Sambhajinagar: Garlands. Brass bands. Feast. Then came the real wedding favour: accident insurance worth Rs 33.6 crore as return gift. Bahadarpura in Kandhar taluka, about 55km southeast of Nanded in Maharashtra's Marathwada region, watched celebration turn into social security when groom Siddheshwar Pethkar and his family gifted accident cover of Rs 1 lakh each to all 3,465 residents of the village.
What began as a wedding ceremony on May 20 unwrapped into a rare covenant of care, where snake bites, lightning strikes and farm accidents often leave families shattered and uninsured. The Pethkar family purchased a group accident policy in the local gram panchayat's name after submitting the village voters' list to the insurer, ensuring every eligible resident entered the safety net without discrimination or paperwork hurdles. The policy remains valid for a year, while discussions on renewal are expected later.
The price tag stays under wraps. "In our culture, charity is not announced from rooftops," Siddheshwar said. "We aren't looking for applause. Blessings are enough." Word of the gesture outran wedding music across the taluka, turning an expected lavish celebration with 4,500 guests into something closer to collective assurance. "It felt like the entire village received a protective shawl as shagun. No one here had seen a wedding gift like this," said resident Mohan Shekapure.
Sarpanch Baliram Pethkar called it a possible first for the region. "People exchange sweets and souvenirs at weddings. Here, a family handed over security," he added. After guests drifted home, Bahadarpura carried more than memories of a grand wedding.
