No doubt Kashmir has been aptly described as ‘Heaven on Earth’ by the poets and Kings alike in the past, primarily because of its scenic natural beauty and an impressively simplistic lifestyle adopted by its people. However, much has changed through the ages and a plethora of scandalous traditions has crept into our culture.
Marriage is a sacred contract between spouses that establishes the principal foundation of a society called family, which today has been overshadowed by many cumbersome practices. Though Kashmiri weddings continued to be less ostentatious even to the recent past but as of now the levels, layers and stages in a Kashmir marriage have crossed the limits of sanity. Our present day marriage ceremonies have enough potential to trivialize those of the Pharaohs.
Many see it as a sign of affluence, prosperity and standard but in terms of civilizational evolution we are digressing from mediocrity to cultural purgatory which will eventually culminate at an imminently disgraceful fall.
Regrettably, our contemporary cultural ethics and novel traditions are so much cosmeticized and superficial that when our guests bashfully try to agitate over the needless preparations of multiple cuisines for the dinner or lunch, we leave no room to take pride while pompously replying that nothing special has been prepared, it’s just ordinary ‘Haak’. But the guests know that such a remark is meant not to be replied back because the same is done by them while playing host.
The above example is that of a simple invitation for dinner. Now just imagine the magnitude of show-off and customary insanity employed during a Kashmiri marriage. The majority of existing customs have been recently invented which fortunately even our great-great grandmothers would fail to recognise.
Such flotsam and jetsam traditions are a withering blight on our social fabric. Not only are we making things difficult for our fellow beings in the society but our criminal silence is giving a subtle nod to such ceremonial burdens that only thrive to eat further into the vitals of our society at crossroads.
Needless to say that serving Wazwan and chutni is not reprehensible when done within the limits of sanity, but serving a 500 rupee note to each guest over plates or in dry fruit boxes is odiously abominable.
