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?Instant marriages? wreak havoc on rituals
There was a trend of instant coffee. Along came instant noodles, and now we are in for 'instant marriages'. Hardly able to spare a moment from their 24x7 hours of tight schedule, the youths seem to have no time to try their hands at those long rituals which were an essential part of our Indian marriages until the sixties.
There was a trend of instant coffee. Along came instant noodles, and now we are in for 'instant marriages'.
Hardly able to spare a moment from their 24x7 hours of tight schedule, the youths seem to have no time to try their hands at those long rituals which were an essential part of our Indian marriages until the sixties.
"The groom was expected to remain at home for a few days before the day of marriage. But now the work pressure and other diversions are being given more importance," said Suresh Srivastav, a senior citizen.
Now, 'day' marriages are becoming more popular as compared to the late night marriages. The barat is received in the morning, all the rituals start before the afternoon and by the evening, the 'vidai' takes place.
People are skipping the significant rituals such as 'dwar puja' and other such ceremonies which require more time to be completed but they are an essential part of Hindu marriages.
Talking about instant marriages Sunita Saxena, a housewife, said: "I attended a marriage ceremony recently which just took two hours to be completed".
The 'pandits' are also adapting to the situation and ask for the willingness of bridegroom's parents for performing a particular ritual.
Uptill sixties there was the custom of 'vidai' only on the fourth day after the groom and his relatives were given proper reception by the kin of the bride, said Amita Singh, an elderly housewife.
"But who has the time to indulge in such activities nowadays. Although such customs used to strengthen the bond further," she added.
Marriage halls have equally added to the decline of lengthy ceremonies and rirtuals as they charge a hefty amount for a day.
Owing to space crunch in their houses the citizens are forced to hire them and every extra day would cost bride's parents dearly. Perhaps the lack of a proper venue is also contributing towards the catching up of such a trend.
"We were able to hire the marriage hall for only twelve hours and so we had to rely on completing quickly all the rituals and. of course, skipping a few," said Ashok Kushwaha who recently married his daughter.
"I don't find any problem in adopting the 'instant' approach but this could prove to be a threat for the existence of our very own culture. The rituals may vanish in the near future and then we cannot expect the gen-next to adopt and perceive them as we are responsible for their decline," he added.
