Pune: Harmony Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, has hailed the emerging reverse baraat trend as an act of women empowerment, saying fathers welcoming daughters home breaks society’s silence on domestic abuse.
“This practice, where fathers celebrate their daughters’ homecoming after divorce, challenges a society that often tolerates domestic abuse and pressurizes women to remain in unhappy marriages,” Dr. Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of the Harmony Foundation, said.
He narrated an incident in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on April 4, 2026, when a retired judge named Gyanendra Kumar Sharma celebrated his daughter Pranita Vashistha’s divorce with band, bajaa beats, garlands, dancing, and sweets outside the family court. The world took note of this father’s unique act of welcoming his daughter home after divorce.
Dr. Mathai, also the former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, noted that the event was a baraat heading in the reverse direction, creating a celebratory atmosphere akin to a “reverse baraat”.
Sharma stated that his daughter was unhappy in her seven-year marriage and allegedly faced continuous mental and physical harassment. He emphasized that his daughter’s happiness and dignity were more important than societal stigma.
“For generations, Indian weddings have celebrated the baraat to announce that a daughter is leaving. But nobody asked why we never threw one for her coming back,” Dr. Mathai said.
He added that Indian society often tolerates domestic abuse against women because leaving a marriage is seen as shameful. Many women themselves rarely end marriages despite suffering violence because they fear being rejected by their own families and society. The reverse baraat movement sends a clear message that a daughter’s home is always open to her.
“When a father stands at a courthouse door not with shame but with a dhol and a garland, he tells his daughter and the world that her dignity matters more than society’s judgment. This is true women empowerment,” Dr. Mathai noted.
He urged more fathers to come forward and celebrate their daughters’ homecoming. He also called upon society to stop normalizing domestic abuse and to support women who choose to leave abusive marriages.
“No woman should stay in a violent marriage because she has nowhere to go. When fathers open their arms and homes with celebration, they give their daughters the courage to choose safety over suffering,” Dr. Mathai averred.
Harmony Foundation through its networks works for empowering women and ensuring social justice, human dignity and the rights of marginalized communities.
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