Wealthy Businessman Builds Ninety Apartments For The Poor Instead Of Spending $11 Million On Daughter's Wedding

Sep 16, 2020

According to Business Insider, weddings cost an average of $22,500 in the year 2021. To some people that may be a low number to some people, it may be a high number. However, in the year 2020 costs were closer to $19,000. 

Weddings are one of the most important days of someone's life. People wait their whole lives for this one special day.  It’s many girls’ dream to have a giant, lavish wedding when they meet the perfect person. Sheyra Munot was no different, except for the fact that her father is a billionaire business tycoon. The family is one of the most important families in Western India. 

Her father, Mr. Ajay Munot, wanted his little girl’s dream to come true on the biggest day of her life, her wedding day. The father and businessman had worked extremely hard to provide for his daughter's special day. He had saved an incredible 11 million dollars specifically to make her wedding day as beautiful and as grand as she could imagine. 

While planning Sheyra's big day in 2017, the father and daughter had a large change of heart regarding certain wedding plans. The family went from wanting to spend in excess to singing a different tune. After some reflection, Mr. Munot decided to spend a portion of this on the less fortunate and built 90 apartments for the homeless. His kind and thoughtful gesture has sparked massive encouragement from all around the world. The businessman and father has paved a way by showing that generosity is one of the purest forms of love.

According to the Free Press Journal, Mr. Munot is one of the wealthiest people in India, primarily focusing on the reselling of wheat and cloth. He is also a renowned financial expert. His daughter had never insisted on an over-the-top wedding.

Frankly, she was at a loss for what to do with the money her father had allocated to her wedding. However, she received quite the surprise when her father told her that he had changed his mind. He would be putting the money he had saved for her wedding towards a different cause. 

Her father told India Today, "In September last year, while planning my daughter's wedding, I suddenly felt I should do something for the less privileged." He added, "We had made all the bookings for the wedding, but somewhere I felt I wanted the less fortunate to be a part of this special celebration." 

Sheyra was thrilled when she found out just what her father had up his sleeve. Instead of putting the money towards one day and one event, Munot decided to use the money to build lasting homes for the local homeless people in his region of India. 

Her father said he went through an extensive process to find deserving families. "I surveyed and selected 90 such families. I had only two conditions-since I am a Jain, I only wanted beneficiaries who do not eat meat; secondly, they should not drink alcohol," he shared. 

With the wedding fast approaching, Munot said he wasn't sure if he would be able to pull the gesture off in time. "I wondered how I would be able to accomplish this within two-and-a-half months as the wedding was planned for December 12," he said. 

He added that it all fell into place. "So we procured land and laid the foundation stone on October 2. The next day, we started work and finished 90 homes within the stipulated period. I had seen so many people-daily wagers, labourers, domestic workers-who had spent a lifetime toiling but failed to secure a roof over their heads. "

The couple was able to give a precious gift that meant more than anything they could have received: they gave 90 families a key to their new home. While the homes are small, they are mansions for the families who have spent years living with no roof over their heads in the area's slums. They also finally have access to basic utilities such as electricity and running water. 

"The homes we built are 12 feet by 20 feet and have a room and a kitchen," the businessman said. 

The bride and groom still had a large ceremony, as the houses had cost less than half of what Mr. Munot originally allocated to his daughter’s wedding day. 

"After the wedding, I got my daughter Shreya to hand over the house keys to these people and take their blessings," the proud father shared. 

Munot told The New Indian Express  that he had to give back during such a happy and giving time for his own family. “This is the new chapter in history and I hope that the same concept will be followed by the other rich communities,” he said. “We have some responsibilities towards our society and we tried to comply with it,” he added.

Isn’t it incredible how far the money allocated for one big celebration could go in truly changing the lives of 90 families forever? How do you feel about this generous act by Mr. Munot? What do those in your social network think?