Green Weddings
K S S Pillai
It was in a queue in a wedding hall that I met one of my old friends, who belonged to my native village. He was standing in front of me, waiting patiently to reach one of the fast food counters.
There were many such counters where one could get a fast food item as a part of the wedding feast. The main feast was also a buffet, and most guests were waiting, carrying a dish. As it will take some time to reach the counter, we compared modern weddings with those of the past.
During our childhood, weddings were simple. The ceremony was held at the bride’s home, and all neighbours considered it their duty to make it a success. ‘Pandals’ were constructed with the green leaves of coconut trees. Separate pandals were built for the marriage ceremony and for cooking the feast.
Like today, astrologers were in great demand, particularly during the wedding season. The parents of the girl and the boy consulted them to find out whether the horoscopes matched. If the signal was green, they also decided the timing of weddings and other ceremonies.
A vegetarian feast was prepared by those well-versed in cooking under the supervision of an aged villager. The women in the neighbourhood would actively participate in preparing the feast.
Coconut was an inevitable ingredient in almost all dishes. The main job of women was to scrape the coconuts. The ‘chef’ would taste each item and make suggestions to make them tastier. After the wedding ceremony, all would sit on cotton sheets spread on the floor for the feast. The bridegroom’s party was always invited first.
The temples also came to the picture later on, saving on the cost of constructing pandals. They built buildings for the preparation and serving of the feast. The tying of the knot was performed before the main deity under the supervision of the head priest in the presence of the temple musicians, making divine sounds with their musical instruments. The entire ceremony was held in a solemn atmosphere, adhering to the saying that marriages were held in heaven.
Except for the smoke emitted during the preparation of the feast, the function hardly polluted the atmosphere.
The present wedding is an expensive affair. Even the poor want to make it a memorable event. It is managed by professional event managers and held in expensive halls.
The guests expect a non-vegetarian feast even if the parties belong to a religion that professes vegetarianism. Several birds or animals are killed, and their flesh is cooked.
Modern chairs and desks, covered with synthetic sheets, are laid out for the feast. Water and other drinks are supplied in plastic bottles. The wastage of feasts would contain bones, cups and plates made of plastic that take years to decompose.
The new fashion has spread to all parts of the country. On a visit to another state, I was the victim of the modern wedding. The bridegroom stayed in a colony of poor people, but they had hired professional musicians and instruments that emitted high-volume music.
All danced to the accompaniment of music as the bridegroom’s hired motor vehicle moved forward at snail’s pace. There were intermittent fireworks. It was impossible to sleep till after midnight, when the sound stopped, thanks to legal restrictions.
Recently, I read an article that suggested ways to make weddings environmentally friendly. It recommends ringing bells instead of fireworks and using reusable cloth, glasses, and metal utensils in place of items that take years to decompose.
It also advocates the use of local flowers, transportation by buses and trains, conducting certain ceremonies in the open, and the use of items made from clay, jute, and bamboo. Electricity produced by the sun, wind, and waves is also highly recommended, as it is more environmentally friendly than that produced in thermal stations, which use a large quantity of coal.
It is often advised not to be a miser at weddings, as it happens only once in one’s life. While adhering to the advice, we should remember that the function should not add to the environmental pollution. It is important to remember that we don’t inherit it from our ancestors, but borrow it from the next generation.
(The author is a retired professor of English. He is a regular contributor to “The Kashmir Vision’. His short stories and articles have appeared in various national and international publications)
