GAYAJI, March 24 -- The ceremonial turban for Minhaz is ready. The invitation cards have been distributed. Bookings for cars, buses, hotels, and caterers are done, and arrangements are in place. A qazi has also been informed to solemnize the nikah on March 30. The house is abuzz with festive energy, yet one absence weighs heavily on everyone. The groom himself has failed to arrive. He is stuck in the Gulf, unable to find a plane back home. The date, soon after Eid, has drawn near but guests have been told that the matrimonial ceremony will be postponed until the clouds of war clear and air routes open full throttle from West Asia, allowing Minhaz to return from Kuwait. "I have apologised to the bride's family and the villagers and requested them to fix another date after the Gulf situation eases," his father Rafi Khan says. In Khandail village in Sherghati block of Gaya district, there are dozens of such households where wedding dates have been fixed, yet the grooms remain stranded abroad. The US-Israel-Iran war has disrupted flight operations from the Gulf to all destinations. The limited number of flights still in operation are either frequently cancelled, or airfares are skyrocketing, preventing working-class Indians like Minhaz from attending even their own marriages. One local Nasir Khan returned after spending Rs.60,000 on an air ticket-a privilege beyond the means of others. This phenomenon is actually widespread throughout Bihar, and indeed, across India. Muslim marriages are often fixed in bulk just after Eid because relatives can easily gather for the festive occasion. Mostly young men who have earned sufficiently after a few years of employment in the Gulf are married off by their parents. Gulf money has changed the fortunes, landscape and social fabric of many cities in Bihar, most specifically the state's rural hinterlands. Khandail village in Gaya is one such hamlet whose appearance transformed with earnings from the Gulf. Now it boasts concrete houses, a bank branch, and ATMs. Even a health and fitness centre has opened, giving the village a more special status. However, these very earnings have now also become a source of anxiety. Over 400 young men from Khadali and nearby Imlithan, Jaipur, Ratanpur, and Pandaul villages falling under Cherki panchayat, work in Gulf nations. This means almost one member of every household works in the Gulf. Most of these young men return around Eid or Eid-al-Adha, often for their marriages. However, this time, the ongoing conflict has thrown their plans into disarray. The weddings of several young men are scheduled for March. Their families are now fretting, uncertain whether the weddings will proceed as planned or must be postponed. Jalil Shah's household, too, is consumed by this very anxiety. His son's wedding is scheduled for March 30 at Erki village in Jehanabad. The invitation cards have already been distributed. However, his son is currently stranded in Qatar. He booked a ticket for March 26, but his flight has been cancelled twice already. "We have completed all our preparations. If my son arrives, the wedding procession will proceed as planned. Nevertheless, hope still remains," Shah said. Mukhiya Pati (village head's husband), Javed Khan, said that several families in the village are now actively working on Plan B. If the groom fails to arrive on time, the nikah (wedding ceremony) can be conducted online. "There are two weddings in my own family. One groom is in Bahrain, and the other is in Qatar. Neither has been able to arrive yet," he said. The villagers say they plan to contact the Indian government to help those betrothed this wedding season. However, they are also aware that the government can do little, as only the cessation of conflict will pave the way for peace in West Asia and wedding festivities in India....