Indian Marriages: Managers at work.
“Badhai ho!!!! Baat pakki hoi “The affirmation is merrymaking in itself, what follows is the long awaited ceremony, called matrimony.
The scintillating news wells up an impending avalanche of jamboree and jubilation in the lives of people NOT involved in the consummation. Small family functions now transpire into day long parades.
Cha-cha, cha-chi, uncle, aunties all are summoned. The couple begins with the preparation of an invitee list. As the bride falls into the stereotype of having more important things to do, than prepare a list of invitees, the groom is laid into the stereotype of having absolutely nil important things to do but prepare a list of invitees. While the list is getting prepared, the thought of a tribe of natives coming over to celebrate, sets the mother thinking upon the caterer while others decide the menu to be offered. But it’s the grandpa who provides the food for thought. An octogenarian man, who talks up a storm on the non brainiest of things, now brainstorms the discussions with daddy-cool and fixes budgets in flings.
A colossal hall is booked. Meticulously it is festooned. It looks bejeweled, like an Indian palace of the Mughal era. The nimble footed slightly aged cha-cha does an awesomely wonderful job.
Eventide, guests arrive. Garrulous aunties and hardly soft-spoken uncles, the supposed witnesses of the duo’s childhood, indeed become like a period film with no video without an old crotchety septuagenarian granny. On the other side, the always supportive sometimes over-protective elder brother keeps running errands like the gene of Aladdin.
From young to the old, all are neck deep in work, work that doesn’t seem much like it as it seems more like pleasure. Thinking of toddlers?? Well, then that, in
itself, is much of a work and all the more employment. Thanks to those bhayias and didis who keep them engaged while others proceed with the marriage.
And now with a “Shubh Mangala Savadhan” the marriage ends and so does the day. Night falls, stars show up. Lots of goodbyes are sung. The driver is called for and the coupled is bid adieu. Gradually the activities slacken. The curtains are raised down and novices are called off the hook.
No MBA, no BBA. no MMS only a whole lot of common sense and a bottle of enthusiasm. They finally pull it off, an entire mammoth procession of epic proportion, all with ease. A crash course (of management) indeed.
True, Indian Marriages: Managers at work.
