KARACHI: More than a hundred couples started a brand new chapter in their lives as they entered the sacred union of matrimony during the 18th Combined Marriages Programme held under thepatronage of the Pakistan Hindu Council and Prem Nagar, a multi-sectoral social welfare project, at the Railway Ground here on Sunday.

One groom, Govind, a cobbler from Tando Mohammad Khan, and his young bride Geeta, were going into an arranged marriage. They also happened to be the model couple to take the seven phere, or circumambulations, on the mandap, or ceremonial platform, before the main stage. As the wedding Pundit Jai Kumar Trivedi helped Govind and Geeta carry out their wedding rituals, all theother couples followed them in their small enclosures lined on either side of the ground.

Although Govind`s mother Beena was happy that her son was getting married, she was also slightly sad as her own life partner was no longer around to enjoy the joyful moment with her. By sheer coincidence, the bride`s mother was also named Beena. She was glad that she hadtrainedherdaughtertobe a good cook. Glancing at the slim groom noticed that he was rather thin. `My daughter will help Govind gain weight with her delicious dishes,` she claimed with pride, making everyone around them laugh out loud.

The couples started arriving from all over Sindh from 2pm in the afternoon and their arrivals continued till late evening making the model couple wait. `We can`t start the ceremony until everyone is here,` said Mahraj Pandit Jai Kumar, who said that he has been conducting these mass wedding ceremonies for over 15 years now.

Meanwhile, Parshotam Ramani, president of the Pakistan Hindu Council, said that 125 couples registered with them this year. He also encouraged the people there looking for good matches for their son or daughter to download an android phone application called `Jeevan Ka Sathi`from Google Play Store. `It is a matchmaking app, which can assist you in your search for a decent life partner,` he said.

The Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankvani, told Dawn that like every year, this year, too, they are grateful to their sponsors and donors, who helped them come up with adequate amounts to help pay for basic household items for the couples and some jewellery for each bride.

`There is a mangalsutra locket and a silver jewellery set along with household items such as pots and pans, dinner set, pedestal fan, dry iron for pressing clothes, washing machine, LED TV, juicer blender, wall clock, quilt and a copy of the Bhagavad Geeta,` he said. `We will also ensure that the giftsreach the couples homes with them,whichever part of Sindh they may have hailed from,` he added.

Besides the wedding parties, it was also nice to see so many young people at the wedding, hoping to settle down soon. There was Kishore, who works in a software house, with his pretty fiancée Kareena. They said they were hoping to tie the knot by next year. `Maybe you`ll see us in one of the cabins here next year. Or if we are lucky, maybe we would end up as the model couple on stage,` said Kishore as his fiancée smiled sweetly at him.

There were also cousins Mehek and Varsha and also Muskan, Komal and Suhana, all wearing pretty sarees.

`Hopefully you all, too, will get hitched soon,` an elderly aunt of a couple remarked.

`Hopefully!` Said Komal, too loud for all to hear and send giggles all around.