EUMIND Values 16 Group
ACTION PLAN:
GROUP LEADER: PRATYUSH SINGH
EDITOR WEEBLY: PRATYUSH SINGH
PHOTOGRAPHER: ARYAN GAWDE
VIDEO EDITOR: PRATYUSH SINGH
QUESTIONNAIRES: AARYAN WANI
INTERVIEWS: RISHI RANE
WRITING REPORTS: AARYAN WANI
ALL OTHER TASKS: ADNAN RANIWALA
GROUP LEADER: PRATYUSH SINGH
EDITOR WEEBLY: PRATYUSH SINGH
PHOTOGRAPHER: ARYAN GAWDE
VIDEO EDITOR: PRATYUSH SINGH
QUESTIONNAIRES: AARYAN WANI
INTERVIEWS: RISHI RANE
WRITING REPORTS: AARYAN WANI
ALL OTHER TASKS: ADNAN RANIWALA
Q1] Describe a traditional wedding ceremony in a middle class family. Have you ever attended a wedding ceremony yourself?
A wedding is one of the most special occasions in any persons life. Traditional Indian wedding ceremonies are quite unique in their celebrations. Traditional Indian weddings are a grand affair and involve lavish preparations. The number of people attending a wedding could be any where between 500-1000. Here, the sanctitude of the ceremony is preserved through numerous traditional rituals and is accompanied by lots of entertainment, fun, colorful dresses, jewellery, lip-smacking foods, music and dance. One can see lots of variations in the Indian wedding traditions according to the cultural community, religion, and region. However, most of the basic ceremonies, which we are going to discuss in the following sections of the article, are more or less the same. The main weddings ceremony is preceded by to major events. The engagement ceremony takes place on an auspicious day fixed by the elders of the family after consultation with the priest. As compared to the weddings this is a small affair, which is attended mostly by close family members and friends of the girl and the boy. During the ceremony, the couples exchange wedding rings. It is followed by exchange of sweets between them as well as the members of both families. “Mehendi” / “Sangeet” is another fun-filled event that takes place at the bride’s house just a day before the actual wedding. On this day, henna is applied on the bride’s palms and feet with intricate patterns. Other women attending the occasion also get mehendi done their hands. This occasion is also celebrated with songs, dance, and merriment. Wedding Ceremony The main ceremony begins with the arrival of the “Baraat” which is a formal procession that includes friends, family members and the relative of the groom. The members who join the baraat are called the “Baraati’s”. There is a lot of music, dance, and enjoyment in this gathering. When the Baraati’s reach the beautifully decorated wedding venue, the bride’s family gives them a warm welcome. The groom can enter the venue only after the bride’s mother performs a ritual called “Aarti” by rotating a small holy earthen lamp in front of the groom. After the entry of the groom, the auspicious “Jaimala” ceremony takes place. Here, the bride and the groom meet each other and exchange the garlands. This ceremony signifies that the couple accepts one another as spouse and pledge to show mutual respect to each other throughout their life. Once this ritual is over, the guest and the relatives present couple with gifts and congratulate them. Wedding Rituals The wedding rituals begin with the Jaimala ceremony, in which the bride and the groom exchange flower garlands. After this, they are taken to the mandap where the kanyadaan ritual is performed. In this ritual, the bride’s father gives away his daughter to the groom, while the priest chants mantras. After this, the “Mangalpheras” take place around the sacred fire. They also take the seven vows called the “Saptapadis”, and promise to abide by them throughout their lives. After this, the groom puts sindoor or vermillion in the bride’s hair parting. This is followed by tying of the mangalsutra around the bride’s neck by the groom. The Hindu women consider the putting of sindoor and the tying of the mangalsutra the most sacred and they are supposed to wear the mangalsutra and have to put the sindoor throughout their married life. Wedding Reception A grand feast in which the most sumptuous food is served follows the wedding ceremony. The best possible delicacies are prepared for the occasion. The food largely depends upon the region to which the couple belongs to. Like in some communities, only vegetarian food is served, while in others you will find all types of food. Sweets are an important part of the menu. There are at lest 4-5 different types of sweets, if not more, served on the occasion. Wedding games
Another interesting custom of the wedding ceremony is the games. “Hiding the Shoes” is the most popular among them. Finally, the time comes for the “Vidaai” when the bride bids adieu to her parental house with the blessings from the elders in the family to start a new life in her husband’s house. The common feature of all Indian weddings ceremonies is that both the parties take the best possible efforts to make the event a successful one. It is not just a celebration of marriage between two people, rather it is a joyful occasion to celebrate the unification of two families. On the arrival at the groom’s house, the groom’s mother, with a traditional Aarti, welcomes the new couple. The bride is asked to knock a vessel filled with rice, kept at the entrance. She then dips her feet in a