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The Foundation of Social Progress

(On the occasion of the 2nd Group Wedding of the Samast
Bharwad Samaj, Jamnagar District. August 5, 2002)

If society doesn’t change with the time, it gets outdated and
its progress stagnates. It should welcome and accept the
changes. A few years ago people were against mass weddings.
In spite of knowing that this is a very good option for those
who cannot afford individual marriages, even the non-affording
people were not ready to accept this change. The women would
insist that they want to have their daughters married at their
own place, and not anywhere else. Therefore, our social leaders
could not put this idea into practice. But gradually the society
started accepting the idea.

Then, in the next phase, people started accepting group
weddings but they would still have an individual feast for their
own friends and relatives. They believe that they have to pay
back for all the weddings they have attended. Thus, the group
wedding turned out to be completely pointless. People would
sell their cattle and lands to meet the expenses of these
unnecessary feasts. They need to understand that the whole
purpose of group weddings was to do away with the expenses
of the wedding feast. If that was not enough, they also had to
spend on gifting cash and clothes to relatives. However, now
they have stopped those expenses. According to me, if any of
us, however affording, wants to spend more money on a
wedding, should donate that money for social welfare. At least
that way you would serve the society. I strongly believe that the
culture that refuses to change with time remains backward.