https://reasonstobecheerful.world/reuse-reimagining-indian-weddings/
"When the Ambanis — India’s richest family and owners of the country’s largest
public company, Reliance Industries — started a five-month-long celebration of
their son’s wedding in March 2024, it caused a media frenzy. Featuring cruises
on the Mediterranean, concerts by artists like Andrea Bocelli and Justin
Bieber, and a Mumbai venue dressed up to look like the narrow alleys of
Varanasi, the celebrations cost a rumored $600 million.
Around the same time, about 750 miles away, Shiv Pujan Tiwari took a loan of Rs
10 lakh (under $1,200) for his daughter’s wedding at a rate of 15 percent
interest from a moneylender. “The bank would have given me a better rate, but I
have no collateral,” says the marginal farmer. “My daughter is happily married
now, but I’ll be paying off the debt for the next several years.”
India’s wedding industry ranks second globally, behind only China. But parallel
to the stories of fairytale brides, exotic locations and romantic rituals runs
the narrative of the “other” India, which people like Tiwari inhabit. Societal
pressures, as well as aspirations fueled by media coverage of big fat Indian
weddings, compel parents to spend an average of about $15,000 on a celebration.
Many, like Tiwari, have no option but to take high-interest private loans,
given that the national per capita income is about $1,260. “Wedding traditions
today are driven by the rising aspirations of Indians, fueled partly by the
24/7 media coverage of high-profile events like the Ambani wedding,” Magsaysay
awardee Anshu Gupta says. The founder of the Delhi-based NGO Goonj, which works
on poverty and disaster relief across India, he has observed, over decades, how
wedding expenses lead to debt traps that are hard to recover from.
But there is good news. Across the country, new and old ways to share, recycle
and reuse wedding clothes and other paraphernalia are slowly changing mindsets
— while keeping the exuberance and joy of Indian weddings alive."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