mixture of red vermillion and enters the house, leaving footprints on the floor. This ritual is practiced as the bride is considered a form of goddess Laxmi. After this, a number of wedding games are played to make the bride feel comfortable. Kanyadaan The complexity of an Indian Hindu marriage is owing to the fact that there are many rituals performed according to Vedic practices and hymns. Kanyadaan is also such a ritual, which apart from being vital to the ceremony, tugs at the emotional cord of the bride's parents. This is the moment when their beloved daughter finally belongs to her husband. Kanyadaan is performed on the main day function of the wedding, during the mandap ceremony. Mangalsutra In Hindu weddings, one of the most sacred customs is of tying mangalsutra. It is basically a black and gold beaded necklace with a gold or diamond pendant. Mangalsutra carries immense importance in Hindu weddings as well as in the lives of Hindu married women. The groom ties a mangalsutra around the neck of the bride during the wedding rituals. The word mangalsutra can be deciphered as 'sacred thread or cord'; as 'mangal' means auspicious and 'sutra' means thread or cord. Saptapadi An Indian marriage is one of the most serious and scared affairs in the society. The Saptapadi (Sanskrit for seven steps/feet), is perhaps the most important component of Vedic Hindu weddings. The couple conducts seven circuits of the Holy Fire (Agni), which is considered a witness to the vows they make each other. In some regions, sashes worn by the bride and groom are tied together for this ceremony Barat Barat is one of the most fun filled traditions in the entire wedding ceremony. It is basically the procession, which proceeds from the house of the groom, towards the wedding venue. The procession is attended by the all the relatives and friends from the groom's side. The groom is seated on a decorated horse or an elephant for reaching the venue. The spruced up groom is the center of attention as he is elaborately dressed for the occasion. Q2] What is the official role of the government in the wedding ceremony? In India wedding is more of an huge family affair. All the rituals and beliefs and customs are coming from one’s family’s cultural and religious heritage. Once taken the SAAT PHERA’S(7 wows,7promises by the couple by taking rounds around bonfire) and marriage is culminated into a never breaking relation of seven births. Role of government is very minimal or they don’t have any role in weddings and marriages as marriages are cultural affair between two family and the culmination of marriage is been done by a priest with religious rituals. We don’t have the trend of getting marriages registered. Marriages get registered only in those cases who opt for a registered marriage where bride and groom takes a date for marriage from the government by putting an application and then when a date is given, the bride and groom and two witnesses from each side are present, then the bride and groom sign on official document that they are now declared as legal husband and wife and the witnesses sign too having witnessed the wedding. Though the government doesn’t intervene in the wedding ceremony but if by any chance someone is ending their marriage then the route to end is through government only by taking legal divorce. There is no other way of breaking the marriage then court/law. No partner can leave his/her spouse without taking a divorce. Q3] Are there any other reasons than love for people to get married? Every human needs a companion, to share every bit of him/her with the better half, to enjoy little happiness of life, to live and enjoy life together. Sometimes due to some disabilities it gets difficult for an individual to find suitable partner for himself/herself. In such cases, compromises are done in the sense, the partner with disability gets a partner with some other disability or a divorcee in some cases. These are extreme cases, in some cases the bride’s family(less fortunate) get her married with a man having any disability considering the security of girl. Other then that there are love marriages too in such cases where girl /boy have some sort of disability but their partner accept them unconditionally and takes wows to be together always. Money can be another reason for people to get married. Q4] People in Europe might think many marriages in India are arranged by the parents….addressing this topic: Although most westerners cannot fathom marrying someone they do not love, it is incredibly interesting to note that arranged marriages is not something which is fought against, or a source of protest among the young India. The truth is surprisingly the opposite, many of the youth in India prefer arranged marriages, as it gives the time and the ability to enjoy their youth without the constant worry and struggle of relationships that comes about in western culture. When people think of arranged marriages, they often picture a boy or a girl forced into a relationship in which they have absolutely no choice. However, in reality this is simply not the case, before the marriage becomes official the potential bride and groom have the opportunity to meet each other and decide whether or not a relationship is something that