Gundyadka (Sullia) – Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

On his sixth daughter’s wedding, this Mangaluru businessman will finance the wedding of six other girls

Extravagant weddings have become the norm for the rich in recent years, where tycoons don’t hesitate to spend crores of rupees on celebrations that last almost a week.
Then we have seen other wealthy people who lead by example. Recently, a businessman from Aurangabad celebrated his daughter’s wedding by gifting 90 houses to the homeless poor.

Now it is the turn of G Ibrahim Haji, a fish vendor from Gundyadka in Sullia, about 86 kilometers from Mangaluru .

On the occasion of the marriage of his sixth daughter on Feb 5, he has decided to get six other poor girls married. Ibrahim Haji has 10 children, of whom seven are girls and three boys. Five of his daughters are married and he decided to celebrate the wedding of his sixth daughter Aasma B in a special way. She will be marrying Shahul, a businessman.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Nasiruddin, also a businessman who is married to Ibrahim’s second daughter Fauzia, said, “This is not the first time that my father-in-law has decided to help the poor. He came up in life the most difficult way and now he feels that he should help those who are in need.”

Ibrahim Haji started out in life as an ice candy vendor. After working for some time, he bought a secondhand Ambassador car for Rs 3,500 and was running service trips for some time. He then went to Dubai hoping for better prospects, but returned within months. On his return to Sullia, he ventured into the fish business. He would buy fish from Mangaluru and sell in Sullia. Gradually, his business grew and today he has about 20 mobile vehicles that sell fish on the Sullia-Madikeri and Puttur route and nearly 30 employees, said Nasiruddin.

He said Ibrahim Haji has undertaken lot of charity. “When he was the president of the Mogarpane Jumma Masjid, he built a 20-room building, so that the masjid earns revenue. Even in the past, he has helped poor girls in their marriage. To make his daughter’s wedding special, he has decided to conduct the marriage of six other poor girls. He will be offering about 10 sovereigns gold, wedding dress and lunch and look after other wedding expenses. The Nikah will take place in turns and is expected to begin at around 11.30 and go on till 2 pm. Food for nearly 6,000 people will be arranged. The wedding will take place at a ground near his house. The beneficiaries have been identified after we personally visited them. They belong to Belthangady, Puttur and Sullia area. Each of their families has a sad story to narrate. When a few among them are orphans and looked after by their relatives, a girl’s father is bedridden and another girl’s marriage was getting postponed repeatedly because the family had no money,” he said.

Ibrahim has helped poor in other ways too, like in getting a house constructed in time. “Even today, he works at his stall in the market and is very down-to-earth and hopes to continue his charity work in the future too,” said Nasiruddin.

Ibrahim Haji said, “God has blessed me and I want to continue helping people in need. I started my business from zero and today would like spend a part of my income on the needy.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau  / February 01st, 2017