Darshana Gupta
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Darshana Gupta
| image = Darshana Gupta holding Nari Shakti Puraskar (cropped).jpg
| caption = in 2019
| other_names =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 20th century
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| nationality = Indian
| education =
| occupation = secretary of an NGO
| employer =
| known_for = organising mass weddings
| spouse = Ajay Gupta
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives = Banarsi Das Gupta (father in law)
| website =
| signature =
| footnotes =
}}
Darshana Gupta was an Indian known for organising mass weddings. She was the secretary of the Banarsi Das Gupta Foundation. In 2019 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the President of India on International Women's Day having arranged the weddings of 3,500 couples who might otherwise have remained single because they could not afford a traditional grand wedding and dowry. In 2023, she died at her residence in faridabad.
Life
She married Ajay Gupta who was the son of Banarsi Das Gupta.{{Cite web|title=Darshana Gupta 'Nari Shakti' from Bhiwani Haryana - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj9Vxc_igAU&ab_channel=AjayGupta|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.youtube.com| date=19 July 2019 }} Banarsi Das Gupta died in 2007 aged 90.{{Cite web|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Haryana|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070830/haryana.htm|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.tribuneindia.com}}
That year it was announced that the Banarsi Das Gupta Foundation was to be created.{{Cite web|last=Staff|date=2007-08-20|title=Aggarwal Samaj forms Sh Banarsi Dass Gupta Foundation|url=https://www.oneindia.com/2007/08/20/aggarwal-samaj-forms-sh-banarsi-dass-gupta-foundation-1187620738.html|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.oneindia.com|language=en}} It was founded by Gupta and her husband.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 March 2019|title=Citation for award by Ministry of WMD|url=https://twitter.com/MinistryWCD/status/1104002921518120961/photo/2|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=6 January 2021|website=Ministry of Women (Indian Government)}} The foundation is an NGO registered in Faridabad with Ajay Gupta as the chair, and Darshana Gupta as the secretary.{{Cite web|title=Banarsi Dass Gupta Foundation NGO in Faridabad Haryana Address Contact details|url=http://www.indiangoslist.com/ngo-address/banarsi-dass-gupta-foundation-in-faridabad-haryana_HR-2010-0032307|access-date=2021-01-06|website=Indian NGO list directory Database|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110010859/https://www.indiangoslist.com/ngo-address/banarsi-dass-gupta-foundation-in-faridabad-haryana_HR-2010-0032307|url-status=dead}}
File:Darshana_Gupta_and_Nari_Shakti_Puraskar_and_the_President.jpg by the President]]
The foundation has been addressing the problem of marriage which traditionally in India has been a grand affair involving expensive arrangements and the exchange of a dowry. These traditions result in many people not getting married despite a wish to have a partner. The foundation has arranged hundreds of weddings. The initial batch of 250 in Panchkula was so successful that the regional government decided to give each couple a grant of $R11,000.
Gupta is also an executive member of the All India Vaish Federation.{{Cite web|title=International Vaish Federation (IVF) {{!}} Home|url=https://www.vaishivf.com/authority/6/executive-committee-member|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.vaishivf.com}}
In 2019 her work was recognised when she awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar.{{Cite web|title=Nari Shakti Puraskar - Gallery|url=http://narishaktipuraskar.wcd.gov.in/gallery|access-date=2021-01-06|website=narishaktipuraskar.wcd.gov.in}} The award was made on International Women's Day by the President of India. The citation noted that she had arranged over 3,500 weddings for the underprivileged without regard to race, religion or colour. The money saved by not having a fancy wedding means that money can be redirected towards the education or training of the women who might have become "social victims" of they had remained single.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Nari Shakti Puraskar}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, Darshana}}
Category:Nari Shakti Puraskar winners
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:People from Faridabad