Social media’s power has permeated the world. Today, everything from a trip to the gym to our latest holiday escapades makes for some beautiful photographs that keep our friends and family updated about our lives.
One of the most affected events that have become more popular because of social media is weddings. Every couple seemingly has a set of beautiful engagement announcement photographs that seamlessly transition into videos and photos from elegant and classy weddings.
There is no doubt that people are spending more on weddings today than during any other time in history. Not only is it somewhat mandatory to have a picture or two for your social media accounts, but people look forward to having “Pinterest-style” themes to make their weddings stand out from others.
Today, it is many girls’ dream to have a giant, lavish wedding when they meet the perfect person. Shreya Munot from Aurangabad, India, was no different, except for the fact that her father is a billionaire business tycoon in India, so she had every opportunity to make her wedding luxurious.
Her father, Manoj Munot, wanted his little girl’s dream to come true on her wedding day as well, and he had saved an incredible $11 million specifically to make her special day as grand as she could imagine.
However, on reflection, Manoj decided to spend a portion of this on the less fortunate and build 90 apartments for the homeless back in 2016. This selfless act was also supported by his daughter, who knew that the money could be utilized in a much better way.
According to The Indian Express, Manoj is one of the wealthiest people in India, primarily focusing on the reselling of wheat and cloth. He is also a renowned financial expert. While his daughter had never insisted on an over-the-top wedding, he had saved up a whopping 70-80 lakhs for her wedding, which is equivalent to around $11 million. This is quite a large amount!
As per the news source, Shreya was at a loss for what to do with the money her father had allocated for her wedding. In this day and age, this kind of money could give her an extremely beautiful, over-the-top wedding that could feed thousands of people. However, she received quite a surprise when her father told her that he had changed his mind and told her that he would be putting the money he had saved for her wedding towards a different cause.
In India, there is a large dearth of appropriate housing for the poor, with many people living their lives in makeshift houses spread over large areas known as slums. Mumbai, Maharashtra’s capital city and India’s largest city, is home to Asia’s biggest slum. Living within slums and poor housing areas means that the residents are constantly under threat of disease and unsanitary conditions due to overcrowding. Moreover, due to the poverty that puts people in slum conditions, most people are unable to find better housing for almost all of their lives. Governmental apathy and the sheer number of people needing help also contribute to poor housing conditions for the poor.
ANI News reported that Shreya was thrilled when she found out just what her father had up his sleeve. Instead of putting the money towards one day and one event, Manoj decided to use the money to build lasting homes for the local homeless people in the Aurangabad region in Maharashtra, India. On Sheyra’s wedding day in 2016, she met her father at the development where he had built 90 homes before her wedding day. The news outlet reported that she and her husband were proud of her father’s work as they officially opened the new housing development.
The couple was able to give a precious gift that meant more than anything they could have received: they gave 90 families a key to their new home. While the homes are small, they are mansions for the families who have spent years living with makeshift roofs over their heads in the district’s slum areas. They also finally have access to basic utilities such as electricity and running water.
Manoj reportedly set three criteria that people had to meet to be given a house, as per Business Insider. They needed to be poor, live in a slum and not suffer from an addiction. According to a research paper written by Pranita Pranjale-Bokankar in 2014, around 38% of Aurangabad city’s population live in slums, and the census in 2011 reported that the population of the city was over 1 million.
However, in the last decade, India’s cities, such as Aurangabad, have faced a sharp rise in population due to urbanization as people from rural areas migrate for better jobs. The current population may be much larger than what was reported in 2011.
Compared to the number of people that need homes in India, 90 may seem like a small number. However, for the 90 people that finally have these homes, their lives have significantly changed. Manoj’s generous gift to them, as well as his daughter, is something that has profoundly and positively affected hundreds of lives. This is a beautiful example and hopefully inspires other wealthy citizens to use their money for a better cause than a lavish wedding.
In 2020, BBC reported that the wedding industry in India was worth $40 billion to $50 billion per year, second in the world only to the United States. Big weddings are a norm, with the guest list including distant relatives and acquaintances, as this event is seen as the best method to flex social standing within society. The hosts of the wedding are judged by their ability to spend and hospitality, and parents often go into debt even after saving for decades when hosting their child’s lavish wedding.
“Till earlier this year, one wondered just how big the Indian wedding was going to get. It was like a race. Grand was becoming grander, especially in high-income families,” said Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of the highly popular Indian wedding site Wedding Sutra. There is pressure for wealthy families to make their child’s wedding, especially a daughter’s, as opulent as possible.
However, families like Manoj’s are setting a new example of how influential wealthy families can be for others who are less fortunate by spending their money for a good cause. We hope that more people follow suit and help out others in need in this way.
Isn’t it incredible how far the money allocated for one big celebration could go in truly changing the lives of families forever? How do you feel about Manoj’s generous act? Let us know, and be sure to send this heartwarming story to your family and friends.
