At Meerut’s ‘royal wedding’, groom gets

While it may not appear to be any different than a typical Indian wedding, this Meerut marriage ceremony has gone viral on social media for its extravagant display of wealth. A video from a nikah reportedly recorded at a resort on NH-58 shows a significant amount of wealth and money being exchanged between the bride and groom’s families.
The clip, which has gone viral on social media, shows suitcases filled with cash being passed around among a large gathering of men. Several of them gather around as the monetary gifts are exchanged, eager to see the lavish nature of the presents.
(Also read: Virtual nikah: Denied leave by boss, Indian man gets married over video call)
The bride’s family hands over ₹2.5 crore in cash to the groom’s side while the groom’s family gives ₹11 lakh as part of the joota churai ritual, a common wedding practice where the bride’s sisters “steal” the groom’s shoes and demand a payment in exchange.
As the video goes on, another gift of ₹11 lakh is offered to the maulana who officiated the nikah ceremony.
The video was stealthily recorded by a wedding guest after the families barred anyone from filming the ceremony. The guest recording the video was also asked to stop filming when they were caught recording.
The clip showed a person announcing the gifts being bestowed upon the groom and his family. ” ₹75 lakhs in the cash amount are being given for purchasing the car,” he says out loud as the bride’s family passes across suitcases, purportedly full of cash.
The bride’s side also donated ₹8 lakh to a mosque in Ghaziabad where her family is based.
“A royal marriage took place in a resort in which ₹2.56 crores were given to the groom, ₹11 lakhs were stolen as shoes, ₹11 lakhs were given as Nikah recitation, ₹8 lakhs were given to the mosque. Unfortunately, poor daughters are left unmarried because of these customs,” wrote X user Arzoo who shared the video online, condemning the extravagant dowry being paid to the groom.
(Also read: Students gatecrashed wedding for free food, left 3,000 guests starving, says bride’s father)