The move ordered by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in a bid to ‘control wastage’ at both government and private functions
Wedding planners will be a worried lot, as the big fat Indian wedding has been forced to crash diet in Jammu and Kashmir. The move ordered by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in a bid to ‘control wastage’ at both government and private functions, will see the ostentatious Kashmiri wedding literally cut down to size.
The CM has ordered a mandatory restriction on the dishes to be served and on the number of guests invited. The government has also banned the use of loudspeakers and fire-crackers in government or social functions as well. Any violation will invoke criminal action under the relevant sections of the CrPC.
Explaining the details of the directive, Chaudhary Zulfkar Ali, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) said, “The number of guests to be invited on marriage of a daughter (barat), marriage of son and small functions like engagements should be restricted to a maximum of 500, 400 and 100 respectively.”
He added, “The number of non-vegetarian/vegetarian dishes to be served should be restricted to a maximum of seven each.”
It is not as if the Kashmiri wedding has not had its share of problems in the past. Long curfews, shutdowns and disturbances had already hurt ostentatious wedding functions which are replete with multi-course mutton cuisine –Wazwan — served to hundreds of guests.
This is not the first time that such an order has been issued by the state government. In 1974, the then government of Syed Mir Qasim had issued a similar order, restricting dishes to five to be served to 25 guests. This order was, however, struck down by the court. Justice G N Gowhar — the judge who had then struck down the order — told DNA that the order lacked application of mind.
“Kashmir’s traditional cuisine is based on the premise that each part of sheep, including viscera have to be utilised to prepare different dishes. By restricting dishes to five would mean, to throw the rest of meat into the dustbin.
Therefore, instead of controlling the wastage, the move will lead to more wastage,” said the judge, who is now a leading author and a political activist.
A similar attempt was made in 2004, at the fag end of the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Government. But the J&K High Court set the order aside, after complaints of police high-handedness rose. Locals alleged that the police would raid marriage functions and arrest the groom, their families and guests, and would only let them go after their palms had been greased.
This time around though, the state government seems to be in no mood to relent. Zulfkar asked people to ensure there is no wastage of food and any surplus food should be provided to deserving people and old age homes after properly preserving and packing them. Incidentally, a complete ban has also been imposed on sending dry fruits and sweet packets with invitation card by any person even to relatives, friends, guests, invitees etc.
The minister said such move has been taken keeping the larger public interest in mind. Elaborating, he said that about 58 per cent people were food insecure as per the National Nutritional Survey of 2001, and curbing food wastage at weddings was one way to tackle it.
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