South Indian Weddings...

Weddings are fun, at least on Pinterest they are... but the weddings in my place are mostly baffling and they seem more like a chore than a day of excitement. Most of the time, the bride and the bridegroom hardly know each other and they spend the majority of the day smiling, receiving gifts and posing for the camera, while quietly wondering how they were going to live the rest of their lives with a stranger (at least that's how I thought at my wedding). Above that you have to deal with the crazy photographer who wants you to pose with your arms round each other, or lean into the other person's shoulder or look into each other's eyes... it all seems so fake, not to mention uncomfortable. The photographer at my wedding tried to get us to do all these stunts, we politely declined and he complained to the parents that we weren't cooperating. On another note, these incidents gave an inkling to the person I just tied the knot with... I came to know that he too wasn't into fakeness and I thought he was kinda cool. (After five years, I can say that he is way cooler than me... I tend to dramatise everything, but Tonio is easy going and takes life as it comes). Anyway, getting back to these photographers, most of them have a really warped sense of taste. In the wedding album, you will find gold chariots dragging the couple and winged unicorns flying nearby or the couple will be standing in a waterfall and flowers will sprout all around them... they could give Peter Jackson a run for his money. I wish I had pictures to show you, if any of my relatives are reading this, be a sport and send me a few pictures. (I understand if you never want to talk to me after this, but do send the pictures first...)

Another thing that stupefies me at these weddings is the obsession with gold; I can't understand why they pile on the jewellery well past the 'looking good' stage. I mean don't they have mirrors, can't they see how they have gone beyond graceful and tasteful into the gypsy category. Times like this I always go into the 'whatever rocks your boat' phase, cause you can't go tainting someone's wedding day with your opinions. Another major thing that really gets to me at these weddings is the lunch part, I'm sorry to say this but people make a mess of the place when they eat... and I understand it is unavoidable with huge crowds. But it's your wedding day and you shouldn't have to dodge and skip around the tables. I still shudder when I think of my wedding lunch, I have blocked out that entire episode. All this is nothing compared to the practice of dowry that is still rampant in my place. I can't understand how people consider it a custom when in fact it's a disgrace to the people who demand it in the first place. How do you respect a man and his family who seem greedy for money they have not earned? Any real man ought to know that he is capable of taking care of his bride on his own...  otherwise he is a wuss and needs to grow a pair. When I come across such people, Frasier's sentence runs through my head- I see you are still waiting for that spine donor. 

Other than these troubling customs, weddings are a colourful sight here. Everybody looks quite nice in their silk sarees with flowers in the hair. The silk saree is a gorgeous six yard material that drapes the body beautifully and lends an old world charm and elegance to the wearer. I rather like getting decked up for a wedding and hanging out with the cousins. Here's a picture of me and the cousins at a recent wedding... I like how our saree colours stand out.

A few other ad pictures I found in the papers...

This is one tradition I like... and endorse maybe five or six times a year, even though it looks great and all, it's still a long heavy material that takes time to drape. A jeans and a kurta is what you'll usually find me in, its far more comfortable, reliable and easier to slip into.