An Unfortunate Vanity

Even if you feel your conscience shy from the superfluous assemblage in Kashmir, you have to attend it despite your unwillingness. Marriages in Kashmir have never been simple. They have never been simple or so simple gatherings. Including the poor, the rich go on spending more than necessary on their weddings. Everyone in Kashmir has his sacred excuse not to fall for redundant expenses, but the obstinate nature of Kashmiris makes the futility happen. They make sure not to miss a thing about the expenses. If you keep on adding to your expenses, you save your reputation among others by not being a cheapskate. And if you try to diminish the expenses, you are allowing them to consider you a tightwad. A tightwad in Kashmir has its specifically galling term ‘Shikaslad.’ Therefore, if you want to save money on marriages, you will be wounded and named Shikaslad. You have no right to say no to fewer expenses and embrace all the gratuitous stuff. Then, you have the unique cuisine called ‘Wazwan’ served at weddings in Kashmir. There can be as little as seven of it and as much as thirty-two. It depends upon how much you afford to serve per plate at your wedding. No buffet is arranged at typical Kashmiri weddings. Even if you don’t like a particular dish or dishes, you necessarily have to take them home in the disposable packs served alongside the wazwan. Every little thing is taken care of: from curd to compliment the taste, diet coke to digest the heavy royal meal, a paper tissue to wipe of mouths, to a mouth freshener. The above scenario indeed makes weddings in Kashmir special but ultra-expensive too.