The ensuing wedding season beginning from 14th January was scheduled to generate an impressive business turnover of over Rs. 4 lakh crores with solemnisation of approximately 30 lakh weddings across Country during the period from 14th January to 31st March will be greatly disturbed with rising covid cases in the Country and impositions of various restrictions by State Governments on wedding and other related functions and happenings. The wedding trade is now likely to be reduced with a meager turnover of Rs.1.5 lakh crore devastating the hopes and aspirations of the traders for doing good business during this second spell of the wedding season. In the earlier first spell from 14th November,2020 to 14th December,2020, the traders across the Country registered an impressive seasonal turnover of about Rs. 3 lakh crore with solemnization of around 25 lakh weddings” said the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today. . The CAIT further said that rising Covid cases have ruined the excitement and expectations of the traders to a greater extent who have already made elaborate arrangements and sufficient stocks of the goods generally purchased for weddings. Beside Delhi several other States have also imposed restrictions of 50 or 100 persons participation in weddings which will greatly reduce the wedding business.
CAIT National President Shri BC Bhartia and Secretary General Shri Praveen Khandelwal said that there are 17 main wedding Muhurtas during the second phase of wedding season and accordingly the banquet halls, hotels, marriage lawns, farm houses and other weddings places across the country including Delhi were fully geared up. In addition to the purchase of accessories at each wedding, a wide variety of services are also involved, including tent, decorators, flower decorations, crockery, catering service, travel service, cab service, professional welcome groups, vegetable vendors, photographers. Videographers, Band-Baja, Shehnai,Orchestra, DJ, horses for the procession, Marriage Wagons, lights and several other types of services were likely to do big business during this season. Event management has also emerged as a big business sector due to planned weddings but rising cases of Covid will significantly decrease the business volume in these verticals. Large number of younger generation, skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled persons were getting temporary jobs during the wedding season which also will be greatly affected.
Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal said that in this second phase of the marriage season, about 7 lakh weddings was estimated to cost around Rs 2 lakh per wedding, 6 lakh weddings with cost 5 lakh,10 lakh marriages were expecting Rs 10 lakh per wedding, 6 lakh marriages costing Rs. 25 lakh per marriage, 50 thousand marriages were estimating 50 lakhs per wedding and 50 thousand marriages with Rs.1 crore or more was estimated. Accordingly, the traders have made large preparations in view of the huge estimate of sale to the tune of Rs. 4 lakh crore. in view of the flow of more than 4 lakh crore rupees in this one month wedding season, traders across the country had made a lot of preparations which will no longer be happening.
CAIT’s Spiritual and Vedic Knowledge Committee Chairman and well-known astrologer of the country, Shri Durgesh Tare said that according to the calculation of stars, in the month of January 22, 23, 24 and 25th, in the month of February 5, 6, 7, 9, 10th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd and in the month of March the 4th and 9th are very auspicious muhurat for wedding. ,Shri Tare told that these Muhurtas have special significance for the people who believe in Sanatan Dharma, whereas apart from these dates, in these three months Arya Samaj, Sikh brothers, Punjabi fraternity, Gujarati Samaj, Jain Samaj and many other sections who don’t value Muhurta had their marriage ceremony planned in a huge scale and number.
Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal said that about 20 percent of the expenditure of each marriage goes to the bride and groom while 80 percent goes to other agencies working in solemnizing the marriage. Before the season of weddings, were one one hand a large amount of business comes out from of repair of houses and paints etc.,there is a special business of items like jewelry, sarees, lehenga – chunni, readymade garments, clothes, footwear, wedding and greeting cards, dry fruits, sweets, fruits, Worship items used in weddings, grocery, food grains, decorations , electrical goods, electronics and many gift items etc on the other hand.
