At a time when High Net-Worth Individuals and richie rich folks are opting for destination weddings in foreign countries, Narendra Modi today batted for destination weddings within India. He suggested that holding fat weddings within India would help the local economy.
"Nowadays, it has become a fashion amongst the 'Dhanna Seths' of our country to go and conduct wedding ceremonies in foreign countries! I ask why. I urge that in the next 5 years, you all ensure to conduct at least one destination wedding of your family in Uttarakhand," PM Modi has been quoted as saying.
The call for 'Wed in India' has received support from a section. "The Indian wedding industry has economic significance and contributes significantly to India's economy. The industry has the potential to make India an important wedding destination globally, thus generating immense revenue. Weddings are the 4th biggest industry and a survey estimates a flow of about Rs 4.25 trillion in wedding-related purchases and services in 23 days of the wedding season this year," wrote Sheetal Chopra, an RSS activist
However, not many like the idea of looking at everything from an economic standpoint. Fat weddings in ecologically sensitive locations like Uttarakhand can result in damage and intangible losses. Also, the masses don't feel strongly about the issue. "Do most rich and elite conduct weddings abroad? I was not even aware of this. Those exist as some endangered species in India. The common man of India has little idea of what they do, or how they live," commented a Netizen.
