It was supposed to be a perfect Hindu wedding in Pune. The decorations were set, guests had arrived, and the bride, Sankruti Kawade, was moments away from tying the knot with Narendra Galande. But nature had other plans.
Dark clouds rolled in over Alankaran Lawns in Wanawadi, and within minutes, heavy rain turned their open-air wedding venue into a soggy mess. As panic set in, guests rushed for cover. What had taken months to prepare for was now falling apart in seconds.
But just next door, a Muslim wedding reception — the Walima of Mohsin Kazi and his bride Maheen — was underway under a sheltered roof. What happened next felt like something out of a film.
The bride’s family, desperate and heartbroken, approached the Kazi family for help. And without a moment’s hesitation, the Kazis opened their hearts and their hall. They shifted things around, called in relatives, and even helped arrange the space for the Hindu rituals.
In that moment, the rain no longer felt like a disaster. It felt like a blessing in disguise.
The two weddings — one Hindu, one Muslim — were held back to back on the same stage. First, the pheras of Sankruti and Narendra, followed by Mohsin and Maheen’s celebration. There were smiles, warm handshakes, and even shared food. Guests from both sides clapped and danced — not as Hindus or Muslims, but as people celebrating love and kindness.
I spoke to Faruk Kazi, Mohsin’s father and a retired police officer. He told me something I’ll never forget: “When I saw their wedding fall apart, I saw my own daughter in that bride. There was no question. We just did what was right.”
Chetan Kawade, the bride’s father, echoed the emotion: “This moment proved that humanity still lives — and that it thrives when people come together.”
This wasn’t the first such story from Pune. Just last month, Javed Khan, a local social activist, helped a Hindu woman, Jayshree Kinkle, light the funeral pyre of her brother when she had no one else to turn to.
These stories are quiet, powerful reminders. While some try to divide us with hate, ordinary people — like the Kazis, like Javed Khan — quietly stitch India back together, one kind act at a time.
