Are you invited?

Aradhika  Sharma

What fancy dabbas people are giving with their wedding invitations these days!” Sabrina commented at lunch. “Yesterday someone left a box which contained alcohol filled chocolates, a jar of marshmallows and a bottle of sparkling wine. I brought the marshmallows for you girls.”

“Kind of you,” retorted Mandy, “though I’d have preferred the chocolates and wine.”

“People are so busy trying to outdo one another in expensive, novel gifts yaar. I got a box of almonds spiced with orange, paan-flavoured kishmish and cinnamon coated pistachios. My plebeian taste buds got super confused!” Shobha said.

“And I received a desi goodie basket that contained artisanal cookies, a packet of sunflower seeds, a box of saunf flavoured gur and a jar of organic jam,” Sabrina said.

“None of you can beat the invitation my aunt received last year!” Shobha laughed. “A vintage birdcage with two lovebirds was delivered to her doorstep accompanied by a box filled with birdseed that contained the wedding invite.”

“Wow! Does she still have the lovebirds?” 

“She probably would have if she did not possess two predatory cats. The felines had themselves a fine wedding feast!”

“Aai hai! What a terrible story!”

“Bhai, all that is OK, but have any of you received invitations to the most important national events?” I asked.

“Which important national events? The Republic day parade?” Shobha asked.

“Nope!”

“Some National Awards?”

“No!”

“An address by the PM? A trans-national symposium of writers and thinkers?” Mandy ventured.

I shook my head.

“A global business summit? An international sport event?” 

“Na, na! Don’t you girls read the newspapers?”

“Then which national events are you talking about?” Sabrina demanded.

“Arre! The celebrity weddings that are getting all the press in the last one month. Judging by the print and TV time they’ve grabbed, they’re no less than a major national event,” I laughed.

“Oh! The Ranbir-Deepika and Priyanka-Nick Jonas weddings! Seriously overdone by the press,” Mandy agreed.

“Humph! You can’t open a newspaper or a website without descriptions of their clothes, jewellery, wedding events and photoshoots and guest lists jumping out at you. it is encouraging materialism and wasteful expenditure,” Sabrina added disapprovingly.

“Pre-wedding ceremonies, showers and bachelorette parties, stag 

revelries and what not. Beautiful, privileged people having fun and spending loads of money! It’s all very voyeuristic and OTT, nahin?” Shobha sniffed censoriously.

“Yes, but did you see the card that the Ambanis sent out for their daughter’s wedding? It cost Rs 3 lakh!” Mandy said.

“Wish I’d got an invite from them too. It contains real jewellery, you know,” Sabrina said wistfully.

“Voyeuristic or not, I wouldn’t have minded attending this shaadi. Beyoncé is performing, imagine!”

“So is Priyanka, before her own wedding!”

“Hain! What happened to your disapproval of the wasteful expenditure and frivolity?” I laughed.

“That’s still there, but a celebrity wedding is likely to be much more exciting than a global business summit!” 

It sure is!