The economics of a village wedding

Everyone is hooked on to TV serials and Bollywood movies which showcase opulent weddings and costumes

Last week, I found Meena deep in a telephone conversation, her broom dangling forgotten in her hands. “We’re not made of money,” she was saying. “We can’t afford to serve fish on both the wedding feasts!” Minutes later, the discussion became even more heated. Clearly, the impending nuptials of her elder son were causing her grave stress. As I shamelessly eavesdropped on a debate on the pros and cons of serving alcohol to a 300-plus wedding party, I wondered why on earth she was planning such an ostentatious wedding at all. As she herself said repeatedly — she, a part-time