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Costly wedding-cards, platters, cash-envelopes in marriages
Kashmir Times. Dated: 11/20/2017 12:01:35 AM
Dear Editor,
It has become a fashion and trend of people from upper-middle and higher income groups to spend heavily on fancy wedding-invitation cards made of wood and cardboard worth several thousands of rupees each which are practically of no use. Rather those getting such invitation-cards pull out necessary portion of programme-details, and start pressurising their minds about utility of such apparently costly but useless remnants. Also costly platters with imported items where Indian substitutes are better and cheaper and cash-envelopes from brides’ parents have become ‘necessity’ in marriage-celebrations for show of status. Interestingly ‘misusers’ of such trends in their elite gatherings themselves criticise such trend, but want some others to take initiative to stop such a practice.
With cost of silver sharply declining, invitations embossed on a simple silver plate can rather be a better substitute when the costly metal can be preserved both as souvenir and saving-instrument. Such are the aspects where there is no role of government to intervene. But organisations like Rotary International, Lions Club International etc can definitely impose some code to stop the practice effectively in India because their members mostly coming from the elite society are misuers (and victims also) of such trend. These organisations are capable enough to launch campaign for simplicity in marriage-celebrations including for stopping extra-lavish parties which are practically a big reason for aborting female foeticide even in rich families.
—Subhash Chandra Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah Dariba,
Chandni Chowk Delhi.