traditional wedding
I had written this post in 2014, after attending a wedding. I need to refresh it, as nothing has changed.
Indian weddings are a spectacular show of wealth, wedged in traditions, rituals and extravagant customs.
They appear to be blissful happy occasions of celebration…till you peep behind the drapes!
Recently I had to be an obligatory part of all this razzmatazz, watching and wondering…when will we get out of these age-old cultural compulsions, which have been imposed on us.
“Sometimes tradition and habit are just that, comfortable excuses to leave things be, even when they are unjust and unworthy.”—Matthew Scully.
Traditions are woven into the web of our life, I know, but I always thought and convinced myself that they evolve with time.
How utterly, extremely erroneous were my thoughts, in hoping for brighter times!
The brides in India still belong to antiquity!
They may be highly educated, having the best of job placements, sometimes even earning more than the prospective grooms BUT…
They HAVE to bring along unlimited amount of gifts, which are all given by her father, rich or poor, all have to follow this tradition.
On the receiving end are the brazen parents of the bridegroom, whose mouths, as wide open as that of a crocodile, remain open!
They don’t have to give anything in return.
Traditions blind us, compel us to keep honoring them due to societal pressures but aren’t we part of the society?
Isn’t it our responsibility, especially that of the younger generation to break away from those norms which almost choke us, make us bankrupt, kill and burn our brides?
Yes, the youngsters do break some norms only when they want to!
But they remain mute spectators to the age-old system of giving and giving and giving….when they receive along with the bride!!
The Indian tradition of giving a daughter away is, in itself, an incomparable generosity in global history. She is expected to be a part of groom’s family, perform all household chores, bear and rear children, respect all the whims and fancies of her in-laws and stay away from her own parents and siblings.
She has to become a channel of continuous flow of money and gifts from her parents, who are expected to keep on giving, all their life!
All this in the name of traditions!
“Tradition is the prison where change is detained… To make a change, you need to agree that you are not going with the statement “this is how we do it”! Yes, that was how it was done, but what next? Agree to change!”—Israelmore Ayivor
When will we free ourselves from these age-old shackles?
When will we free ourselves from the fear of such a despotic society?
The historical significance of the so-called dowry should have faded long ago when laws were framed against this system.
“Dowry was prohibited by law in 1961 with the purpose of banning the demanding, giving and taking of dowry. Although providing dowry is illegal, it is still common in many parts of India for a husband to seek a dowry from the wife’s family, in some cases leading to extortion or violence against the wife.”
Not that I was unaware of this, not that I have never complained or criticized this type of blatant one-sided giving.
Recently I witnessed this tradition of giving and expecting unlimited gifts, which gave me a feeling of revulsion, almost to the point of revolt.
Shouldn’t educated and socially aware couples rise against this?
Isn’t it discrimination to expect gifts only from the bride’s family?
Why are we so helpless? Why are we enslaved by traditions?
Why are we expected to follow such an oppressive dogma of giving a daughter away?
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Balroop Singh.
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