Hyderabad: In Hyderabad, men dancing to marfa and showering money on each other at weddings is a celebrated tradition. Women attending a private qawwali night on May 30, it turns out, is a symbol of moral collapse.
The ladies-only event, not much different from a wedding function or a college event, has become the subject of widespread condemnation on social media, and almost entirely from men. Religion has been invoked to justify the outrage, and once again, it is the woman’s job to set an example for good behaviour, while men straying from the path is simply human nature.
What is even more concerning is that the criticism did not stop with moral policing, but allegedly took shape into a campaign to take down a budding event organiser. The administrator of the Instagram page “Socially Selective” spoke to Siasat.com to reveal the threats and obstructions she faced over the past month, all because certain people could not digest women having fun without them.
In Hyderabad, men dancing to marfa and showering money on each other at weddings is a celebrated tradition. Women attending a private qawwali night on May 30, it turns out, is a symbol of moral collapse.The ladies-only event, not much different from a wedding function or a… pic.twitter.com/9scNwBVITO— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) June 10, 2026
Symbol of behayayi
The reels that surfaced post-event featured young men dictating the “right way” to have fun and reminding women of the “sacred position” they hold as future mothers.
“Enjoy karna har kisi ka haq hai lekin yeh galat tareeqa hai…yeh so-called liberal logan rehte…unlog karre tho humlog nai kar sakte…women have same rights bolne waalne…sabse pehle inlog ku boycott karo Hyderabad se (Everybody has a right to enjoy, but this is not the way. Now, some liberals might argue that men and women have the same rights; it is such people that need to be boycotted first),” said one person, calling the event a symbol of behayayi (shamelessness).
Another asked people not to trade their values for money, reminding them of what awaits them on the “day of judgment.”
“Islam has given women freedom and respect; it has placed heaven at the feet of a mother; this is the position you already have, but if you seek something more than that, then that is not right,” another Instagram user said.
A speech from Islamic scholar Dr Israr Ahmed, praising Hyderabadi women for “never stepping out without a burqa,” was consistently used to showcase the supposed “downfall” in moral values. Some went further, calling out fathers and brothers for allowing their female relatives to attend.
Then, the argument took a revealing turn. Even though the event was exclusively for women, critics objected that the qawwali singers and security personnel were men, and raised objections to men tying gajras to women’s hands. The presence of these men was cited as proof that the event was inappropriate.
The organiser, however, stated that they paid special attention to this aspect and were “very particular” that men should not be able to watch the women dancing. “We had placed all the bouncers towards the exit and the registration desk, and no one was present inside the venue. We also chose to put the food stalls towards the exit, so that the venue would not be visible and people could enjoy freely.” Administrator of Socially Selective, Ayesha, told Siasat.com.
She also clarified that a female team had been appointed to tie the gajras and no men were involved in it. As for the qawwals, Ayesha said that though they had decided to go for a female performer at first, they were unable to book one and therefore decided to go with Shujat Niyazi, since he was a popular choice.
“I received no complaints about the presence of men, and no one seemed to have any concerns about it. I would also like to clarify that the qawwali was a cultural one, and no religious songs were played, since some people had the wrong idea,” she added.
Organiser hints at a larger conspiracy
While online criticism and character attacks are nothing new for female influencers, this time a budding business faced a major setback as its Instagram account was taken down, allegedly the result of a coordinated campaign.
Ayesha has claimed that certain people called for mass reporting of her account, following which it was disabled by Meta. This was also her second attempt at organising the event, with the first one being cancelled after last-minute legal issues.
“We had first tried to organise the event on May 16 at Nampally Public Gardens. We had all the permissions, but the police arrived at the venue at the last minute to inform us that we could not hold the event anymore. I believe this was also because someone approached them with objections,” she said.
In the days leading up to the first event, she said, people had threatened to abduct her, forcing her to increase security. Some ticketholders from the cancelled event are still awaiting refunds, adding financial strain to an already difficult month.
“I have refunded most of the people, and others were allowed to come to the May 30 event for free, but there are still some people who have not received their refund because I have been facing some issues with my bank. I will give their money back as soon as possible.” Ayesha said.
When asked if the backlash made her feel she was in the wrong, Ayesha said she is trying not to think about it. “My goal with these events is to provide a safe space for women to come out and have fun. Many people thank me after attending my events, saying it helped them overcome stress. Obviously, what people have said had some impact on me, but I will dismiss it as their ego,” she said.
Coming back to the marfa celebrations, nobody is still asking men who gave them permission.
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