This is one of the most interesting mission I have comes across in the recent times. A mission that aimed at uplifting the society and avoiding wastages of money. What more fascinating is that the source of this mission is from a group of people who were generally left behind in the society. The mission has been started by a group of tribal people and aims at neglecting Daru i.e Alcohol, DJ I.e bands, and Dahej I.e Dowry in marriages and by doing so, they avoided many conflict within the community and saved an enormous amount estimated to be 9Cr in last 2 years. Isn't this is a mindful approach that left behind the thought process of many educated and literate people of the society?
An Indian wedding has always been a talking point. It is generally termed as a "big fat Indian wedding". There is a reason that a wedding called as big fat wedding. It is a term for a lavish, extravagant Indian wedding characterized by multiple events, a large number of guests, and significant spending on attire, jewelry, food, and entertainment. It's a major cultural and family celebration that symbolizes the union of two people and is a key part of the wedding industry, involving elaborate traditions, and sometimes, modern luxury. But do we really need to have a extravagant wedding. Recently, some rural tribal village has shown the correct way of wedding. And it does sounds me very mindful and healthy way of celebration.
The lavish lifestyle
There was a time, when wedding in India used to be a low affair. There was not much expense and the two family celebrate the marriage in presence of few guest. Later with time and change in lifestyle, people wanted to show their class in the society. While rooted in tradition, the concept has evolved. Modern weddings are increasingly personalized, with couples taking a more active role in planning and design, sometimes incorporating unique themes and locations. They find wedding as an opportunity to showcase their status. People can go to any level to spend money to make it a grand occasion. Even in my family, it was the same. In the recently concluded wedding we spend close to Rs. 1Cr. That includes spending on food, tent and dowry. There is no stopping to this kind of expenses. The weddings are marked by high spending on all aspects, from designer wedding attire and heavy jewelry to luxurious venues and high-profile entertainment.
Mission D3 (Daru / DJ / Dahej)
Spending on marriage has becomes a trend in every group of the society. However, not everyone is capable of spending too much. And this has created a huge gap between rich and the poor. While traditionally focused on parental pride, there is a growing debate about the value of spending millions on a wedding versus providing that money directly to the couple for their future. Rather than spending excessively on wedding parties and decoration, the mindful use of money sounds more meaningful. And this is what the tribal community of Madhya Pradesh did. Tribal people in India are generally considered poor and backward, but this little insight surely put them into limelight and set example for others. These group of community taking care of the unwanted expenses in weeding prohibited use of Alcohol, DJ, and Dowry.
Alcohol : Wedding has always been an occasion when people like to drink. But sometimes excessive drinking may cause alteration and conflicts among two individuals. Prohibiting use of alcohol in wedding reduces the conflict and also saves huge amount of money.
DJ : a loud music at a wedding venue has been an indication of wedding in society. The loud noise may cause irritation to others. These DJ charges heavenly for playing music for few hours. Also the noise creates lot of nuisance. Stopping this loud noise allows people to communicate with each other and socially connect.
Dowry : A long running topic that haunting many Indian family. The demand for money and items always put pressure in girls family. But by avoiding the unnecessary expenses, it reduces the chaos around wedding and aimed at promoting more social connection between two families.
In the last two years these tribal people concluded more than 300 wedding banning the "D3" and in process reduces the excessive spending. This allow them phenomenal saving and creating a peaceful atmosphere within the community and also setting a great examples for others. No doubt unnecessary spending always put pressure and by reducing it supports a cohesive atmosphere in the society. At times when cost of living is rising and many section of the society trying hard to meet daily ends meet, this initiatives does pave way for a revolution. I hope other people look after the examples setting by the tribal community and move forward in the mindful usage of money in the wedding.
In good faith - Peace!!