Hindu neighbours receive 'baraat' as Muslim woman gets married

A village in Madhya Pradesh's Harda district saw communal barriers melting away when Hindu neighbours welcomed the bridegroom on behalf of bride, a Muslim.

Rafiya (25), daughter of Yahya Khan, resident of Ranhai Kala village, wedded Zuber Khan (28) from Visakhapatnam on Wednesday night.

Khan's is the only Muslim family in the village.

When the groom and his family arrived, they were surprised to see that Hindu residents of the village were in charge of their reception.

Khan's neighbours had told him that they would like to welcome the groom and his family upon their arrival.

So it was the family of Ramkrishna Patel which received the 'baraatis'.

As they walked through village lanes towards the bride's house, residents showered flower petals on them and busted crackers.

"We have very good relations with the Khan family and have always treated him as a family member. His daughter is like our own daughter," said Patel. "So we decided we would welcome the groom's family first," he told PTI.

"Entire village welcomed the marriage procession. We are really happy at this gesture," Khan said.

Zuber, the bridegroom, said, "I am really happy, especially seeing the love between Hindus and Muslims. Such things are not seen in the cities.