Marriage and Matdaan Together! Why freshly married couples are rushing to the polling booths!
Both witness a humongous flow of cash.
Both undergo several phases.
Both require a minimum age of 18.
Most importantly, both are based on trust.
Yes, we are talking about some striking similarities between the big, fat Indian wedding and the big, fat Indian election.
And sometimes, they just overlap.
Like, families seek nothing but votes (for their favourite candidate) and blessings (for their favourite couple) as gifts — and quite unabashedly mention these on their wedding cards in big, bold fonts. (They get a memo from the Election Commission much later though).
On the other hand, there are newly married couples; fresh from the wedding stage, visiting booths to cast their votes.
Like this Kashmiri couple who successfully made it to social media this morning for their unflinching commitment to the country.
In their bridal dress, they appeared at a poll booth in Udhampur constituency.
We find it very commendable when old people, despite their infirmities, manage to reach the booths as soon as polling starts — sometimes, they are even carried by booth officials; sometimes, they are just there, leaning on a stick.
In a similar way, we find it praiseworthy when just-married couples, after a sleepless night spent in five thousand and one rituals, pose in front of the cameras — showing their inked finger.
This is the victory of democracy.
Yes, when you put your rose-tinted glasses on.
Once you take your glasses off and let common sense prevail, you understand that there is actually a deep-seated fear — that someone else might cast votes in their place, maybe inside a burqa or something like that — which drives just-married couples to the polling booth straight from the wedding function.
Otherwise, why would you do that?
Has no one told you that polling continues till the evening? And you might not have to stand in a queue if you go when the crowd gets thinner?
What’s the hurry? To go queue up without even changing out of that achkan and silk and gold and diamonds?
Well, now we know!
Also Read: Three weddings I couldn’t attend this season, and why