When the guns fall silent, it’s time for wedding bells to ring

The ceasefire means a lot of things to a lot of people but for Panjtoot and Palanwalla, villages along the LoC, it also means the first wedding at night after four years.

For families that moved away to escape the increased Pakistani shelling after the Kargil war, it is time again to celebrate the good old way: bright lights, blaring band and the baraat. On December 3, when Jagdev Singh’s daughter Suman marries Bhim Singh’s son Jang Bahadur, the fireworks will only be from the venue of the wedding—and not from across the border.The bride is from Palanwalla, the groom from Panjtoot and both have just returned to their villages from their camp in Devipur. Along with them have returned neighbours and relatives to celebrate a wedding at night after such a long time.

The families had planned to hold the wedding at the Devipur camp but when the ceasefire was announced, they decided to return. Because of lack of space in camps, families often returned to their villages for weddings—but they would hold the ceremonies during the day albeit without drums and music. Any noise or illumination at night would attract shelling from across the border. ‘‘Let us hope everything goes well and peace prevails on the wedding day,’’ says Baldev Singh, the bride’s uncle.