From Hero Hondas to Choppers!

There- i see the wedding shamiana. Its not the wedding halls these days, now the venues have shifted from mediocre wedding halls to specially erected big pandhals. There are theme based weddings, designer weddings, castle weddings, beach weddings, resort weddings- the list is endless. Seeing the designer labels and the painted faces  can be really a funny experience, we Indians always out do everything, especially when it comes to big fat Indian weddings. There is no letting up here, the extravagance is baffling. Starting from the lavish feasts laid to the music orchestra who dish out the latest numbers, the flower arrangements, the designer dress labels, the extravagant dining areas, the trumpeting invitations, the celebrity A listers who attend the function...do we care about the couple after all?

Mr M whom you have seen always wearing a dull and faded Tee shirt now stands as a groom, don't worry about the costume, it is always sherwani for receptions. The dark skinned M will be glowing in a peacock blue sherwani and a golden shawl and you try to purse your lips so tight to hide that silly smile. M's father and grand father, great grandfathers would have married in a single silk dothi and shirt, but now it is like a fancy dress competition where each one tries to outbeat the other in costume. Weddings see silk dhoties and shirts, engagements the Western Suit and receptions the Sherwanis and juthies. Our over tanned groom in his black and brown suit strikes a sorry figure....and the bride- oh, a la Aishwarya, the dusky beauty looks all dolled up, decked in dazzling jewellery and bright colored designer sarees. Again, the traditional sarees have now changed to designer ones that costs a few lakhs.



The Mittals' Toast!

Coming to the wedding feast- ahhhhhh...what to say, we don't even know the names of most dishes served. Vegetable carvings, decorations, plates heaped with varieties of food- i have seen a wedding where there were two separate dining areas for bride's side and groom's side with menu cards displayed on the entrance, each trying to outbeat the other by a few dishes atleast! You can feed thousands on food wasted by hundreds on such wedding feasts. What big deal? Everyone's great expectations- you can see new Hero Hondas parked in community halls, Santro, City, Camry- and lately the new craze- choppers landed on the wedding arena. The display is to flaunt what vehicle the groom has got....Isn't it great to see a car or chopper with FOR REGN sign gleaming in front of our guests? The Mittals spent US$60 million for Vanisha Mittal's wedding in Paris' Jardin Des Tuileres...The recent gift of a chopper by Congress MLA to his son-in-law is certainly the icing on the cake! 15% of India's grains and vegetables are lost through "extravagant and luxurious functions'. Our Goverment wants to introduce legislation to curb such profligacy. Beware....lavish weddings might land us soon behind the bars. So, let us enjoy our big fat Indian Weddings before the law is drafted...or will it ever be drafted at all?