Some days back I overheard two guys talking.

1st guy: - “Why girls are so keen to get married?”

2nd guy: - “Because on this day, they get to wear the best dresses, the best jewelry and on this day she is as if contesting a beauty contest in which she knows she is the sure shot winner.”

Really interesting talk isn’t it. Is it the extravaganza that has become the reason for getting married? Almost all of you will disagree with me hiding behind the cloak of traditional sacrilegious character of marriage. But the bottom line is, the marriage is no longer a sacrilege today. Of course, the rituals are there but the extravaganza and lavishness has clearly overshadowed the serenity of the occasion. Today the Indian marriages have become “big fat Indian weddings” thanks to the grandeur, the lavishness and the of course the big bucks involved in them.

Gone are the days when people used to stare when somebody is getting her daughter married in a luxurious hotel. Today even five star hotels are not considered so posh for an event like marriage. The scene is that, everybody is going for bigger stages. The Saharas or the Mittals have shown the path which everybody wants to follow. Even the nuovo riches of small towns are at least going for a big tent in some stadium, catering facility from a prestigious restaurant, and at least one or two small time local movie actors or singers to entertain the audience. In case of the marriage of the big shots, the scene is awesomely glamorous. The pandals are more like film sets now. Theme parties are what really excite everyone. Moreover, with even some Bollywood set designers stepping in to design marriage pandals, the grand Indian wedding is just getting bigger. Organizers point out that Indian weddings are the most expensive and lavish in the world.

But from where I see, it has become a tool for showing off if you are rich and burning a huge hole in your pocket if you are not so rich. It has also become a huge kitty party session where you can comment about what the others are wearing or not wearing. Typical comments include ‘you know she wears the same Saree to every wedding’; ‘you know the diamond necklace she is wearing is not real’.

Relatives who come to attend the marriage are least interested in the rituals. How nice it used to be to be part of an Indian marriage, with all the relatives and family members around, a big get together for everyone and an occasion to welcome happiness. Gone are those serene beautiful processes of marriage, now its only showbiz. I still remember my first cousin's wedding, for which all of us reached 5 days before the marriage, took part in all the customs, had a great time with everyone around. Everyday some or the other function and we were just enjoying each moment of it, all aunties busy arranging it and uncles sitting together discussing politics, business etc. We never had film stars dancing for us, it was all family members who would get the best chance to dance, that's where we could feel the entertainment (seeing your family members dancing on the roads is far more entertaining than film stars dancing for you!). The celebrations post marriage, welcoming the newly wed to the family was also done through our own grand style, not by cutting cakes and throwing parties more like a DJ night, which was never part of an Indian marriage.

But I guess things have changed now, now next month is my cousin's wedding again and I came to know the reception party is at a resort! Good bad or ugly, it is the newest form of the Indian marriage, the big fat Indian marriage, which is no less spectacular than the seven wonders!!