Emotional post-lockdown wedding of a Hyderabadi NRI

Jeddah: A wedding is a time of great celebration, a time of great joy, it’s the coming together not just of two individuals but also of families and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on almost every sector and the NRI community is the worst hit. The pandemic that caused suspension of flights, […]

Jeddah: A wedding is a time of great celebration, a time of great joy, it’s the coming together not just of two individuals but also of families and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on almost every sector and the NRI community is the worst hit.

The pandemic that caused suspension of flights, job losses and visa relevant issues forced many NRIs to reschedule their weddings and some postponed or cancelled. The emotional scene of a young Hyderabadi NRI engineer when the groom burst into tears during his marriage in Jeddah on Thursday evening exemplifies how novel coronavirus impacted life and relationships.

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Mohammed Imdad Ali, hailing from Santoshnagar in Hyderabad and working in Jeddah, burst into tears as he began to speak with his father Mohammed Ahmed Ali Shakeel in Hyderabad over the video call immediately after his Nikah. A year ago, when the world was yet to hear about COVID-19, Shakeel had begun preparations for a grand wedding for his NRI son in Jeddah city, where many of his relatives were living. The marriage was scheduled in March last year. Imdad Ali obtained visiting visas for his parents and they were reportedly scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia, but before their trip a lockdown was imposed.

But, in a matter of a week things changed so much. Their wedding plans were postponed with the lockdown continuing. In the post lockdown period also, groom’s parents were unable to come to Saudi Arabia and neither was groom able to travel to India. Finally, both families decided to conduct the wedding without the presence of the groom’s parents.

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