Last night, attended a Telugu Wedding .. not very big.. not very fat... but beautiful. Beautiful since it felt like a cultural event There was a Sangeet a week prior to it wherein the groom and bride had danced to bollywood annd tollywood songs along with the rest of the jollywood (read relatives) Then there was the white horsed Baraat, which I understand is a welcome parade for the groom that generally takes place in a north Indian wedding. Normally only the grooms friends dance in front of the baraat. However yesterday, the brides relatives and friends also joined in the baraat. A combined baraat in a telugu wedding .. next is what?
Not only there is a bigtime revival of tradition and culture, there is a slow and welcoming amalgamation as well. You could choose from a wide palette of rituals depending on the interest and budget - Lagna Patra , Shagun (engagement). tikka Ceremony, Haldi ceremony, Mehendi ceremony, Sangeet etc etc... There is no social policing here. Celebrating Indian Culture seems to be the latest fashion to hit the high streets of India and what better way to do it than a wedding?
Couldn't help recall Lord Macaulay's address to the British Parliament on 2nd February1835 - "I don't think we can conquer India, unless we break the very back bone of the nation which is her spiirtual and cultural backbone" . The British did exactly that. But decades later, we are celebrating our culture with a vengenace and rightfully so. We are more united than ever before.
Wedding ceremonies are getting more meaningfully elaborate. Women are getting dressier. Half saree, which was almost extinct is back and so are the vadannams (waistbelt), vankis ( armlet), maang tikka and jhumkas. Men sport traditional look too.
Indian weddings are not just about two people.. or not even about two families as Chetan Bhagat said....it is about a community celebrating culture. With increasing inter-caste, inter-region, inter-community and inter-religion marriages, the Indian weddings are easily the best method of national integration and culture preservation.
Bring it on people... Let's celebrate indian-ness !!
Not only there is a bigtime revival of tradition and culture, there is a slow and welcoming amalgamation as well. You could choose from a wide palette of rituals depending on the interest and budget - Lagna Patra , Shagun (engagement). tikka Ceremony, Haldi ceremony, Mehendi ceremony, Sangeet etc etc... There is no social policing here. Celebrating Indian Culture seems to be the latest fashion to hit the high streets of India and what better way to do it than a wedding?
Couldn't help recall Lord Macaulay's address to the British Parliament on 2nd February1835 - "I don't think we can conquer India, unless we break the very back bone of the nation which is her spiirtual and cultural backbone" . The British did exactly that. But decades later, we are celebrating our culture with a vengenace and rightfully so. We are more united than ever before.
Indian weddings are not just about two people.. or not even about two families as Chetan Bhagat said....it is about a community celebrating culture. With increasing inter-caste, inter-region, inter-community and inter-religion marriages, the Indian weddings are easily the best method of national integration and culture preservation.
Bring it on people... Let's celebrate indian-ness !!
Feel good blog :)
ReplyDeleteAnd its all so beautiful! What is life without all this fun and celebration? I want to add that our "Indian-ness" is gaining wide popularity in the Western world too, especially noticeable in the UK. So perhaps the attempts at trying to break the Indian cultural backbone resulted in their getting influenced by it!! You referenced 'half-saree' here. Yesterday I was reading an article in The Hindu on the revival of half saree among city bred teenagers. I was recalling my glorious college years when I wore half sarees. You might want to read it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/fashion/article3320481.ece
Good article . Nice it is making a revival.. wondering if long plaited hairstyle would be back too?
DeleteSo true .. because of these, big,fat and jolly weddings , the. Indian Wedding has become an industry and people encash and make quick money ! - LG
ReplyDeleteMost of us who are caught up in the whirlpool of life need to make use of these weddings and invitations seriously to unwind and have a good time at the hosts expense.:-)So guys n gals my advise to you is, attend all the weddings you are invited to for a happy and zestful life.:-D
ReplyDelete