IT is a wedding season. Almost every weekend I attend a wedding party and share these happy moments with couples and their families. However, the wedding extravaganza has, to be honest, really made me quite depressed.

People have made this beautiful and sacred union into an occasion for a pompous display of their wealth and status.

Recently I attended a wedding at a reputed hotel. The groom was the son of a renowned businessman. Arrangements had been made for about 200 guests. There was a lavish dinner with an intercontinental menu.

What shocked me was the fact that the estimated cost for that event came out to be Rs 35,000 per head. Now this sum per head for 200 people adds up to seven million rupees, spent freely just to lay their tables with a preposterous amount of dishes. More than half of the food is wasted when a great many people sleep every night with their stomachs half-empty.

As human beings, especially we Muslims must realise the absurdity of such extravagance. We use our resources in a profligate manner and then blame our country for not providing us basic necessities.

Nida Haq

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2017