Band, baaja... no baarat

Gurnaaz Kaur

Marriages may be made in heaven, but the dates are fixed on Mother Earth! Each year astrologers chalk out mahurats (dates) that are favourable for marriages, but this time around they are a bit farther than expected. Says astrologer Madan Gupta Spatu, “The band, baaja and baraat shall remain off the road from mid-May till November. This is due to Mal Maas or Adhik Maas (known as excess month or inauspicious month in astrological jargon). According to religious and astrological norms, all auspicious activities are banned during such period.”

So, do people really believe in these mahurats? Does the date matter more than the availability of a venue? Those in business share their take. “These dates not only decide the future of a couple, they also decide the future of our business. People really follow these mahurats. Peak season and lean season in our profession is based on this annual forecast. This year, we hardly have any bookings in October, November and December; these are otherwise months that are packed,” says Sandeep Sharma, GM, Palm Resorts, Zirakpur.

Seconds Akbar Grewal, general manager, Grandeur Lawn and Banquet, “It’s only the Sikh community that makes the choice of wedding date based on a weekend, rest everyone here sticks by what their astrologer says. That way, the business is very largely correlated. From the past few years, right in the beginning of a year most astrologers come out with the auspicious dates. You can find them online too. Our business thrives on these dates.”

Date with destiny

Things probably are a bit different when it comes to hotels. “People definitely focus on auspicious dates, but if our hotel is booked for a particular day, they do consider other dates. Unlike many resorts, even this year we have bookings,” shares Gautam Chhabra, senior manager, sales centre, JW Marriot.

Even caterers, tent-house owners, make-up artistes and wedding planners rely on the auspicious dates to get their business rolling. Booking in-charge Sanjay Denod of Ambrozia Catering says, “Our bookings this year are majorly affected. We have work from June 17 till 25, and after that we have some weddings around September and October. For the last so many years, November 10-13 have been completely booked but this year, so far, not even a single booking is there.”

Talking business

The owner of Food Kraft, another known name in the catering industry, is of the same view. “This year things aren’t that good for our business. We do get other parties and functions, but the Hindu wedding rush hasn’t been felt,” says Sandeep Sharma from Food Kraft.

Adds Jagtar Singh, Chandni Tent House owner, “Over the years, we have learnt ways to accommodate many weddings on one day because the moment these auspicious dates are out, there is a huge rush.”

Make-up artistes are feeling the heat too. “Mahurats are not taken out for smaller ceremonies like engagement and roka, but when it comes to weddings people stick to them. This is particularly the case with North-Indians. By this time of the year, bookings are closed for November, December and January. People and service-provides have to plan ahead of time,” says freelance make-up artiste Tanvi Goyal.

Nowadays, all functions and ceremonies have themes; there are destination weddings, the invites ooze creativity and all this is done by wedding planners. Rudra event planners think budget is what decides the dates. “It’s simple maths. Grand weddings are equal to big budgets. High-end clients don’t care about dates; they are very flexible and smart. They know heavy dates would mean spending almost the double. Instead, they up the ante in the features and services at a wedding,” explains Rohit Saini, who has been in the business for nine years now.

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Sunday is special

• According to Spatu, those who do not subscribe to astrology can choose Sundays to perform marriage ceremonies between 11.30 am to 12.30pm, as Sunday is considered to be most auspicious day in many religions and communities. That’s why, in several communities like Sikhs, marriages are performed on Sundays before 12 pm. The Christians call it Sabbath Day and perform marriages on this particular day in forenoon. 
• Even astrologically speaking, Sunday is considered to be a big day due to planet Sun  and mid-day is called Abhijeet Mahurat (which cannot be conquered, and any action performed during this time ends  in victory).