they would wish to pursue. It is not like the couple see each other on the wedding day for the first time or just once before the wedding. Once approved they meet and get engaged. What makes this system work in India is a great deal of trust in the choices of one’s parents. Q5] What is the significance of a wedding ceremony in your country? Is the significance the same for wealthy and less fortunate people? Marriage Ceremony is a huge event and investment. For this big day, the bride’s family starts saving from her birth onwards. As described above the ceremonies which are part of marriage celebrations, it requires good amount of finances to organize this. And it doesn’t stop here; the bride’s family also gives many precious gifts to bride and groom and grooms family. As the girl is now entering a new life, a new household, she’s been presented everything new from exquisite clothes, jewellery, make-up kit, basic toiletries too along with many other gifts. The bride’s family also gives clothes, jewellery, shagun (cash), fruits, sweets, dry fruits and many other gifts too which could range from electronic items to motorbikes to cars to luxury cars depending upon the social status of the families. All the gifts which goes from bride’s side to that of groom is known as SAAGAN. Then the main event that is the marriage party is the biggest event to look up to and during this event the turn-up of people is in hundreds depending upon the relations and social /business circle one has. In the wedding the families invite their first families, relatives, friends, neighbours, people in business circle/colleagues. So the arrangements are to be done properly considering the gathering. If the bride’s family cannot reduce the number of invite from groom’s side then they reduce their invitees. The bride’s family makes sure that all the arrangements are proper. This is how an average middle class/upper middle class family conducts the marriage. The case is slight different for less fortunate or wealthy people. For the less fortunate, though the meaning and aspirations to conduct a wedding of their daughter is same but due to financial crunch it becomes difficult for them. They too give in their best and arrange the best possible feast they can on their part. Sometimes they take loan on heavy interest to conduct the wedding and end up paying it till death as the amount is too big for them to repay in a quick manner. The feast is simple and not grand and more stress is laid on to gift good gifts to the groom and his family so that they take care of the bride with lot of love and respect. For the wealthy, it is a different ball game altogether. It is like a fairy-tale wedding with everything being grandeur and big. The affluence gets depicted in each and everything, from decoration to arrangements to feast to the gifts. Luxury cars and villas are given as gifts. The feast comprises of food from all over the world. Theme weddings are planned and wedding planners are hired. Each function looks like a wedding in itself. CONCLUSION: India is a nation of diverse cultures. It has different cultures, castes and people. People in different regions think and give marriage different degrees of importance. What our group has tried to do is understand the reasons behind marriage. Although most people in the world marry for love Indians have a different take at this. Our group divided the people in two groups urban and rural and did a survey. There were 10 urban couples and 10 rural couples. 90% of rural couples had arranged marriage. While only 10% had love marriage. In the urban scenario 70% of the couples had love marriages and 30% arranged marriages. This proved that the urban scenario is very different from the rural scenario. When people in the village were asked what was the cause of their marriage most of them replied with the reason of money. Campion Weddings 1 concludes that marriage is a most important ceremony of a person’s life. No matter for whichever reason. Since ancient times in India a marriage is considered a milestone in person’s life. People in villages often get married for money, but it should be noted that later on the economic situations of both families improves. Marriages have many benefits in urban and rural regions. In urban regions due to the hasty lifestyles it is important for people to have a companion. Economic situations improve. The community expands which is necessary for progress of human being. Marriage is the most important ceremony in a persons’ life as is the moment after which he/she is bound by responsibility. He/she establishes a family. This decision is an important one as now a person not only thinks about himself, but also about his family and partner. This decision is only his, nobody can alter this decision. Hence, we conclude that marriage is surely a life changing event in an individual's life and considering our cultural context it is not only the two individuals who gets united , it is the two families who gets united to get into a once in a lifetime bond of love, care , responsibilities and togetherness Aaryan Wani from our group conducted a survey in which he questioned 18 married couples, the questions he asked were as follows:
