Culture is dynamic

We are always told that we must preserve our culture and the values of our ancestors are slowly but surely eroding as we speak. What is culture anyway? It is something agreed by majority of people in a particular location to carry out things in life in a particular fashion. The diaspora of individuals from this community/ethnicity/same language are supposed to act in the same way if their geographic location differs.

I remember getting a earful of tongue wagging 'advice' from Amma for not being able to buy a comb of bananas for a particular prayer (Ponggal or something) as she had requested. It was not my fault as in that particular year in mid 70s, everybody became pious and bought up all the bananas from the shops in RRF. There was also another Chinese festival at that time. Maybe at that time, the economy was also not doing so well and divine intervention was needed. I tried to 'educate' her that it was all right to substitute it with other fruits just like our fellow Hindus in America and UK would not be able to lay their hands of banana and also that it is the thought that counts. And the Hindu epic story of how Lord Shiva accepted the aboriginal hunter, Velan's sincere offering of slaughtered meat and lighted lantern with pork lard as oil  even preferring to Brahmin priest who had laboriously and ceremoniously set the whole ceremonial offering with the regatta of prayers and purity by society's standards but with a not-so-clean judgemental superiority complexed heart! Of course, Amma was not amused and Appa had to take his bike and buy a comb of banana from town to meet the religious requirements!

We can see how culture (the way to do certain things in certain way) has permeated even into our religious beliefs. 

A wedding is the epitome of showcase of one's culture. Steps have been laid down step by step, by word of mouth, from the step of seeking potential bride/groom/victim to the ceremonious deflowering of the maiden all are done in what is considered as the auspicious times based on the positions of Saturn, Uranus,Sun and others. In the pre Revolution Age era, a wedding was indeed an occasion looked forward by friends and relatives alike for some fellowship, merry-making and setting up of other potential wedding candidates. It would go on for weeks altogether with the bride's party coughing the expenses for good measure (or curse for bearing a weaker sex). -But everything powerful on earth is associated with women, e.g. Mother Earth for compensation!

In modern times of course, all these are not possible. People now live in different structured lives. They do not share the luxury of their predecessors and work in boxed offices almost daily. The exposure via telecommunication modalities and movies to the outside world have fascinated them with other cultures that have slowly crept into theirs and have been accepted as norm.

A point of interest is the wine toasting ceremony that has become part and parcel of most wedding receptions. Sceptics will fret that indulging in intoxicants is a deviant practice alien to our civilisation. If that is the case, then even the loads of tomatoes in our favourite Indian cooking and tomato purée rice cannot be claimed to be Indian in origin. Tomato, a native of the Mediterranean land, made its way to Bharat via Arab traders even before the British and had claimed its place in Indian heartland.

Why bother by all these? Just savour the moment and enjoy it. At the end of the day, one is just left with distant memories of youth and how we were before senility sets in and its backbreaking problems starts.

A wine toasting ceremony with the masters of ceremony suggesting a toast for a blissful married life, joined by family and friends on stage at a dinner I was invited to. While looking at the world go by with my hawkish eyes, my devilish mind starts wondering and looking at perspective at things as if I were an alien looking at the antics of human!
The presentation at this reception was excellent with excellent video montage of the wedding edited and choreographed to the standards of Kollywood with proper use of relevant music track.

P/S: People of Indian diaspora are quite comfortable with hugging these days. A generation ago, eye contact and salutations with folding of hands in front of chest would signify greetings from the heart with no physical touch necessary. Culture has evolved to include an embrace to cement the bond. It is accepted as culture.