A proposal for consideration - Let's reduce 5% of the money set for our wedding

Last October I had attended my friend's wedding in Palakkad. Her wedding album was nicely done and was huge. Few days back I wanted to know how much she spent on it. "Was Rs. 10,000 spent for photography in your wedding?" I asked her. "Which age are you living in? I spent Rs. 45,000," said she. Shocked by hearing the figure, I proceeded to ask her the total expense for her wedding. "Somewhere near Rs. 12 lakh," she said.

Some six years back I had attended a wedding of a girl in Palakkad whose mother was a servant maid and father a fisherman. The bridegroom and his family had demanded from the bride's parents dowry in the form of cash and gold which was then worth over Rs. 3 lakh.

There was another wedding that happened last November. There again the bride's mother was a servant maid. They had spent a sum of Rs. 2.5 lakh and had taken a loan of Rs. 90,000 from a money lender for an annual rate of interest of 72%! The total money spent stopped at this sum because the boy's family did not ask for any dowry, the girl's mother told me.

To repay this loan the family has to pay over Rs. 5,000 per month, and this sum is only towards the interest, this repayment does not cover the principal. Which means for this family which earns just over Rs. 10,000 a month, half of it goes for repaying only the interest amount of the loan that they had taken, and this is perpetual. There is no possibility that they can get Rs. 90,000 at one instance with which they can repay the debt once and for all.

They were forced to secure this loan from a private money lender because banks would not have given them a loan. Their annual income remains meagre and unsatisfactory to avail a bank loan. Nor do they possess any property document to mortgage with a bank to avail a loan.

While taking loans to conduct a wedding may not be the case for you readers, it is required for people who live on meagre levels of income. What they earn is just enough to cover their day-to-day expenses; they hardly have any savings. It is almost impossible for them to have the marriage ceremonies conducted without availing financial support from others.

People from the economically weaker sections of the society do not themselves wish to carry out wedding ceremonies by taking loans. But without that they cannot conduct these ceremonies in a manner which is "acceptable" to the society. I am quite convinced that it is societal pressure that force them to stretch their levels of expenditure beyond their capacity, forcing them to knock the doors of money lenders.

It is we who must reduce the pressure falling on them. And for that we must help them financially, there is no better possible way to help. 

To that effect I propose that every parent who conducts their daughter or son's marriage must reduce the set expenditure for the wedding ceremonies by 5% and give away the equivalent money that is not spent to such parents who belong to the weaker sections. Or if they feel that the reduction is not possible they can consider spending 105%, the extra 5% can be given to the poor.

The 5% rule shall apply equally on all those who spend Rs. 8 lakh and more. My friend told me that this sort of binding will not be right, and that we must ask them to contribute as per their wish. But I think that such a flexibility will lead to disparity. One may give more, one less, and one may not give anything at all. The percentage rule will remove this disparity I feel. 

5% is not that big an amount. For one who spends just Rs. 8 lakh, only Rs. 40,000 needs to be set aside for this cause. A small reduction in the exorbitant, and largely unnecessary manner in which the stage in the wedding hall is decorated, a reduction in one or two items on the food menu can by itself attract this sum. A small compromise in the brand of the dresses for the wedding can save a lot of money. There are very easy means to reduce the expense by 5%. So let not the reader wonder seeing the 5% figure. 

I genuinely urge you readers to consider this proposal and share your thoughts.  

   

Lawyers are not above law, something that lawyers in Madras need to remind themselves

Police is not above law; nor are lawyers. For the past few days the city of Madras has been witnessing a few incidents which would make one wonder if law applies to lawyers or not. 

Students of the city's only law college, Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, have been on a protest for the past two weeks. The 125-year-old college building had developed cracks because of the metro work going in its vicinity, and the building was closed for renovation. Classes were to happen in the new building in the same campus. Rumours had then surfaced that the college authorities intended to shift the under graduate law course from that campus to a new place in the outskirts of the city. There wasn't even a circular issued to this effect but the students began a protest. It went on for more than a week and it spread to other government law colleges in the state. Few other colleges too supported the students. 

I saw the protest from inside and I knew what was happening. The recommendation to shift the UG course from the campus was made in a committee report which was published in 2008. The protesting students had not read the report and had not bothered to even find out why such a recommendation had been made in the first place. The old building was asked to be closed by an order of the Hon'ble High Court of Madras. Students did not even consider moving the court first.

Their first act was to block the roads in the heart of the city for hours together, following which the police said that they would be arrested. When few students created ruckus, one even having the audacity to slap a police man, the police had to resort to lathi charge. The argument that many students made was this. How could police even touch law students? As if they were above the law itself! I had myself witnessed instances where students hit policemen. They also verbally abused, in very foul language, senior police officials. Later when they were demanding action against the policemen for having resorted to lathi charge they were again abusing them. They threw waste paper on the police constables standing near the protest site. 

