BY ANIL SWAMY 

 

 

All Weddings are occasions for gaiety, joy, laughter, happiness and celebration but we noticed a big difference in Indian weddings abroad and back home. One has to accept the disastrous pile up of leftover ‘Food’ at the venues, either thrown in the open trash bins or delivered next day, for beggars near Temples, without realizing that their appetite not used to such ‘Oily and Rich’ food, often makes them sick and without any access to medical help, they suffer without treatment. Most of us don’t care about what caterers do with the ‘Food Waste’ as they dispose it in open public dustbins to rot and stink. We dance happily and enjoy the wedding but never look back at the ‘Food Waste’ as it’s stinky and filthy to be looked at and it’s none of our business. Marriages are an opportunity in our community, village or town for public display of our status, resourcefulness and authority, thus we invite maximum number of guests for food, within our means to showcase our image with larger than life size extravaganza, lavish spending on meaningless, many Pre-Wedding celebrations, not for the sake of rituals or traditions, but as status symbol. Not that I am zealous of these super rich, after all it’s their own money, but recently country witnessed much publicized pre-wedding celebrations hosted by a rich family, hosting the big wigs and super rich, for few days on a cruise was in news. I believe, enormous load of ‘Food Waste’, must have been carried back to shores as they wouldn’t have dumped overboard to pollute the ocean and for consumption by innocent sea creatures.

 

On shore, the ship cleaning agencies, just throw the stale food waste in the nearest roadside bins near Dock yards, which is either consumed and scattered by the stray animals and birds or rots, creating unhygienic surroundings with foul stench, till it is collected and disposed by the municipal authorities on the outskirts of the city (another menace). Indians are yet to overcome the ‘Hang Over’ of pomp and show, glamour and glitter of erstwhile ‘Rajas or Maharajas’ and colonial era, promoted and influenced by films, entire economic strata of the society, gripped by an inflated ‘False Ego’, showcases their riches by spending lavishly in marriages, at times well beyond their means or force the Bride’s father to bear the expenditure. We fail to realize that it instills ‘Disharmony, Mistrust and Disrespect’ amongst the young couple right from the day one. In past one year, we had to attend three weddings in the family, out of India. In either continent, the focus was to invite select few only for the Wedding and Reception as almost entire expenditure was borne by the young couples. Exact number and details of diners and their food preference, with allergies if any, was forwarded to the caterers. Each table displayed ‘Guest names’ with dishes to be served on that table. Drinks inclusive in the celebration, was to be collected from the Bar Counter. All were absolutely free to enjoy the food and beverages but all were requested, not to waste anything on the plates.

 

Still lots of food in the kitchen couldn’t be consumed. Guests were requested to pack and “Take Away” whatever they wanted in sealed plastic containers and they did so, which quite frankly, bewildered us. Large ‘Take Away’ packets were collected by Groom and Bride’s families to be stocked in the freezer at home. Nothing could be given in charity as Food Shelters wouldn’t accept a day old or stale food, suspecting health issues. Food waste from the plates was tossed in the disposable sacks, sealed and deposited in the bins with covers. At home, we modified dishes daily with different seasonings and spices to our taste and enjoyed for next full week. Even the ‘Newly Married’ couple too ate with us. Reception hall was decorated with artificial flowers but the Young Couple received many fresh ‘Flower Bouquets’, which were neatly stocked in a refrigerated room and promptly delivered to a ‘Old Age Home’ early next dawn. After the party, with some outside help, we cleaned and tidied up the entire complex spic and span as we got it. I have fallen for this noble practice, by the Indian Diaspora in foreign lands and adore my niece Anisha and her husband Blake, to have taught us a new dimension of ‘Take Away’ Celebration. Recalling Saint Kabir - ‘Sai itna deejiye, jame kutumb samaay, mai bhi bhookha na rahoon, sadhu na bhookha jaay’.