Stars put wedding biz on the rocks

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">AHMEDABAD/RAJKOT: The marriage industry in Gujarat, which usually sees maximum activity after Diwali, peaking around December when the NRI wedding season begins, is on the rocks this year.<br /><br />Estimates peg the worth of the state''s marriage industry — which encompasses hospitality, marriage halls, catering,music bands, along with business going to jewellery, clothing and beauty parlours — at around Rs 800 crore.<br /><br />But as the wedding season approaches this year, the ''simhasta guru kamurta'', an inauspicious period for marriages, has dealt a knock-out blow to the business.<br /><br />Though there is a dispute between star-gazers on the implications of this period, it is rapidly becoming clear that people are not taking any chances.<br /><br />Astrologers had predicted that the 13-month period after July would see a peculiar planetary alignment causing the ''kamurta''.This had led to a spate of weddings in the state between February and July, with families anticipating the embargo and completing weddings in a jiffy.<br /><br />Though traders in Ahmedabad do not anticipate a complete washout, they report that the number of bookings for marriages after Diwali is at an all-time low. In Rajkot, many trader are diversifying in anticipation of a slump.<br /><br />Mandap service providers have diverted their attention to religious functions, invitation card dealers have started selling gifts and halls and party plots are now available for exhibitions and fairs.<br /><br />Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) deputy municipal commissioner JG Hingrajia says that this year, the 16 marriage halls belonging to the AMC, have not yet been booked. "Generally, our hall bookings start three to four months in advance, but at present we have not started getting bookings," he says.<br /><br />Gandhi Associates, a firm involved in theme weddings and decorations, also reports a drop in business. Deepak Gandhi says, "We estimate at least a 50 per cent drop in business this season. There are some bookings so it is not altogether a washout but they are not as numerous as last year."<br /><br />Bhawani Singh Purohit of Govardhan Caterers says, "We have registered a 25 per cent drop in orders compared to the same period last year. Normally the marriage season starts by November 15 through to December 15 after which we have the NRI season. This year bookings for the period after November 15 are down."<br /><br />The prospect of bad business has prompted Umang Bhatt of the Madhurav Musical Orchestra to try his luck in the US for NRI marriages there. "I hope to get over the Kamurta blues by staying on in the US where kamurta is not applicable", he says.<br /><br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">(Inputs from Narandas Thacker)</span><br /><br /></div> </div>