On Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh public relations minister PC Sharma backed an outrageous ban on pre-wedding photoshoots. Yup, you heard that right. Pre-wedding photoshoots are being called “obscene” and “against our culture” by the Gujarati, Jain and Sindhi communities in Bhopal, who have banned this practice in their communities.
These things were certainly not a part of our culture. I believe that whatever people prohibit, it is from a social point of view. If people start following old trends and cultures again, their marriages will become more successful and joyful.
-PC Sharma told ANI
Couples use the opportunity to pre-wedding photoshoots to share their love for each other. But members of the Gujarati, Jain and Sindhi communities in Bhopal have threatened to boycott families in the community that violate the ban on pre-wedding shoots. Circulars have been issued terming the guidelines to the members of these communities and warning them.
Pre-wedding shoot is wrong. It has been felt that many marriages break even before they take off, so our executive body has decided to stop this tradition.
-National General Secretary of Gujarati Samaj Sanjay Patel
A similar diktat was issued in Chhattisgarh last year, where the Sindhi and Maheshwari communities asked to ban wedding photography and videography. Apart from this, Bhopal’s Jain and Gujarati Samaj organisations have also issued a ban on male choreographers training female members at wedding functions and women dancing at wedding processions.