Week 1516 - The Mind-Numbing Similarity of Sangeets and Weddings

The Concept Explained

Counting Down to 90 - Week 1579

Why 1579

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

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It's always the same.

A couple of weeks ago, we were at the sangeet of a friend’s kid. A few of us (uncles as we are disparagingly called) sat at the bar and gave the entire sangeet a miss and went out only when called to dance with our wives on the same, standard Bollywood DJ music that wasn’t even mixed very well.

Every sangeet is the same. The bride and her friends, the groom and his friends, the bride and groom, sometimes a solo, sometimes a sister or brother, then some oldies who are always just so bad…it is a hoot if you are part of this inner circle, otherwise it is just painful to watch…even the songs are all pretty much the same…80% Bollywood and 20% treacly sweet English.

At least we are no longer subjected to a video of the pre-wedding photoshoots. Small mercies, though now large blown-up photos line the walkways and the entrances.

Engagements and cocktails and toasts are similar. The best friend of the boy will speak and give some anecdotes about sharing underwear or getting wasted or how they had each other’s back and then will look to the hopefully going-to-be-bride with the usual sentence, “you are lucky to have him”. And then the best girlfriend of the girl will say something similar and then sometimes a platonic girlfriend of the boy or a platonic boyfriend of the girl will come up and tell the bride/groom-to-be how lucky they are and everyone will laugh and joke and then again there will be some dancing, apparently impromptu, but actually rehearsed improv. 

You would think that the GenZs would be different and more enterprising and come up with some interesting stuff…like say, don’t have a sangeet, or if you have one, maybe have a theme, or get professionals to dance on your behalf, or maybe do a “Dancing with the Stars” with each of you…I don’t know…this stuff didn’t exist when we got married…but try to make it at least a little bit interesting for the rest of the 80% attending?

How can it all be so mind-numbingly the same? What is it that makes everyone bathe in the same waters of mediocrity with the same cringy sameness? Why does everyone want to do the same thing that everyone else is doing?

We thought we were non-conformist communists and then we all turned out to be blue blood capitalists. The Millenials and GenZs were supposed to be the New Hope…but all they do is imitate…Bollywood, the eternal inspiration with peer pressure the trigger. 

As I said the last time…we attend for the sake of our friends and to help with the padding. 

Week 1518 - We are the Extras, the Supporting Cast, the Padding

We are not important. The kids are. We do all this for our friends. Our friends do it for their kids. And thus the cycle of life continues.

Bhavin's WritingsBhavin Jankharia

Thank God for bars.