By Muntashir Kifayat Hussain

Somehow, my heart still beats under the rubble of our extravagant display. Watching the chaos around, I am reminded of Jaun Elia's haunting lines:“Dar hai chaba na jayein kaleeja nikal kar, rehte hain tere shehar mein Hinda mizaaz log.” I feel that fear, that my heart might be chewed out for speaking the truth in a society that celebrates excess while preaching simplicity.

I teach at a government school in Narabal and am a father of four daughters. Every rupee I earn goes toward their education. But, whenever I see the endless train of lavish Kashmiri weddings, something inside me breaks.

Lights, noise, and feasts are so far removed from what marriage was meant to be.

Here, the process begins with a cup of tea. A simple visit turns into a ceremony of gifts, the cup filled with money or gold. Then follows a two-year-long stretch of spending. Parents spend nearly a quarter of their lifetime savings on gold, ten percent on clothes, and more on gadgets and décor.

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