Marriages, the pandemic and the never ending ‘Majmas’
With people crawling towards a normal life, most couples, who were to be married before coronavirus wreaked havoc on this planet, are deciding to tie the knot. A happy occasion amid distress always helps, at least to some level. And it is always good cheer to celebrate two souls to be unified forever in a happy married life. So, preparations are underway. Malls and markets have re-opened so most people are busy shopping. With a limited number of guests to invite, a lot of pressure has been put off from the hosts’ shoulders. It is truly a blessing for many others who couldn’t afford to hold a magnificent wedding ceremony. All in all, what we learned from this pandemic is that moderation is the key. In everything, from what you eat to what you wear. Keeping these important aspects in mind, many a people, with careful and planned steps, got married. Hats off to them!
So, why am I writing this piece if everything is going as planned? The answer is a recent news headline and an infamous photo shared on Whatsapp nowadays.
As important as the bride’s lehanga or the groom’s sherwani, another piece of clothing has made its way into wedding parties now. The MASK. Yeah, that mandatory piece of clothing is the mask. Ongoing situations call for this necessity, no matter how uncomfortable you might be wearing it to a wedding. But people, as always, go a bit further with everything, don’t they? Now, in the market, we have a special type of mask, made entirely of gold. Blasphemous! I mean, why? Why go to such lengths if a small cotton mask can easily do the job? This is extravagance. And the hilariousness doesn’t end here. Many ‘high-profile’ people actually buy these things. Let’s just leave it here.
Another reason why I penned down this article is because of the photo shared on Whatsapp. Mostly in Kashmiri weddings, before the main course arrives, a lot of other ‘cuisines’ are served to the guests. These include, and are not limited to, dry fruits, fruit juice, sweets combo, pastry and saffron milk. Now these are actually satiating and not at all necessary, so when the real culinary feat of the day, the Wazwan, arrives, one is almost not hungry. So, the Wazwan is carefully stuffed in food bags provided with an elaborate basket of knick knacks, to be brought home. A wholesome Kashmiri feast which had to be enjoyed in the moment, shoved into bags one upon the other, such that one kind of gravy mixes with the other, then brought back home to be enjoyed with just your family. The whole concept of eating Wazwan together in a ‘Trami’ (a big circular plate from which four people eat) has thus been diminished to eating alone. I pity the person who had wanted communal harmony and was paid off like this. A whole new level of craziness!
Now this photo, that I talked about before, deliberates carefully and without any words how some people have started to go haywire instead of staggering towards the right path. A beautifully decorated ‘majma’ (a large tray) holds glass plates, on which are placed napkins and sanitizers, for each guest arriving. While this might seem okay to some, it is not. Before eating, people wash their hands at Kashmiri weddings or when they eat at home. That is Sunnah, the way of our Prophet (PBUH). What had to be done during the pandemic situation was to add a liquid hand-wash so everyone could feel safe and secure. But no, we have to push for Biddah, don’t we? Biddah is extravagance, over-the-top catering, unnecessary events, lavishness, wastefulness. And now, it includes adding another majma of hand sanitizers to the never-ending majmas served at Kashmiri weddings.
God help us. Did we learn nothing from the past three months? Why continue a practice that is not beneficial, but adds extra debt and worry? I hope people learn and understand the concept of a healthy Nikkah and Walima ceremony. I hope and pray that we are guided to the righteous path. One that leads towards God and not away from Him.
