The Tribune-Chatterati-March.7th.2011

"Power, money make a heady cocktail"
Rain or shine, nothing can stop the extravagant weddings in the Capital. During the wedding season this year, one noticed that marriages are no more just a sacred union of the families or the bride and groom. There is nothing personal about them. From the elaborate card boxes filled with gifts worth thousands you are in for fun as you unwrap the box.
Bollywood stars dancing to Mika's and Sonu Nigam's start from the sangeet to the reception; event managers flying in chefs with ingredients from all over the world. Exotic flowers and unique arrangements worth crores are what you will see. While a majority of people still live below the poverty line in this country, one is astonished at the insensitivity of show-off money. But of course each to his own.
Last week there was a wedding where the huge gardens of a bungalow in Sainik Farms were covered with parquet wood so that the heels of the hoity-toity Delhi women would not sink in the garden. This is the wedding where Rahat Ali had come to perform, after which the guy got into so much trouble. This is also where gifts were given in abundance and a white Rolls-Royce was displayed and then presented to the son-in-law.
The second one was of a Delhi politician's daughter where a helicopter was given in dowry. But the weather played a spoiler here and the helicopter could not land much to the disappointment of everyone. Fifteen thousand people attended this wedding and the attendants were given Rs 11,000 each as shagan. The total cost of this wedding is estimated to be Rs 250 crore as gifts like silver biscuits, safari suits, etc. were given to all who attended various functions of the wedding.
Here the venue set up over a barren land was modelled on Venice, the Italian city. It clearly was the biggest Gujjar extravaganza in the entire community belt of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. The father of the bride and the father of the groom are both Congress leaders from Delhi. Along with politicians, businessmen and Bollywood stars attended this large wedding. Well, political power and money always made a heady cocktail.

"Showing off wealth and connections"
At another reception, the pandal-makers left nothing to imagination. In a flight of fancy they even recreated the iconic shop facades of luxury brands like Gucci, Chanel and Prada to give the befuddled locals a sense of awe. This was matched by the wedding cake, a replica of the Eiffel Tower, true to detail down to little figurines of local artists doing streetside portraits.
Elsewhere in the Capital, a politician hosted his best friend's child's reception at a five star. But what caught everybody's eye were the 'costumes'.
The men both family and friends in the inner circle had outfits that outshone the women, including stone-work and embellishments on gowns that matched the finery. Singers crooned away in the corner but the long lines were full of politicians, out for an evening break after the budget session.
Right from the President of India to hotelier Chatwal of America and Mukesh Ambani from Mumbai, you name them and you found them--media barons to actors.
The old days of friends and family bestowing blessings on couples are clearly over. It's now the parents' turn again to flaunt their wealth, their connections and their taste.
Some even walk off without greeting the newly weds. It's just another networking evening with their smiles in place and of course eyes searching for the rich, famous and powerful.