The practicing lawyers who are supposed to set an example to the law students are even worse. Members of an advocate association raised slogans against the Chief Justice inside his court room few days back when he was hearing a case. The advocates wanted the Chief Justice to consult them before he sent the names of advocates who could be considered for judgeship. For a provision which found no place in law, these lawyers marched inside the court in protest, raised slogans against the Chief Justice, and asked him to leave their court and return to his home state! The Chief Justice could have very well taken the unruly lawyers to task by issuing a contempt of court notice against them, but he chose not to. Instead he expressed "anguish" at their behaviour. 

There has also been an unfortunate and highly deplorable incident in the last one month. A lawyer was stoned to death by his colleagues at the Bar inside the court campus in the city. The police has registered a case but it is being said that justice is not going to be delivered as the lawyers involved in it are rowdies, extortionists; police themselves are scared of these elements. 

As far as I have come to understand, Tamil Nadu is the state where number of such lawyers who have scant regard for the law and police is the highest. They have a belief that they can do anything and get away just because they are lawyers. The Bar Association which can take adequate action is pliant. 

Former Chief Justice of the Hon'ble High Court of Madras Mr. Justice Markandey Katju had shared the following video in Facebook. "This is what some Tamilnadu lawyers have come down to," he wrote. The video speaks for itself. But do notice the manner in which a group of lawyers started hitting a police constable that too in presence of a senior police official. They are seen kicking the police vehicle, hitting it with their footwear. It magnifies the contempt that they have towards the police, which is an arm of the State. It was the duty of the senior police officer to protect his subordinate. To that extent I will say that the officer is at fault too. I wonder if this attitude of these lawyers would change. Hope it does.

Post by Markandey Katju.

Providence does not stand arrogance & electors do not mind giving the honest a second chance

Many congratulations to AAP for this wonderful performance. I had expected them to get 20-25 seats but as the election date drew close it was becoming clearer that they would get more. Still 67 was never expected.

Nice part of this big a margin is that defections will not make much of a difference. The Binnys cannot hold the party for ransom.

There are two things that the AAP must soon and definitely do. Mr. Kejriwal must invite the Prime Minister for his swearing-in ceremony, making the latter regret for not having invited the former for the Republic Day. He must also give the Leader of Opposition status to some MLA from the BJP, despite the fact that they have just 3 MLAs. This may inspire the BJP to reconsider its stand on the LoP.

Further, from now on there will be immense pressure on the AAP to deliver, and I trust that the party will be able to take all of that. They have made such a long list of promises that even if half of that is delivered, the people of Delhi who voted for them would be content.

Also, organization building is a task to which AAP should give serious thought. Mr. Prashant Bhushan was not at all seen today. He is an asset, other leaders need to gain his confidence, and get him back into their fold. There are many such disgruntled volunteers throughout the country who need to be brought back.

"In a human body, two eyes and two ears enable a person to place the objects seen and heard. A single-party democracy soon loses its sense of proportion," Rajaji had said. The BJP-led Union government is almost running the nation in this sense of lost proportion. It is a genuine fear among many that AAP may do the same in the Delhi Assembly. This is more felt because there are many within the party itself who say that Mr. Kejriwal wants his opinion to be enforced.

But Mr. Kejriwal touched upon this very issue when he addressed the people after the party's victory was almost certain. He said that the state to which the Congress and the BJP was reduced in Delhi was because of their arrogance. He asked his party's volunteers to not be arrogant and serve the people with humility. The message was pregnant and reassuring. It is sincerely hoped that other leaders in the party take cue.

Lastly, the Delhi elections has proved one thing. It is that Providence does not stand arrogance and that the electors do not really mind giving a second chance to people whom they consider honest. AAP and Mr. Kejriwal were much targeted by the opposition for their giving up office in 49 days, but the electors did not mind that; they gave them a second chance, and, indeed, what a gift!    

Janta Janardhan!

As a mark of love, he had a photo of his pet dog in his wallet

Many people have the habit of keeping the photographs of their loved ones in their wallets.

Photographs of one's parents, spouse, children, or that of one's own can very often be found in the wallets of people having this habit.

But today I saw something really touching. My neighbour Mr. Ramdas Menon had a photograph of his pet dog, Bruno, a Pomeranian, in his wallet.

He had been having Bruno for years at his home in Delhi. But when he decided to shift to Palakkad, he could not bring Bruno. It was an apartment to which he was shifting and it was difficult for him to keep Bruno there.

With pain his family left Bruno with a family friend in Delhi and came to Palakkad.

Today, as Mr. Menon showed me that picture of Bruno which he had in his wallet, in his voice I could feel the pain he was undergoing. I suggested him to bring Bruno here, and he has said that he will.

Dogs are lovable animals. Even I had a pet dog, Dingo, a Doberman. The above incident reminded me of Dingo.

He was my Millennium gift. Yes, I got him on 1 January, 2000.

Though during his heydays he was a pro in killing snakes including venomous Cobras, his old age and lesser space to play around when my family shifted to a new home had taken a toll on him. He left us following a snake bite.

Sharing a photograph with him clicked in the early 2000s.