Coronavirus: West Bengal couple marries with masks on, donates money to feed poor

Wearing masks and with the bride's mother missing, a West Bengal couple decided to abandon all their initial wedding plans as they got married amidst the coronavirus outbreak. The Indian duo also decided to donate money they had collected for their wedding and tied the knot with minimal guests who wore protective gear.

Amidst the coronavirus lockdown in the country, Swati Nath married Sourav Karmakar on April 16, in the presence of around 15 family members and friends.

Nath's mother could not come as she lives in an adjoining district and there is no transport in the lockdown, according to a report by India-based television news channel, NDTV.

The bride's aunt gave her away.

Guests were asked to come wearing masks and those did not comply were asked to put on one. Some took off their mask to blow the conch shell, as per tradition.

The priest reportedly also wore a mask while conducting the wedding.

The couple decided to donate the money they had collected for their wedding that was to take place earlier but had to be cancelled due to Karmakar’s mother falling ill.

The duo donated Rs. 31,000 (Dh 1488) to a local organisation that Karmakar supports. The money is expected to be used to provide food for two days to 500 people that the local club has been feeding every day since the lockdown began last month, NDTV reported.

"I would have in normal circumstances spent money at my wedding, I thought why not spend it to feed the poor. When I told my family about it, they all agreed most readily," Karmakar was quoted as saying.

"I am very happy that we did it help to feed some poor people at our wedding," Nath told NDTV.

Meanwhile in Karnataka...

In contrast, former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy tied the knot with Revathi, the niece of former Congress minister M Krishnappa, on Friday.

People have been outraged as the pictures show that there was no social distancing or preventative measures followed at the ceremony that was conducted in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Some social media users compared the two events.

Tweep, @Alialtaf05, shared a picture of the two weddings and wrote: "Tales of two cities: Amid #CoronavirusLockdown One is Kumaraswamy's son crowded wedding in Karnataka is a stark contrast to the quiet wedding of a young couple in west bengal who wear masks and didn't invite extra guests. #coronavirusinindia Is mostly for middle class people."