October month closes the wedding spree occasions in Kashmir. With accentuating the social responsibilities it also brings some wasteful expenditures along as the customs that are not affordable for a common man. Earlier simple and sophisticated marriages took place but with each passing day, more rituals are added which include the exchange of gifts, expensive food, haldi rasams, etc. Only 10 -15 wazwan dishes were seen on the beautiful copper platter but as soon we uncover the lid the plate is full of extra latest dishes. It seems that the wazwan on the platter is not for 4 people but at least 20 people can have that food. The wedding attendants are not able to consume larger quantities of food which results in complete wastage.
The attendants pick up wazwan in small bags which are provided by the wedding organizers. The rest of the food is completely wasted and thrown outside the streets. The poor people who have low-income sources fear the marriage of their children as lakhs of rupees are spent on weddings. The wedding cards are so fancy and expensive. Each card costs a lot of money likewise the boxes of sweets are filled with money notes. The wedding yurt is so expensive that a poor person can’t afford it. When the elite classes make arrangements for a bigger wedding, the poor are forced to follow the same rituals, and if they fail to arrange a small wedding society taunts the below poverty line people. Their poor financial condition makes them feel embarrassed and keep their children unmarried. The LG administration should take serious steps to control food wastage and extra expenses spent on weddings should be immediately stopped so that the poor people are not in trouble
