In Pics: Surat Businessman Hosts Mass Wedding for Fatherless Women

A diamond trader in Gujarat hosts mass wedding for 151 couples.

Brides sit for a group photo before a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader, Mahesh Savani in Surat. 

With the brides dressed in traditional red and gold embroidered saris and the grooms in long tunics and turbans, 151 young couples tied the knot at a mass wedding in Gujarat on December 6.

The nuptials were hosted by Mahesh Savani, a diamond trader who has been paying for the weddings of fatherless women in the city of Surat for several years.

Savani first stepped in to play the role of the father in 2008, when one of his employees died a few days before the weddings of his two daughters.

Every year since then, Savani has paid for the weddings of young women from poor families who have lost their fathers.

Muslim bride Nazminbanu Khalifa (right) signs on papers as others sit during a mass wedding. (Photo: AP)

Savani said that the wedding and gifts for the 151 couples cost over Rs 5 crore, with around 1,00,000 guests joining in the three-day festivities that ended on Sunday.

He says,“I see this as something sacred, so I am not counting the expense.”

People attending the mass wedding in Surat (Photo: AP)

Indian diamond trader Mahesh Savani (centre right) gives gifts to a Muslim bride Nagmabegum Qadri during a mass wedding hosted by him in Surat. (Photo: AP)

The businessman, who has made his fortune in diamond trading and real estate, said he saw himself as a “foster father” to the young women. He gave each of the brides gold jewellery, clothes, and pots and pans to set up her new home, much like the dowry given in traditional Indian weddings.

Brides leave after a group photo before a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader Mahesh Savani in Surat on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Indian Muslim bride Riddhi Saiyad, left and Hindu groom Vijay Moradiya sit for a marriage ritual at a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader in Surat.

A bride and a groom perform rituals during the mass wedding. (Photo: AP)

Brides sit in a bus as they arrive before a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader in Surat. (Photo: AP)

Indian Muslim bride Riddhi Saiyad listens Hindu wedding wows as she weds Hindu groom Vijay Moradiya, during a mass wedding. (Photo: AP)

A Muslim bride Nagmabegum Qadri looks during a group photo session before a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader in Surat. (Photo: AP)

Brides sit for a group photo before a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader in Surat. (Photo: AP)

A bride takes selfie at mass marriage ceremony in Surat on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

A bride Mittal Gondaliya (centre right) and groom Pankaj Nasit perform rituals during a mass wedding hosted by a diamond trader in Surat. (Photo: AP)