A groom won hearts at a wedding here after he refused to accept a dowry of Rs 31 lakh from the family of the bride, whose maternal grandfather painstakingly put aside the money after her father died due to COVID-19.
Awadhesh Singh (26), who married Aditi Singh (24) on Nov. 22, 2025 in Shahbuddinpur village in Budhana tehsil in Muzaffarnagar, accepted only Re 1 as 'shagun'.
In videos of the wedding doing the rounds on social media, Awadesh is seen refusing a 'thaal' with wads of cash with folded hands.
For Aditi's family, especially her grandfather Sukhpal Singh, it was an emotional gesture.
According to Aditi's relatives, she had been living with her grandfather after she lost her father during the COVID-19 pandemic. He saved every penny with the hope of giving his granddaughter a dignified send-off.
"My family supported my decision to not accept the money. We are against dowry and did not want to impose any financial burden on my wife's family," Awadesh told reporters.
Thakur Narendra Singh, a relative of Awadesh, told reporters that the family had already informed Aditi's family that they would accept nothing but a symbolic Re 1 as 'shagun'.
"We are honoured that despite this, the bride's family arranged Rs 31 lakh and offered it to the groom. But Awadhesh stayed true to his word. We are proud of him," he said.
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