The lustrous chandeliers and flashy attire. The loud Bollywood music and constant chatter about the extravagant arrangements. Sundry delicacies and piles of wasted food. Big fat Indian weddings are shallower than they look.
There is no lie in saying that the customs and traditions of an Indian wedding are so beautiful that they are almost tangible. Beautiful henna is done on the bride’s hand a day before the wedding. The bride and the groom are bathed in turmeric 2 days prior to the wedding as a part of a beautiful ritual that tends to protect them from the evil. And later, on the day of the wedding, the bride and the groom take 7 rounds around the holy fire and then take their vows to protect each other for the entire lifetime. The beauty of each tradition is heart-warming.
But all these rituals are smothered with the need to flaunt, until what we only see are the group of middle-aged ladies talking about their 24-carat gold jewelry, young women dazzling in their bedecked lehengas, young men trying their best to impress those young women, and the newly-wed couple striking queer poses as a favour to their social media followers. More than the beauty of rituals, people these days swoon over the materialistic parade of celebrations. Just to redefine the boisterous affair of an Indian wedding as a royal celebration, people fritter the money away and call it a fairy-tale wedding.
Can’t believe? Have a look!
An Indian wedding held in Monaco
The worst of all is the dowry, which known as a ‘GIFT’ – more like giving a fresh makeover to an ugly face. There are still a lot of families in India who struggle and take loans just to give the groom’s family a handsome ‘Gift’.
Every day, an Indian learns a thing about modernization and makes an attempt towards remodeling the outlook of Indian society. People are failing and people are succeeding. There, still, is a long way to go before the faux need to flaunt is totally dismantled. But I am glad that some people are trying. There was an Indian wedding where the couple set a remarkable example by using the money and gifts collected at their wedding to set up an education fund. There are still many in India who need to learn that the most precious gift they can give to their daughters is education.
The desire to set an exaggerated status in the society is nothing but the lack of awareness. And I hope people realize it soon!