Essays

In India, there are certain things which do not changeor if they change, they change only to take a more Negative shape. This is true about most of the Indianinures while leaving some scope for exceptions which are always there in all ventures, good or bad?

With the passage of time, the noisiness andexpensiveness of Indian marriages has attained dizzy Heights. We might blame the elders for being superstitious, but we fail to realize that any amount of superstiousness is at least better than vulgarity and rowdyism.

Last Sunday, I was invited to the marriage of one of my relatives. I was on the girl's side.

The poor girl had been subjected to horrendous treats of facials, waxings, fruits pastes on the face, Mehandi, Powders, chemicals, even petrol which was mixed in the so-called Kali Mehandi and was smeared on her' delicate hands, arms, feet and legs. But all were happy' so, I think, I should have no complaint.

The bridegroom arrived very late at night in anexpensive car in front of a cavalcade of cars, taxies, And buses and immediately after alighting from thecars, etc., the marriage party with all members drunken Upto the neck raised a hullabaloo reminiscent of thedescription of Pandemonium in books.

All the ceremonies were held only as a matter offormality as the attention of the members of the Marriage party was only towards eating, drinking, dancing, creating the maximum possible noise and such Things to assert themselves as belonging to somesuperior race and the attention of the boy and other Members of his family only towards the items of dowrywhich included a car, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a rich enclosed amount in cash and jewellery, costlysarees and numerous expensive gadgets.

Moreover demands were raised some tactfully andsome shamefacedly, and all these had to be met by thepoor girl's parents.

I was shocked to learn that the boy was just amatriculate whose great-grandfathers had been Grantedjagirs by the British government for havingbetrayed their motherland, while the girl was a Postgraduate and well-versed in several skills and wasextremely beautiful.

It is almost impossible to describe all the rowdyism at the drinking parties, dinners, and receptions that I Witnessed. At least, a highly learned gentleman praisedsky high the boy and his parents for their gentleness And above all aristocratic way of life.