Sahil Ki Hana: A blockbuster engagement takes over Salalah

Big fat Indian weddings are known for spectacle, music, colour and celebrations that stretch across days. But in Salalah, Oman, the Sajan family proved that an engagement can be every bit as grand.

Dubai businessman Anis Sajan, Vice Chairman of Danube Group, brought together more than 400 family members and close friends for “Sahil Ki Hana”, a two-day celebration marking the engagement of his son Sahil Sajan, Director of Milano by Danube, to Hana Khan.

The setting was Club by Fanar at Hawana Salalah, with the celebrations timed to coincide with Salalah’s famed Khareef season.

For guests arriving from the UAE, the transformation was immediate. Dubai’s summer skies gave way to cooler temperatures, green landscapes, mist covered mountains and light rain, creating an unexpectedly dramatic backdrop for an Indian celebration in the heart of the GCC.

Guests travelled from across the UAE and GCC as well as India, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Italy and other parts of the world.

Despite the scale, the idea remained deeply personal: to bring together the people closest to Sahil and Hana and give them an experience they could share as a family. Anis Sajan said, “For Sajan events, we usually have Bollywood stars, but for me, the biggest superstars have always been my family and friends. They are the ones who truly bring an occasion to life and make every celebration memorable.”

Personal touch

For Anis Sajan, the focus was never simply on creating a ‘big fat engagement’. What mattered most was adding a personal touch to every moment and ensuring that each family member and friend felt genuinely welcomed, cared for, and personally looked after.

The celebrations began on August 7 with a colourful Sangeet night packed with music, dance and performances by family and friends. It set the tone for a weekend that blended the energy of an Indian celebration with the natural beauty of Salalah.

On August 8, the mood shifted from traditional festivities to a lively daytime pool party, where guests enjoyed the pleasant Khareef weather of 25 degrees, fun games, music, food and the resort surroundings.

The celebrations culminated later that evening with the engagement ceremony, an elegant gathering marking the formal beginning of Sahil and Hana’s journey towards marriage.

A family celebration

For Anis Sajan, however, the occasion carried a particularly personal meaning.

“Family has always been at the heart of everything we do. When I got married, my wedding was completed within one day, and we did not have the opportunity to celebrate with occasions like a Sangeet or other pre wedding festivities,” he said.

“More than anything, I wanted Sahil and Hana, as well as every family member and friend who travelled with us, to leave Salalah with memories they would cherish forever.”

For the Sajan family, the engagement is only the beginning. The Salalah celebration marks the first major chapter leading towards Sahil Sajan and Hana Khan’s wedding, with more festivities expected in the months ahead. When asked, after celebrating the engagement on such a grand scale, what plans he had for the wedding, Anis Sajan smiled and said, “That is something only time will reveal. When the occasion arrives, the celebration will speak for itself.”

Expressing gratitude, Sahil Sajan said, “I feel incredibly blessed to have a father and a family who have gone to such lengths to make this milestone so special for Hana and me. What made the celebration truly meaningful was not just the scale of it, but the thought, love and effort that went into bringing everyone we care about together.”

For Sahil and Hana, this is only the beginning, with the engagement setting the stage for more celebrations as the couple prepare for their wedding. If the scale of Salalah was any indication, the road to the wedding promises to be just as memorable.

— In association with Danube Group