Mohan Yadav’s Commendable Initiative Could Become Part of the Prime Minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’
Krishnamohan Jha
For years, there has been a common perception in society that collective wedding ceremonies (mass marriage events) are meant only for those couples whose families face financial constraints. In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has taken a commendable step that has shattered this notion and drawn attention from across the country.
In the recently held social marriage ceremony in the sacred city of Mahakal, 21 couples took the seven sacred vows around the holy fire. Among them was Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav’s second son, Dr. Abhimanyu Yadav, who was married to Dr. Ishita Patel in this much-discussed mass wedding event. The presence of renowned yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who performed the wedding rites for all couples according to the traditional Vedic rituals, added great sanctity to this unique ceremony.
On this occasion, the President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri Maharaj, and Juna Akhada’s Swami Hari Giri announced a blessing of one lakh rupees each for all the couples. Although many distinguished guests—including Bageshwar Dham’s chief Dhirendra Shastri, prominent saints, Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Durgadas Uikey, Speaker of the MP Legislative Assembly Narendra Singh Tomar, and several ministers, politicians, and other dignitaries—were present to bless the newlyweds, everyone was hosted with equal hospitality, without discrimination of any kind.
The simplicity and harmony reflected at the venue made it evident that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had already instructed the organizers to avoid any excessive grandeur. Throughout the event, he appeared like any ordinary father participating in each ritual. His natural, unassuming manner made it difficult for an outsider to realize that the son of a popular Chief Minister was getting married. His humility and simplicity won everyone’s hearts. Known for his friendly nature, he personally greeted every guest who attended the ceremony. When blessing the 21 couples, he expressed his feelings by saying, “All of them are my sons and daughters.”
In recent years, the fashion of organizing grand, luxurious, and lavish weddings has grown rapidly across the country. In this environment, the initiative taken by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is undoubtedly exemplary. Through this gesture, he succeeded in conveying the message that mass weddings should be encouraged across all sections of society. There is no doubt that every parent has the right to celebrate their children’s marriage with grandeur, but when a sacred ceremony like marriage is turned into an extravagant event, the sanctity of the institution is compromised.
By solemnizing his son’s marriage in a simple, collective ceremony, Mohan Yadav also conveyed that affluent parents, who do not hesitate to spend extravagantly on their children’s weddings, could instead use even a small portion of that money to support the marriages of underprivileged children—earning the blessings of countless families.
Had he wished, the Chief Minister could easily have chosen any luxurious five-star or seven-star hotel in a metropolitan city for his son’s wedding. Such venues would have been readily available to him. But by choosing the site of a mass marriage ceremony, he sent out a strong message—that he preferred to be known simply as a father rather than as a “Chief Minister–father.” Mohan Yadav has now become the first Chief Minister in the country to have his highly educated son married in a mass wedding ceremony.
I believe that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentions this commendable initiative in his upcoming ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, it could inspire a strong movement across the nation. Through this motivational message, the Prime Minister could encourage wealthy families to curb unnecessary extravagance and wasteful spending in lavish weddings.
There is no doubt that the praiseworthy initiative taken by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on the banks of the holy Kshipra River in the city of Mahakal must be carried forward as a sustained campaign. Governments of all states should participate to ensure its success.
(The writer is a political analyst)
