They say marriages are made in heaven, but I say, the ceremony is Hell Incorporated.. Why so? Here's why!! It all starts with the lovely thought of a boy and a girl getting hitched. Then the parents meet, first hating the bride/groom, then the family, then kindly accepting the fact that the other side is here to stay... I totally believe in the institution of marriage, but the concept of ceremonies is beyond me.. Especially here in India, I see, people are more bothered about the ceremonies rather than the thought of marriage.. Photographer, video-wala, marriage hall, reception, dinner, flowers, gifts, sweets and more sweets and the ever-present, ever-conspicuous D-O-W-R-Y!! I have been in a "baraat" that reached the venue (1 km away) at 1 am, when the time was 8pm!! I have seen Father/Uncle/Brother of the Bride, missing the ceremony, just because they were either drinking-away somewhere or just plain busy arranging the Gift-Money!! The most important part of once's life is just crushed or hidden between the complexities of a ceremony..
Well, I didn't intend to make this post such heavy at heart.. Since Diwali marks the beginning of the auspicious marriage season, here in India, unrelatingly, I saw a couple of wedding movies on TV this weekend.. First of them, "Betsy's Wedding" is an account of wedding woes of Betsy's family, whose Jewish-Italian heritage, is at not-so-silent conflict with groom's, rich White Anglo Saxon Protestant family. To show that he is nothing minor in ego, bank-balance and small-talk, the Father of the Bride, he makes an epic out of the family ceremony.. Yes, its funny in parts, when fashion-student bride make a runway piece out of the conventional wedding dress.. When father of the bride asks for help from his wife's Italian Mob relatives.. But in the end, when wedding tent becomes a drenched Pizza Picnic, you can't help but smile slightly..
Next movie, is a laugh-riot, named "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".. It's got the ingredients of total Indian humor... Girl getting old, worrying parents, secretly dating daughter, parents not approving of the boy, finally giving up, a million of loud-always-eating merry relatives and traditional meek in-laws.. I love Toula who says, "Nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone... until the day we die.." Substitute Greek with Indian, and no one can object... Anyways, its originally funny, with beautiful talented cast and amazing humor..
My point is, families, loud relatives, differences, meat v/s no-meat are there and will always exist.. And I also know, these are just movies, scripted, rehearsed, practised, shot well, but obviously, they are a product of someone's imagination; so why is it so hard to adopt it?? Why can't a boy and a girl, get married peacefully, devoid of everyone's objection...
Well, I didn't intend to make this post such heavy at heart.. Since Diwali marks the beginning of the auspicious marriage season, here in India, unrelatingly, I saw a couple of wedding movies on TV this weekend.. First of them, "Betsy's Wedding" is an account of wedding woes of Betsy's family, whose Jewish-Italian heritage, is at not-so-silent conflict with groom's, rich White Anglo Saxon Protestant family. To show that he is nothing minor in ego, bank-balance and small-talk, the Father of the Bride, he makes an epic out of the family ceremony.. Yes, its funny in parts, when fashion-student bride make a runway piece out of the conventional wedding dress.. When father of the bride asks for help from his wife's Italian Mob relatives.. But in the end, when wedding tent becomes a drenched Pizza Picnic, you can't help but smile slightly..
Next movie, is a laugh-riot, named "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".. It's got the ingredients of total Indian humor... Girl getting old, worrying parents, secretly dating daughter, parents not approving of the boy, finally giving up, a million of loud-always-eating merry relatives and traditional meek in-laws.. I love Toula who says, "Nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone... until the day we die.." Substitute Greek with Indian, and no one can object... Anyways, its originally funny, with beautiful talented cast and amazing humor..
My point is, families, loud relatives, differences, meat v/s no-meat are there and will always exist.. And I also know, these are just movies, scripted, rehearsed, practised, shot well, but obviously, they are a product of someone's imagination; so why is it so hard to adopt it?? Why can't a boy and a girl, get married peacefully, devoid of everyone's objection...
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