Communal Harmony! Karnataka Muslim Man Funds 5 Hindu Weddings To Mark Inauguration Of His Marriage Hall

Rahimansab D Doddamani, a 48-year-old Muslim civil contractor, has funded five Hindu weddings on Sunday, March 13, to mark a marriage hall's inauguration in the Koppala district in Karnataka.

The class I contractor, a resident of Hirebannigol village in Kushtagi taluk, has spent around Rs 3 lakh on the wedding of the Hindu couples, including food and other requirements of a marriage ceremony. The married couples belong to the Lingayat, Kuruba and Dalit communities.

Several renowned people from the region, including the elected representatives, religious leaders from different faiths, and government officials, attended the Sunday event.

'Payback Time'

Doddamani defines his deed as a 'payback time' for him as he had himself experienced poverty and seen people suffer, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and following lockdowns.

The wedding ceremony took place through Hindu rituals in the new marriage hall at his villages' Hirebannigol Cross. Doddamani and his wife Imambi said they don't differentiate based on caste, religion or financial status. The couple recalled that they were helped by everyone belonging to all faiths during their rough phase in life.

Hardship In Life

Doddamani and his family barely managed two basic meals a day after his father passed away 25 years ago. Despite the hardship in life, his mother Ladbi and elder brother Allasab (a gram panchayat bill collector) encouraged Doddamani to complete his education.

He did his bachelor's in science and pursued a bachelor's in education from Hindi. He joined as a government high school teacher but unfortunately lost the job due to technical reasons.

Became Panchayat President

Doddamani contested gram panchayat elections after his villagers motivated him to do so, and he finally became the panchayat president. But even after holding the position in village administration, his family was unable to meet the daily livelihood.

Later an engineer encouraged Doddamani to work as a contractor.

He said, "That was when a taluk panchayat engineer encouraged me to work as contractor two decades ago. Now, I'm a Class I contractor with 30 drivers on the rolls. Besides, I run a bitumen factory in Hirebannigol," quoted The Times Of India.

Open Invitation To Poor

Imambi said they had named the marriage hall after two Indian politicians who are seen as the icon of communal harmony. The couple named the marriage hall after former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and the podium after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

She said their objective is to let everyone, including people with insufficient resources, conduct events. She added that after finalising the date for the hall's inauguration, they issued an open invitation for the poor to come up and conduct a wedding ceremony free of cost at the newly built marriage hall.

She said, "Having seen people suffer during Covid, we decided to bear all expenses of these marriages as a token of gesture and gratitude towards society. We will rent out the hall for Rs 21,000, including utensils and other amenities, to help the poor people," as quoted by the publication.

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