08-06-10. Photo : Bhadresh Gajjar. Bride Muslim bride signing on Nikahnama during a mass marriage at Bhagatsinh Hall, Gomtipur in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Hubballi: Sunni Muslim Bagban Jamat of Hubballi has decided to discontinue lavish engagement ceremonies and require nikahs to be performed in mosques from Jan 2027, citing the need to reduce the financial burden on brides’ parents and curb escalating wedding-related expenditure within the community. The ‘Shaadi’ committee of Jamat will enforce the new decision from January 2027. Because of the time and money required to organise large functions, he said the move was intended to establish a community standard that would allow families to hold modest ceremonies without fear of social judgement or criticism, and to ensure that marriages were not delayed.
Community members said engagement events had increasingly turned into major functions, with families facing pressure to match or exceed others’ spending. Jamat president A D Hebballi, also known as Munna Hebballi, said shifting nikahs to mosques would simplify preparations and reduce avoidable spending linked to large halls and extensive event management. Under the revised practice, engagement functions will be discontinued, and weddings will be limited to essential rituals. Large engagements, often costing lakhs of rupees, were described as financially draining amid rising costs and growing expectations from grooms’ families, particularly around venue size, elaborate catering and other arrangements.
More than 600 Bagban families, comprising over 3,500 members, live in various localities of Hubballi. In 2021, the Jamat banned wedding bands, musical orchestras and firecrackers during marriage rituals.
Members said the community had been discussing ways to reduce the cost of marriage-related functions, especially for families with limited means, and the latest decision was presented as part of that effort. Community members said those restrictions had been fully implemented and had contributed to a reduction in avoidable expenditure and public display during weddings. Bagban community members are traditionally involved in trading and vending vegetables, fruits, potatoes, onions and dry chillies.