Indian woman to marry herself to highlight 'self-love'

An Indian woman is set to get married in a grand ceremony, complete with guests, feasting and rituals ― but there will be no groom.

I never thought that it would be a big deal but I want people to understand that one can be single and be happy

Kshama Bindu

Kshama Bindu, 24, a digital creator from Vadodara, in western Gujarat state, is due to tie the knot with herself on June 11, in what is likely to be India’s first self-marriage or sologamy wedding.

Ms Bindu has not only splurged on her wedding finery and jewellery and decided on an elaborate menu for the three-day gala, but she has also written five vows for the wedding that will be attended by close friends and solemnised at a banquet hall.

She has also decided to have a two-week honeymoon in the tropical coastal state of Goa.

“I just want to be a bride like most women, get ready, wear the best wedding outfit and be photographed, but I don’t want to be a wife. And so, I am marrying myself,” Ms Bindu told The National.

“I want to give all the love in my heart to myself. I might fall in love with myself even more,” she said.

Ms Bindu will be wearing a dhoti-kurta, a traditional male garment consisting of a loincloth and tunic, for the henna ceremony, but she will be sticking to the nine-yard sari and lehenga, a heavy ornate skirt, for the main festivities.

“I want to be the best bride. I will include both male and female outfits for the ceremonies,” she said.

Ms Bindu, who refused to talk about her parents, said she got the idea of marrying herself while discussing matrimony with her friends.

“There was a conversation about marriage and I checked on the internet if one can marry oneself. I found two or three cases that encouraged me to take the decision,” she said.

Since sharing the news, she has gone viral on social media.

While many have criticised her for the decision, she says a lot of people are sending her positive messages and she wants to use her popularity to promote sologamy and “self-acceptance”.

“I never thought that it would be a big deal but I want people to understand that one can be single and be happy. With my marriage, I want them to look at the positive sides of self-love and accept the concept of marrying self,” she said.

Sologamy is rare but is gradually rising worldwide, although it is not recognised by the laws of any country or social norms, including in India where same-sex unions are also not legally recognised.

Brazilian model Cris Galera divorced herself in December after a 90-day-long sologamy marriage in which she read wedding vows to herself at a Catholic church.

Ms Galera, 33, from Sao Paulo said that she had found “someone special”.

Ms Bindu said that while she’s in love with herself, as tomorrow is uncertain, she won’t mind marrying another person in future, as Ms Galera did.

"But I won't divorce myself," she said.

TCL INFO

Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Company%20profile

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

The Bio

Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959

Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.

He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses

Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas

His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s

Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business

He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery

Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all

Results

Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
The Undertaker beat John Cena
The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal

List of UAE medal winners

Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)

Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)

Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)

RACECARD

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%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb

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