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Epitome of Extravaganza

by Jaya Sivaramakrishnan
(Pune, India)

What is it being thrifty? Why are people neglecting being judicious with their own Moolah? The term PDA should be changed to PDM (Public display of Moolah). The main reason behind me doting this is, I really feel why and what is the need for us to spend money inessentially in all phases of life? An average Indian wedding cost is 15-20 lakhs. For a classical Bharatanatyam danseuse, Arangetram(first stage performance) is one of the important steps in the chronological order to be a fine renowned dancer. The expense borne by the parents for a stage performance is close to 5 lakhs. The spectacular pomp which is displayed is indeed worth praises, but, is it really necessary?


There goes a Talayalam proverb which says, “Even a flower can be placed in place of gold as an offering.” I genuinely feel, we as Indians should not pay heed to the social stigma of showing of one’s love through monetary splurging. We should become a responsible citizen and not become a prey to the swank. The entire investment done in these social events does have returns per se, but the gossipmongers have manifold returns due to their ignorance. The next-gen should really understand and respect our parents’ hard earned money and realize that the Saree clad bride will drape the ‘Oh-so-costly’ wedding Saree only once in her entire life. The danseuse should realize that an Arangetram could be performed in a beautiful temple as well instead of an air-conditioned hall. That is how it was done in earlier times. And moreover the viewers who get the main essence of the classical dance performance are only a hand few and the people who attend the wedding have only one agenda we all know that it is to ingest food (HeHe).

Why do parents feel it is mandatory for them to express their love and affection to their children only through filling their pockets and PDM? In the recent times, we changed from Computers < Laptops < Tablets/I-pad < Mobile phones; We have actually tried to shorten and condense our necessity, so why is it that we haven’t rationalized our expenses for such nugatory purpose to just show-off? Being in the 21st century, we should prioritize where our hard earned money should be invested and be sagacious with our economic budgeting.
In no way do I want to be ‘Amartya Sen’ of your lives & tell you how and where you should spend your Rupaiyya, But let the thought linger in the back of your mind, “Is it really worth the extravaganza?.”
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