She was once forced to play foot mat to her family and husband. Today, she stands tall and proud as wedding planner Munira Katabji's story is set in the backdrop of a predictable patriarchal society. Raised with three siblings in Surat, Munira had to fend for herself since the time she stepped into her teens. Married off after she completed class twelfth, she was forced to quit studies by her husband, and found herself on the streets when her husband passed away in a road accident. 
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Well planned: Munira Katabji at wedding preparationsu00a0Pic/Anil Naik</td></tr></tbody></table>To make matters worse, Katabji realised that it was her own people in the garb of the Shariat, who made matters worse for her. "I was not given a penny, and was thrown out of my house because I could not bear children. I was told, 'this is what Islamic law says'. I knew something was wrong, but was too shocked to do anything about it," she recalls. However, not one to give up on life easily, Munira started picking up the threads of her life, and creating gifts and knick-knacks for local weddings. With an initial loan of Rs 50,000 and help from friends, she began life afresh. Today, the 37-year-old runs a successful business as a wedding planner, and makes Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh per client. However, she has not given up her BPO job, because she is scared to relive her past, and does not want to take chances again. She does not wear a ridah. Reason: She believes she is faithful to her religion, and does not need a head scarf to prove it. Sitting in her rented apartment at Fatema Nagar in Pune amid wedding trousseau, the entrepreneur recounts her traumatic days. "Life had given me a second chance two years ago, when I was offered to get married again to a Quwait-based businessman. My relatives, parents and former in-laws convinced me to settle down again. Little did I realise what was in store for me." Soon after, hell descended. Her second husband was already married with two children, and did not have a stable job. "My nightmare had just begun. My husband insisted that we visit the US where his ex-wife and kids stayed. I was on a three-month visa, and to my horror, I had to stay on illegally for seven months." Munira fought untiringly. After returning to India, she sought help from close friends within the community in Pune, and started studying again. She pursued a course in event. By then, she had also landed a job at a call centre. "My job was not approved by the seniors in my community, but I needed the money and there was no one who was ready to help me." Even though she was constantly harassed by her in-laws, she refused to sign for divorce without alimony. "It was shocking when they told me that by Islamic law, since we were living separately, our marriage was considered over. I sought help from a lawyer, and since I had my marriage registered at a court, I could fight for alimony," she remembers. After a long and tedious battle, Munira is now happy with a settlement of Rs 5 lakh and says this is a rebirth of sorts. Her company is called Hutaib Creations. "Hutaib is the name of a mountain in Yemen. I have finally conquered the peak. In our community, it is important for a woman to be self-dependent," she sings off, with a triumphant smile.

She was once forced to play foot mat to her family and husband. Today, she stands tall and proud as wedding planner

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