In a mass wedding ceremony focused on social inclusion, Narayan Seva Sansthan concluded its 45th Free Mass Wedding Ceremony for differently-abled and economically weaker couples at the Seva Mahatirth campus in Udaipur.

The two-day ceremony saw 51 couples from different parts of the country solemnize their marriages through Vedic chants and traditional rituals. The event was attended by guests including Darshana Mehta, Yash Mehta and Om Prakash Soni, along with the institution’s founder Kailash 'Manav' Agarwal and other members of the organisation.

The ceremony aimed to support persons with disabilities and promote social harmony by bringing together couples who have faced social and economic challenges. With priests reciting traditional mantras, the couples took the seven sacred vows around the ceremonial fire.

Many of the newly married couples include individuals living with different forms of disabilities, including mobility impairments, visual impairments and limb disabilities. Some of the beneficiaries had earlier received corrective surgeries, artificial limbs, calipers and rehabilitation support from the institution. Skill-development programmes offered by the organisation have also helped several beneficiaries become self-reliant.

Of the 51 couples, 25 include persons with disabilities, while 26 belong to economically weaker sections. Among them was Vijay Gamar from Banaskantha district in Gujarat, who married Manju from a village near Udaipur, who has a leg disability.

The couples were welcomed with a traditional ceremony followed by rituals such as the Toran ceremony and exchange of garlands. Afterwards, Priests then conducted the wedding rituals at separate altars where the couples took their vows.

The organisers also provided the newly wed couples with essential household items such as beds, bedding, wardrobes, utensils, gas stoves, dinner sets and fans to help them start a new beginning.

This event included cultural performances highlighting the Divine Marriage of Shiva and Parvati as well as the Divine Marriage of Krishna and Rukmini, along with a doli farewell ceremony that is traditional to this type of event.

According to the organisation, by this event a total of 2510 weddings of persons with disabilities and/or persons who were disadvantaged have been put on through these events.