I am not sure if "Washington-il Thirumanam" covered Appalam Sandai.
Appalam Sandai is the must have, and much dreaded, event in a south Indian wedding. This is when the old venerable uncle takes offense, since no one notices that he isn't served appalam as he eats his meal. The uncle feels insulted and decides to boycott the wedding. All folks, including the very busy parents, plead and implore him to stay. The sullen faced uncle then condescends to attend the rest of the wedding.
What follows is days of post mortem with every relative giving their opinion on
Today's weddings are very different. I know. I have attended four weddings in three months.
The bride and groom's parents don't seem half as stressed, and actually laugh every now and then. There are hired "enquirers" to make sure folks are served food and well taken care of.
Along with enquirers, we have added air conditioned hall, hotel rooms, mehendi, DJ, baraat, dancing, and so on to take care of the old venerable uncle's potential needs and desires.
Much money is spent on all this.
However, somehow, the post mortem sessions still remain. Maybe, it is the post mortem, and not the Appalam Sandai, that truly exemplifies a south Indian wedding?
Appalam Sandai is the must have, and much dreaded, event in a south Indian wedding. This is when the old venerable uncle takes offense, since no one notices that he isn't served appalam as he eats his meal. The uncle feels insulted and decides to boycott the wedding. All folks, including the very busy parents, plead and implore him to stay. The sullen faced uncle then condescends to attend the rest of the wedding.
What follows is days of post mortem with every relative giving their opinion on
- how the situation could have been better handled by others,
- how it could have been avoided all together,
- how without their intervention the whole situation could have blown out of proportion.
Today's weddings are very different. I know. I have attended four weddings in three months.
The bride and groom's parents don't seem half as stressed, and actually laugh every now and then. There are hired "enquirers" to make sure folks are served food and well taken care of.
Along with enquirers, we have added air conditioned hall, hotel rooms, mehendi, DJ, baraat, dancing, and so on to take care of the old venerable uncle's potential needs and desires.
Much money is spent on all this.
However, somehow, the post mortem sessions still remain. Maybe, it is the post mortem, and not the Appalam Sandai, that truly exemplifies a south Indian wedding?
1 comment:
Interesting... but let me tell you - nothing about the postmortem and ucalled for expert opinions of all and sundry - the way you defined are exclusive to South Indian weddings.
It happens the exact same way even as far as in our Kashmiri weddings... the rituals and the way wedding is performed may differ - but the finer naunces of how relatives act and behave don't...
-Sidharth
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