My bridal Lahanga ,the talk of the town !!

" लहंगा  हुआ हैं ,बड़ा महँगा !
  मैं चूनरी लें आया।

मेरा ये लहंगा ,बड़ा हैं महँगा ,इसे ना हाथ लगा।

And many more songs are dedicated to our own Indian Brideswear "LEHANGA".

In Indian wedding lehanga is center piece of marriage function.Even if you look at any celebratiy wedding,you will get a hundred description with price tag of lehanga in newspaper and magazines.

From small town to developed metro city lehanga obsession is same.I remember,as a child visiting relatives places and listening the story of lehnaga purchasing and price tag war.It's a kind of dangal in our society who can get the unique and most expensive one.

In our house my Bua got the expensive one,the one of dadi's collection weaved from gold and silver thread.

Now,as a bride it was my turn to have it all.

 I went through all,right from the lehanga shopping to it's price war. I won't believe they even had a bet on it.

Eww...

I guess ,the first thing which comes in mind of parents after fixing marriage is,where we gone purchase "Bridal Lehnga".

I tell you the parents of today are ready to travel from Delhi to Mumbai,Mumbai to Kolkatta and from Chennai to Chandigarh in search of the best.

Below l lakh is like eating Panipuri instead of Raj Kachauri.

Common,Well few bride are also obsessed for a one time wonder of life but in my case my parents were more obsessed  with that dress as it was gone to define their social status in society.

I bet you,hardly 1% of girls wear their bridal lehnga again in their life. Gone are the days ,when brides feel lucky to have her mother sari or lehnga.

Time has changed,so our bride.

Mine was a june wedding, all the shopping of shadi was to be done from our own city as they have plenty of options, but this one lahnga made me run around the world.

I completed my masters and was to come back home this January. My parents came to take me back home.

I have this huge luggage and lots of pressure of new job ,shadi and all.We were to come back same day, but my mom wished to visit Jaipur famour Bapu Bazar,Johri Bazar ,Meena Bazar and all in search  of the best.

Her first word to seller was,show me something nice,must be above Rs1 lakh.

I was like, has she gone nuts?
I grabbed my mother hand and spoke in her ears. What are you doing? 1 lakh that  too for a one time wonder, no way. Better give me that money, I will have Gucci and Dior.

But she was in no mood to listen any word.We went from shops to shops but didn't got that one piece. Instead she spent lakhs of rupees on some expensive sarees and suits for our few high profile relatives.

We came back home,In few days I was to join my new job in Delhi.
 My shadi other preparation were going on,while my lahanga search was still on. She took me to our local market we saw at least a 100 piece but nothing stuck her,she kept saying ye wala uski shadi me deka,Vo wala uski shadi me....bla.bla.

Finally, the shopkeeper ,a friend of father suggested,why don't you buy a designer lahanga,It's not available right now,but if you want I will get that for you.Anyways this din't suit her and we came back with lots of shopping for our friend and relatives family.

I went Delhi,and her search was on.
One day, my dadi suggested my mom why don't you make her a customized lahanga made with silver and gold thread, I gave it to my daughter, she still loves it.Moreover ,she was praised in her sasural for that. My mamma agreed and said ,you are right maaji .

Then my Dadi said,"I am always right, that is a different matter that you came empty handed from your mother house." My dadi never leaves a moment of taunting my mom.

Anyways, this stuck my mom abruptly. She called the jewellar and asked about the rate of Gold and Silver of the day and how much thread is required to make that lehanga. She  called me up and narrated the whole story,I was in office so I kept nodding and said whatever you think best go for it.

Now she was too happy, as now she got the perfect dress to show.Meanwhile my mother best friend and adviser Minni massi came, mum shared her idea,and waited for massi reaction.

Massi said thik hai,nothing new as तेरी ननद को भी वहीं ,तेरी बेटी को भी वहीं ,,,ना ना ,वैसे भी लोगों को पता कैसे चलेगा ,तू ३० लाख दहेज़ दे रही हैं

Mum totally agreed,wahi to my sister in law was married in free,without dowry in that era.Now that I am giving so much cash, it must be reflected in my daughter dress.

Minni massi daughter was staying in Kolkatta. They planned for visiting Kolkatta.

They started telling I am getting my designer Lehnga from Kolkatta.

Days passed and due to dadi illness mum didn't managed to visit Kolkatta. She kept asking me to visit Kolkatta for a day and get a lehnga as now it was  a question of pride.

She even told in my in laws that I am getting a Desighner Bridal Lehnga from Kolkatta,

Everybody eyes was waiting for that one piece lahanga.

No body was interested in bride or groom or what they do, expensive lahnga was centre of attraction.

Finally,out of their pressure,I went Kolkatta and came home with that lahenga.

I didn't share any pics or anything with them and came directly with it.

The price tag was of Rs 2,00,000, I told them their was a discount and got it in Rs 1,75,000.

I can see the happiness in my mums eye,as she was so obsessed with the lahanga that she didn't cared about any other expense and broke her last FD to finance my lahanga.

In our society marriage is such an expensive affair.People invest all their savings madly on one event  out of affection and peer pressure.

I didn't accept the idea of dowry but my father always stopped me from speaking about these thing.

Mamma kept flaunting my dress to every relative with it's price tag. Slowly the rumors spread like fire in jungle.

Till date,my lahanga became the best lahnga of town.No one cared to check the material or work all that enough was big designer label with price tag.

Finally, the day came everyone kept comparing,praising my mamma ,clicking my pic and asking about the name of shop from where I got this lehanga.

For many days rumors was on.

After few days of my marriage ,I came home and saw my mamma bit restless. She was busy in clearing bills and the financial pressure was worrying her.

While talking ,I told her wasting Rs 2 lakhs on Lahanga was waste,
वैसे भी ,रात बीती ,बात बीती
अगली शादी  तक लोग सब भूल जायेंगे
किसे याद रहेगा या फर्क पड़ेगा ,कितने का लहंगा था।

She was listening silently and said
हाँ थोड़ा जायदा हो गया
वैसे  भी दुबारा तू तो पहनेगी नहीं।

Now, what to do,ab to paise bhi chale gay hmmm. She agreed but hided her emotion.
I smiled and  transferred 2 lakhs in her account,and asked her to check her phone.

And she shouted.

what is this?I said you money. What?

I hold her hand and we both sat on sofa. Actually I want to tell you something,I didn't bought any lahanga, I took on rent from designer and returned it.

But Why? you know,I have the money,I gave you out of love not pressure.

Please mamma, we both know the truth, it was out of our dikhave wali shadi that we waste so much on single night.

Few things ,I cannot stop but something which is in my hand at-least will try to stop.
It's your money ,please keep it. Let's be happy we managed to save a bit and had our rumors and we both giggled.