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Fly On The Wall

I attended a cousin's wedding recently in Kolkata. Whatever marriage meant to this couple, there was no point to the ceremony other than for people to dress fancy and take an endless number of pictures. The bride herself went through half a dozen costume changes - each to mark a ritual of the traditional ceremony no one cared to follow. This wedding pantomime left me wondering if the relationship itself was any more than a joke. Reading about this wedding tourism startup left me even more bemused about a culture and people I no longer understand. 

 In the western world, many are extremely curious about the "arranged marriage" and particularly how two strangers can just jump-start an intimate relationship on the night of their wedding. I cannot recall the number of times I have been asked questions on this very topic by people who are barely acquainted with me. To take things to a logical close then, the immersion into Indian culture would not be complete without a seat at the table to watch the consummation of an arranged marriage. If the money is good, would the wedding pantomime bring the show to the jasmine and tuberose be-decked bedchamber? The notions of privacy and propriety are antiquated anyway. If there is a fast buck to be made off of culture-curious voyeurs why not?
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