Q1 ] Did you have a love marriage or a n arrange marriage? Out of the 18 people interviewed, 15 had an arrange marriage while the other three had a love marriage....this clearly shows you the ratio of arrange marriages to love marriages in India. Q2] Were your parents happy with your marriage? After asking this question there was an instant reply from all of them that ‘yes’ their parents were happy with their marriages. This proves the fact that most of the people in India always consult their parents regarding and marriages and always marry after their approval. Q3] Do you think the number of love marriages should be more than the arranged ones? Based on the answers that they gave us we can say that the number of arrange marriages in India is far more than love marriages because: 1) High level of understanding and higher adjusting abilities help in making ends meet and also filling the loopholes of marriage. This increases compatibility and makes both the partners understand the importance of compromise and adjustment. Plus, every couple knows that their relationship has a direct effect on their family's bond as well. That is why, a couple in an arranged marriage would work twice as hard to keep their relationship stable than look for a way out. 2) Since parents always end up settling for a bride or groom with similar upbringing, lifestyle, values, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, it removes the chances of any potential disparities. These similarities are an advantage, as it makes the partners highly compatible and therefore, makes the marriage roots much stronger. 3) In India, it is believed 'you not only marry the person but their family as well'. Well, in an arranged marriage the couple receives love and support from each other's family. This becomes very essential for a girl as she has to leave her parent's home and go to her in-laws house after marriage. In such a scenario that extra scoop of love, care and understanding from the in-laws side goes a long way to make her feel comfortable and welcomed in her new home. Results of the survey: Thus, an arranged marriage is based on mutual trust and understanding rather than ‘love at first sight’. In an arranged marriage, commitment is what brings the two people together and love gradually blossoms. So, commitment is the strongest advantage for those who are going for an arranged marriage. |
Main Question: Is a wedding the most important ceremony in a person’s life? Is getting married the most important decision a person can make?
Marriage is the beginning-the beginning of the family-and is a life long commitment. It also provides an opportunity to grow in selflessness as you serve your wife and children. Marriage is more than just a physical union; it is also a spiritual and emotional union. Yes marriage is the most important decision in your life. why? Because you are expected to keep it for the rest of your life. By the way, to not marry is also a decision that is actually a fallout of the same question. Either way, its an important decision. Just as we are influenced by our parents in our childhood, our adulthood is shaped by our life partner. We become who we are influenced a bit or largely, by our partner's little choices (believe it or not) - movies, literature, music, sports, even food, opinions, clothes !!! Subsequent important decisions such as career decisions, financial decisions, personal decisions are all taken, taking into account your significant other. The world begins viewing you as a single "unit" - a couple. Later, families, in laws, friend circles and kids....... Q6] What are the differences and similarities between the significance of wedding ceremony at the time of your parents and grandparents were your age?
People’s perception of planning the wedding has also changed over the passing years. Few years back wedding and engagement were the sole responsibility of the bride’s family. Few people within the family took efforts in decorating the venues chosen for conducting different ceremonies. Moreover, the wedding expenses were also borne by the bride’s parents. Today, although the bride’s parents still finanace for the wedding ceremony, (except the reception party, which is thrown by the groom’s family), people are now resorting to professionals to make arrangements for their wedding, right from the menu to decorations. They hire wedding planners for the purpose. This is especially prevalent in the urban-middle class of india, where they want their wedding to be a trendsetter and the talk of the town for some time. Results of the above survey :
1) What do you think is better? 63% arrange marriages 37% love marriages 2) Does marriage play an important role in one's life? 78% Yes 05% No 07% maybe 10% Not sure 3) Why do feel people generally get married? 02% Financial Support 20% Emotional Support 45% Love 30% parental pressure 03% other reasons |
INTERVIEW:
Rishi Rane interviewed a his parents regarding their marriage and marriages in general
People interviewed:
husband- Dinesh Rane (age:43)
wife- Disha Rane (age:40)
Which you can see in this video below:
Rishi Rane interviewed a his parents regarding their marriage and marriages in general
People interviewed:
husband- Dinesh Rane (age:43)
wife- Disha Rane (age:40)
Which you can see in this video below: