the big fat indian wedding

The status on my facebook account gives away the frustration. it asks where do we stand , are we western enough or just caught between times.. Or may be i call it tale of two times..
TWO TIMES..yes of course one is the current times of facebook & blogs, of pubs and pub hopping women toasting for pink chaddi campaigns( that is another story that i also belong to that genre) , of the talks about liberation, gender equality, women empowerment and blah blah... And the other times of our parents and the lound aunt in handloom sari who would write a matrimonial ad for you proclaiming you as fair, homely, convent educated ,decent girl with family values... ahem...
well honestly we, at least this middle generation is walking a tight rope between these two vastly different worlds. Trying to say shut up to mom or aunt can get you emotionally blackmailed( read emotional attyachaar) and choosing to be as described by them in the matrimonial space is like a scary dream.. and around the same time you visit this wedding of your convent educated , sweet, homely decent friend in this five star ballroom full of thousand people commenting on the brides dress or makeup with expensive food in their mouth... horryfying.. isn't it
i am sure a lot of people in my age bracket would connect to this incident and must have encountered one very recently.. so the question remains still... where are we? are we really what we potray or rather i should rephrase this question.. can we be what we potray... can we be truely liberated people we want to be without having to face the emotional or social attyaachar... hmmm... answer depends on your location.. yes funny it may sound but may be a handfull of people from the metros can claim to be able to pull that .. but mostly others would say they want to but haven't been able to...
so despite a convent school, a professional college and great job at multi national we would succumb to the scrutiny by a group of over dressed people commenting on your dress while sipping the soup and adjusting salt.. where baraati's would still be treated with great care and even you otherwise understanding spouce would not find anything odd at his aunt's comment about your choice of footwear... the huge bill will always be footed by your very humble parents and after all the running around of months one would overhear a suit clad uncleji making a final statement" khana to khannaji ke yahan better thaa"
proud to be an indian........