Extravagant Weddings

Extravagant Weddings
by Dr Arvind Kumar

An editorial in The Tribune dated 24 February 2011 laments that weddings, especially North Indian ones, are often extravagant affairs that last days, and involve large number of guests. Asserting that conspicuous consumption is the rule rather than an exception, the editorial sympathises with parents, for whom the wedding of their daughters is a costly affair that strains the resources of most, often to a point where loans are taken. Various social organisations’ attempts from time to time to reverse the trend have not met with much success. Undoubtedly, the government can limit the number of guests at marriages and other events under the Guest Control Order, which was in vogued during the 1960s and 1970s. Although it was successful to an extent, the social resentment it led to soon made the government rethink on the issue.

Undeniably, the Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister KV Thomas’s suggestion of curbing extravagance, especially in consumption of food, during weddings is praiseworthy, but the devil will be in the details of enforcement. In a nation where thousand of people eat the bare minimum for survival, wasting food is a criminal act. Apart from wastage of cooked food, there is also need to address the problem of loss of food grains that are stored in FCI godowns. Emphasizing on the need for attitudinal change, the editorial suggests: “Social and religious organisations have an important role to play in such endeavours, and as for the government, it could, at best, impose punitive measures like a tax on wedding and other parties where the number of guests exceeds a certain limit.”