Marriage is an important chapter in one's life. And so are wedding ceremonies. Unfortunately, nowadays, it appears that we are spending lavishly for these festivities forgetting the true essence and spirit of this occasion. The trend of spending as much as possible on wedding ceremonies has become a new norm in Bangladesh, which, in my view, is nothing but a sheer waste of money. Sometimes, it is noticed that a family spends its entire savings on a wedding ceremony. If the savings are not enough, some people even sell their properties or borrow from others.
Once there were only two to three programmes for a wedding in our country. But now, we, being influenced by the neighbouring country's culture, are organising at least five to six pre and post wedding ceremonies. Yes, some rich people can afford them. But such show of riches is very inappropriate when there is abject poverty all around us. These weddings have an enormous social pressure especially on the middle class who struggle with economic challenges to host similar programmes.
Wedding programmes, in my view, should be affordable. Time has come to change our outlook towards extravagant marriages. We should go for simpler, easier and less expensive customs and ceremonies. And for this, we can launch a social movement.
Md. Tanshen,
Student of Department of English,
Kabi Nazrul Govt College, Dhaka,
mdtanshen99@gmail.com