The Great Indian Wedding Mela

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-victoRiya-

@-victoRiya-

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

Lavish Indian weddings have been the norm since ages and the trend is unlikely to ebb anytime soon. This particular ceremony in the lives of a couple is THE platform for showcasing of the family status in a grand way. Blinding flashes, Blaring noise, Held-up traffic, Loud get-ups, everything OTT characterizes this get together.

Vulgar display of wealth and affluence has touched new highs in recent times, cases in point being the Mittal wedding and the latest Vega Gupta wedding in South Africa.

Not inviting the remotest of aquaintance is considered a big social faux pas and God forbid if the host does not pay adequate attention to anyone of the teeming swell of invitees.

The before and after effects of the event, which in itself is spread over many days are also lavish to say the least.

V.S. Naipaul once sarcastically dissed Indian weddings as circuses organised only to enable a couple to sleep together 😆

All this poses some relevant questions:

To what extent weddings should be considered private and social affairs respectively?

How much celebration is too much?

Are the laws in place to check public nuisance caused sufficient or more needs to be done?

And many more on similar lines...

Waiting for feedback :)

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456521

Hibernated

Posted: 12 years ago

Weddings are occasions to celebrate and it should be at individual's discretion as to one wants it private or social event. Though I am no fan of ostentatious weddings; lavish celebration may help economy grow as they generate employment to people in associated industries, from catering to decor to entertainment to transport. However I am totally against some prevalent unethical customs in Indian weddings; dowry being one of them. If expenditure is proportionate to family wealth/income/choice; it should not be an issue. But the social pressures on bride's family to spend beyond their means tantamount to unnecessary social evil that has placed many families to economic distress.

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-victoRiya-

@-victoRiya-

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: saloni111
Weddings are occasions to celebrate and it should be at individual's discretion as to one wants it private or social event. Though I am no fan of ostentatious weddings; lavish celebration may help economy grow as they generate employment to people in associated industries, from catering to decor to entertainment to transport. However I am totally against some prevalent unethical customs in Indian weddings; dowry being one of them. If expenditure is proportionate to family wealth/income/choice; it should not be an issue. But the social pressures on bride's family to spend beyond their means tantamount to unnecessary social evil that has placed many families to economic distress.

Spending proportionate to means is fine, but what is the point? Won't it be counted as waste of money? Weddings used as entertaining platforms for everyone around is something I don't understand again 😕 Too much ostentation turns the sanctity of the occasion into a travesty.

On top of it, the biggest burden is on the Brides' side as you rightly pointed out.

The silver lining according to me is that it brings out a lot of locked up black money😃

Edited by Riyasi - 12 years ago

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Aditi

@bright_star89

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

I agree that marriage is personal and an occasion that calls for celebration.. but more importantly, it is about celebrating the union of two people and their new life , and not glorifying your wealth. there are a handful of people who come to genuinely take part in the event. others come just for formality or to check out how much you have spent!😆 there is also a mentality that the more successful you are , the more you are expected to spend. So there is a pressure to live up to the expectation and spend according to your status..

However,it is better for people who are associated with the industry..it does help generate money .

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_Angie_

@_Angie_

Rocker

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: Riyasi

The silver lining according to me is that it brings out a lot of locked up black money😃

True that ! The vigilance and tax dept ought to be keeping tabs on the expenditure incurred and the income declared . 😆

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Chatoyant.

@Chatoyant.

Rocker

Posted: 12 years ago

It comes down to the individuals involved! Some like to make it a grand event and others choose to promenade the quieter path - I don't think a boundary can be set between it being a private or a social affair as its a personal choice! After all, its an event that occurs only once (or one hopes 😆) - Going all out is acceptable.

I personally would much rather have a private family affair. Big wedding with lots of ceremonies, though a lot of fun, need way too much planning, time & resources!

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-victoRiya-

@-victoRiya-

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: .Baazigar.
If you can beat this type of wedding then beat it😛

Chiplun, in Ratnagiri district, was transformed into a mini-Disneyland, with helicopters hovering in the sky and swanky motorcades zipping through its narrow bylanes. Reports said 22 helipads were constructed to ferry guests to the 5 lakh-sq-ft pandal.
The wedding pandal of minister Bhaskar Jadhav's children at Chiplun was built in the shape of a palace by a Mumbai-based set designer to accommodate over 80,000 guests. The banquet, comprising 60 culinary delicacies, was prepared by a team of 400 liveried khansamas from Aurangabad.
Mr Jadhav's constituency of Ratnagiri is one of the drought hit districts of Maharashtra

I hope the voters of his constituency beat him with a huge margin of votes in the next election and the jail authorities beat him to pulp for all the disproportionate assets uncovered. Beat, beat beat 😡

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Forever-KA

@Forever-KA

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

Duniya haseeno ka mela

Phir you wedding ka jhameela

ek doost dhundte hain saab

"live in" ke liyan

I think the great Indian wedding mela will get lessen and lessen with time. The reason is

- there will be fewer and fewer who will go for marriage

- gay and lesbian types will marry in closet

- many see this as expensive

- the charm associated with it is lessening as its not practical

I dont think there should be any laws. No need to regulate it. It will dies its own death with time. In the end optimal would be a simple ceremony with one party at the end.

Edited by King-Anu - 12 years ago

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-victoRiya-

@-victoRiya-

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: King-Anu
Duniya haseeno ka mela
Phir you wedding ka jhameela
ek doost dhundte hain saab
"live in" ke liyan

I think the great Indian wedding mela will get lessen and lessen with time. The reason is

- there will be fewer and fewer who will go for marriage
- gay and lesbian types will marry in closet
- many see this as expensive
- the charm associated with it is lessening as its not practical

I dont think there should be any laws. No need to regulate it. It will dies its own death with time. In the end optimal would be a simple ceremony with one party at the end.

Then was that all bull in Band Baja Barat about Indian weddings never going out of season and untouched by recession?

Personally I agree with your viewpoint coz marriage per se holds no charm for me, let alone an extravagant ceremony marking it.

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return_to_hades

@return_to_hades

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 12 years ago

#10

To me a wedding is personal between two people. It is something that is to be shared with the people who are dear to you. I don't see the point of grand rituals and celebrations. It doesn't matter how extravagant the dresses how, how posh the locale is, how numerous the guests are or how exquisite the food is. If the two people being married are happy to share a life together thats all that matters.

Personally, if I were to get married it would be a quick paper signing in jeans and tees and a dinner with friends and family at my favorite restaurant.

Even if I did have some money, I'd probably splurge on myself to go somewhere nice for a honeymoon rather than show off with a big wedding. Why should I give free food to people who don't really care for my happiness, but are there to only critique and comment on the dresses, the expense, the food, the locale and in general nitpick the whole thing.

But hey, to each their own. If people want extravagant and lavish ceremonies, their choice. I'm happy to eat free food and nitpick other people's choices.