Shor Shaadi and more! :P

                                       Shor, shaadi and more: D

Guess whoz back? Back on public demand? Feels good to blog again. Weekends are probably the most guilt free days of wasting time, officially! I was thinking of a topic to blog, then suddenly saw a glittering, colorful envelop fall from the “Raddhi stand” with religious symbols prominently engraved on it, not to mention “A single grain of rice and ‘halad kumkum’ impregnated on the top “Shree”wala line. Aaaaannddd Bam! I finally got a topic to blabber about. For all reasons, seasons and lifetime: Marriages! The big fat Indian wedding! 

 Anways, coming back, the wedding card, and colored off white with a typical silver embroidery type lining had Lord Ganesha, adorning a Golden dhoti. The next page had the Dulha dulhan Doli type sketch with some prayer. The page that followed had a typical, ‘To Whomsoever it may concern” type feel to it, followed by greetings, a formal invitation and a list of family members with their individual relations and the youngest member with his/her pet name  (aamchi Sonu) type in round brackets. I would recommend a family tree diagram, much lighter! There was also a namesake “PS” type note in the end stating that the blessings and wishes of the invitees are the most valued gifts ever! NONSENSE! I wonder why anyone would reject free gifts, that too on your wedding day. (NB: take a hint. I make no bones about admitting it that gifts are very much welcome in my wedding).  Wishes and blessing sure have their place, but gifts are gifts!

“The big bang theory” of weddings, or rather Indian weddings specifically is simple: The bigger the better!  Weddings are more of a social responsibility, a grand party where practically everyone is glitterati and of course not only give women a reason to shop and gossip but also provide men, an ‘innocent’ reason to appreciate the many bevy of traditionally clad beauties! Weddings are of prime importance in real and ‘reel’ life providing a fodder for television soaps. Those episodes go on for months together with its loyalists following every single episode from the engagement to the bidaai, with the same enthusiasm. How could I forget, reality shows like “Ratan ka Rishta”, “Rakhi ka Swayamwar” and “Rahul Dulhaniya le jaega” anyways those people and reality shows are a different topic all together. Shaadis are a money minting business, mainly for wedding planners. Like that dialogue in Band Baja Baarat, (I so love that movie), “Inflation ho ya Recession, shaadiya toh hoti rahengi”

Weddings are incomplete without bollywood or rather bollywood is incomplete without weddings. At least 7 in 10 bollywood movies have a lavish wedding sequence, with everybody from the dadaji to ramu kaka dancing away to glory. The heroine has her own girl’s gang, who dance behind her, fuss about her clothes, makeup and wail with her in the end, after hiding the dulha’s shoes. The venue in each of these movies is the size of a palace, with each and every nook and corner emitting multicolored lights, those huge staircases (in-house) decorated with multiple flowers of various botanical families. It’s at these wedding where; cupid often strikes and there begins another love story. The baratis groove to the dhol, followed by a 5 minute long song in which each and every participant (visible onscreen) in multicolored clothes dances energetically in the periphery.  The bridge and the groom of course at their romantic best, croon lines such as, ‘”ab tu meri gayi and yeh bandhan”. The 7 feras and the dramatical filing of ‘maang mein sindoor’ are an integral part of the song. The song typically ends with the dull, monotonous bagpipe like shehnai and the bidaai tunes with the actresses’ mother melodramatically singing in a high pitch voice something about her bitiyaan going, followed by the respectful touching of feet. Probably all colors, energy, dance and music equivalent to all Indian festivals are seen in a single Bollywood wedding!

       The other day, I’d gone with my parents to the wedding ceremony of somebody I didn’t even know the name of. I couldn’t help but pity the “made for each other” couple fake smiling and nodding to the wave of guests. I craned my neck to look at the food counter (my sole purpose of attendance) and diverted my eyes back to the huge, serpentine line of “well wishers” waiting to be clicked with the couple and prove that their presence wasn’t only for the free food: D Weddings have a typical scenario in which women from all age groups take this opportunity to wear those traditional rich dresses meant for special occasions; adorn matching jewellery and carry that “trademark, for special occasions Clutch”. I can vouch for the fact that we, women steal glances to the next women and compare and contrast everything from sarees to lipstick shades. Aunts usually mentally debate whether the saree is an authentic Kanjeervaram, sasta silk or the latest backless designer wear. Men are all decked up, ‘suit and boot types’ beleaguering the already flustered groom.  It is all good fun, though!

  Recently some of my very close friends’ n relatives got hitched! My already married friend very exasperatedly claimed, “Marriages can be superb fun, as long as you are not the one getting married”. The worse thing about family weddings is that you have to interact with distant aunts and uncles who you don’t even recognize. We youngsters always have to face the surprised (????) remarks from the older generation of how fast we’ve grown and that they are waiting to see you at the aisle next (yes! I have a lot of experience and a number of references) We clicked like a thousand pictures with the couple, each followed by mix reactions of delirious exclamations or “put this one on facebook ” or “delete, I look stoned”.  I actually realized, friends of the couple are the ones who have more fun than the couple themselves. My belief in its strengthened as any comment from any guy, from the guys’ side was followed by peals of laughter from the girls. :D It was of course a good opportunity to enjoy intense eye contacts with attractive strangers. Of course, needs no telling that I thoroughly enjoyed the food, nothing like free food!

All said and done, Indians weddings totally are worth the hype and hoopla surrounding it! I personally enjoy the shor-sharaba, the show off, excitement, colors, vibrancy and of course the ultimate commitment of love J J