. <br /><br />The event organised by Ladali Foundation Group will have a special arrangement for Haider, 20, and his bride Bilkesh, 18, to solemnise a Muslim wedding.<br /><br /> Biklesh, who lives in Okhla, will tie the knot with Haider, who is a tempo driver, in the presence of the bride’s nine siblings.<br /><br />Aasha Begam, mother of Blikesh, said: “I have 10 kids and three of my daughters’ marriages were arranged by my neighbours. As my husband is a labourer, a mass marriage is the most suitable option for Bilkesh.”<br /><br />Renu, 22, who hails from Badarpur and is a graduate, will tie the knot with Monu, 25. <br />The eldest among five siblings claimed she found her perfect match on her own.<br /><br />“My father is a vegetable seller and he cannot afford the cost of my marriage,” said Renu.<br />Ladali Foundation group president Devendra Gupta said: “Our aim is to arrange weddings of girls from poor families.”<br /><br />“The government has launched a ‘beti bachao and beti padhao’ scheme but there is no government policy for girls’ marriages,” said Gupta, recalling the difficulties he faced while organising his two sisters’ marriage.<br /></p>
