Full time for vanity!
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It's only the fittest in finances who can walk the altar and attend the mega ritual. Well, marriages are made in money!
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IGNOU:
Marriage. The word brings images of gold, glitter and gossip to my mind. As I recalled the happy hour that I was part of wherein my friend had chosen her man `the fair and lovely way', I could only say, `Lucky them'!
But is that so?
Very typical of our Indian marriages are the sleepless and ceaseless pre-hours of matrimony, invested in the form of time, energy and cash (more of it!), as everyone irrespective of the bride or groom's side sing to the tunes of power, prestige and politics. An essential theme of marriage indeed and kahani ghar ghar ki!
The nuances of a Hindu marriage are found in the divine chants and mantras, which usher in an aura of holiness but are invariably followed by the not so holy quips like "who's wearing the latest and chic designer saree" or "How many tolas of gold and silver have been exchanged for the bride?"
It's a kind of one up(wo)manship as shimmering silks dazzle and costly perfumes mingle in the air. Noses are invariably in the air and the eyes fixed on the others, measuring their worth in the gold on them.
All in the game
It's all in the game and for me the legendary Darwin's `survival of the fittest' will remain evergreen and correct. Hail Darwin, it is only the fittest in terms of finances who can walk the altar and attend the mega ritual to shower blessings too!
Well, whether one prides or chides over the causes and consequences of this event, I, for sure, had a filling time as my Hyderabadi palate was fuelled and fed to the fullest.
Aarthi Ramachandran
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Education Plus
Karnataka
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
