Indian wedding system - a bad Economics?

"Observation is the key to learning. There is no dearth of learning opportunities around us but there is certainly a deficiency of attention management. If one can be trained to have a keen observation and honest contemplation, learning will be automatic and self enrichment will always be an ongoing process."



I do not recall exactly who imbued this in my mind, my mother may have been that person, but i can recollect that this was an imprint with me and i always tried to follow this since very early days of my schooling. I would sit in the class always in the first row and would listen to every word my teacher spoke in the class very carefully and try to retain it. The same habit extended to all those social situations also where i was able to accept someone as my role-model.



My cousin, elder to me at least by 10 years or more, is a knowledge professional. These days he works for a very popular Hindi newspaper. He has always been a very eloquent speaker and i have always made it a point to listen to him with undivided attention whenever we meet. His rational approach has always attracted me. He has always challenged the practice of following the traditions without applying one's own logic.



Some twenty five years ago, we were sitting on the occasion of some marriage in the family. He was the centre of attention for everyone. He was talking with someone (not directly to me) about Indian wedding system. He said, " I don't understand why we spend so much money on wedding ceremonies. It's a very bad Economics and a bad Sociology as well. So much money is wasted. Moreover, so many man hours are wasted. And to add to the problems, the couple getting married is so much involved in the rituals that the natural love between them and the thrill of getting married is also lost. I suggest something better. Both the families should go to some hill station with the couple. A very small but closely knit family function should be held for the marriage and then everyone should come back leaving the couple behind."



The idea appealed to me. I accepted his argument that the existing system was very bad Economics. As time passed, this idea gained strength. Then somehow, Indian festivities also were added to the same list. I began to believe that celebrating Diwali with so much fireworks and decoration etc. is a sheer wastage of money.



When i studied Economics for my masters, everything changed. The study of socialism gave me a new perspective. And when i read the theory of Prof. Pigou about welfare, an entire new thought sequence dawned upon me. And today i can say with conviction that welfare Economics supports Indian wedding system and festivities in most of the cases. Excepting some systems like dowry etc. all the other rituals not only pass the test of socialism but they also promote the cause of human welfare and economic well being of our nation. Allow me to present this case in a simple language.

Prof Pigou says that welfare of a nation can be ensured in any or both of the two ways. First, the Gross National Product should go up. Second, the flow of money should take place from the rich to the poor. And Indian wedding system fulfills both the requirements. The celebrations and the extravaganza not only increases Economic activity and increases GNP in the process, but also transfers the funds from the rich to the poor. Just pay some attention to the fact that who is spending and who is getting; and you can hear the soul of Prof Pigou appreciating our wedding traditions.

And how is the declared national objective of socialism achieved by this? When the flow of money takes place from the haves to the have-nots, the difference between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is bound to diminish! Naturally, socialists should support these traditions.

So, one can say with conviction that our festivities and our rituals are a very good Economics.

Does it imply that i support the extravaganza? Not at all! On a very personal level i will always continue to believe that economic sense alone cannot justify many traditions of society. I still find the scale of celebrations irrational. And by the way, I am not a socialist either!

The idea of having weddings on hill stations cannot be scrapped that easily!