Wedding Season

           It is funny but we have what is called a 'wedding season' annually. It is that time
           of year right now and the pins are falling helter-skelter....and no, there aren't just nine! This
           year I happen to be in the thick of things as I am in my hometown and the invitations are
           literally pouring in. Here are some of my observations from a cousin's wedding that I not only
           attended but paid close attention to:-

           The comparisons are endless - It is enough to put any normal right-thinking individual off
           their relatives for life, to see them descend like harpies to pass judgement on every aspect
           of the wedding. They literally touch the jewellery around the bride's neck and comment on the            weight, shape and design. They inspect the the gifts that come from the groom's family and                  crinkle their noses at anything that doesn't pass muster and when the two parties meet the                    laser-beam-like scrutiny of sarees and jewellery, behaviour and lipstick shade puts                                immigration security check to shame. And yes, it's generally just the womenfolk who do all
           of this but I was appalled to see some men involved in passing gossip and juicy tidbits of                    intel around as well!

           Rituals galore - I know that weddings are all about the rituals but it is also these same rituals
           which become the bone of contention between the two families whose kids are tying the knot.
           The groom's side generally have the upper hand in all these matters since this is India and they
           somehow are considered superior but even the girls' family put up a litany of demands as to
           how they want things done. Sometimes it has to do with the timings and sequence of the
           events, sometimes with the minutiae during the wedding or with how things 'ought' to be
           when the bride enters her new home. It is difficult to digest how intensely these things are
           planned, then plans are changed, then the other side has a lot to say but generally whispers                  them.

          The groom's shoes - These are the most important item that the girls on the bride's side covet.
          The aim is to confiscate and hide said footwear and coax out a hefty sum in a game of fun                   - blackmail. But unfortunately the groomsmen are coming well prepared nowadays...in the
           wedding that I attended the grooms shoes were off from the moment he stepped into the                     venue and his friends assiduously hid them in the trunk of a car which was securly locked!!!
           Talk about taking things a bit too far....they even patrolled said car and it's trunk while we                    made 'grapes-are-sour' remarks about the shoes being treated like the Crown Jewels.

           Setting others up - I understand that those who are single and are attending their friends' or                  relatives' weddings feel a certain pressure from the older generation to settle down next. But,
           on the flipside weddings are quite a breeding ground for hot new romances and literally an
            arena to meet new people. You would think that with the progress of social media and such
           else these traditions would be bygones but I bear witness to the excitement of many a giggling
           bridesmaid who ogle at the groomsmen and are carried away into fights of fantasy about
           whether there can be a torrid romance ensuing here forward.

            I see all of this and I feel old and wizened, like the old crone that I am! Cackle cackle!