Indian Bride

[Mansi]

my cousin on the right and her best friend.. before the wedding

see my earlier thread for the pre wedding shots :
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36003

 

[LaFoto]

Wonderful, beautiful people!
They are all this beautiful over in your country, aren't they?
ALL of them!
And the saris! Wow! That bridal sari is just -- smashing!

 

[Mansi]

heheh thanks corinna
well she was wearing a 'lehenga' ... it looks like a 'sari' from the pic.. but it is a skirt and a top and the 'dupatta' - the embellished scarf covering her head
outfits like that may be custom made or bought off the shelf and can take anywhere between 3 weeks to 4 months to make.. since most of them involve a lot of handwork
thanks for looking

 

[Alison]

Stunning, such a beautiful lehenga! Great photo and I bet she will love it

 

[icondigital]

pretty pic mansi! :sun:

 

[terri]

Beautiful girls in beautiful clothes - very nice, Mansi!

 

[JonK]

sweet shot mansi love the outfit! Looks amazing.

 

[jocose]

Mansi,

Great pics! I noticed that they have nose rings in different nostrils. I was just wondering...is there any cultural significance to which side of your nose you pierce? (I mean this in a seriously interested way--no goofing).

Thanks for the cultural (perhaps) lesson.

Oh, and I agree...all Indian women are HOT!!! (OK, so I had a crush on 2 or 3...but please, nobody tell the Girl. She can get jealous sometimes.).

 

[Knopka]

Thanks for sharing this Indian tradition with us, Mansi! I had no clue! I've been to a Pakistanian-American wedding here, in states, but it was nothing close to your ritual! Beautiful photos.

 

[Mansi]

thanks guys!

Great pics! I noticed that they have nose rings in different nostrils. I was just wondering...is there any cultural significance to which side of your nose you pierce?

umm usually its the left nostril piercing which is a tradition.. but off late.. it goes everywhere.. right or left(eg.. the gal on the right has it the traditional way).. and also it was a tradition before that girls had their ears pierced when they were very young.. some even as babies

Oh, and I agree...all Indian women are HOT!!!

lol think again Jo Cose! :mrgreen:

thanks for looking

 

[jocose]

Thanks, Mansi.

 

[Christie Photo]

Very, very interesting. Thanks for the cultural lesson. Will you field yet another question? Is the dowry tradition still observed?

Pete

 

[Mansi]

Will you field yet another question?

absolutely!

Is the dowry tradition still observed?

yes and no
it still happens, but i think the rate has gone down... it is considered illegal.. so you can call the cops if you're harrased for dowry.. but for a lot of families its a tradition.. and they dont consider the marriage complete without it.. sometimes the brides family automatically give what they have to .. and sometimes it's just pressure from the grooms side.
In india, when a girl child is born a lot of parents start saving from that day onwards for their daughters marriage..
so well it still exists.... maybe not for my family and for a lot of others i know.. it definitely has toned down a lot
phew... i think i'll read some on it... you got me thinking
hope it answers your question.. go ahead and ask anymore you have in mind

 

[Raymond J Barlow]

Wow! what beautiful women!!

 

[danalec99]

Is the dowry tradition still observed?

Yes.

It is actually giving the women a share of her parent's wealth when she moves out with her husband. An Indian parent proudly sends her to her new home with the 'gift'. They wouldn't think of sending her away 'empty handed'.

But the practice became evil, shameless and unfortunate when it evolved in to an unwritten law. Marriages became business deals. The introverted and the 'vulnerable' women never then had the guts to speak up. The system mainly affected the financially struggling parents. Like Mansi said, raising funds to send the daughter(s) away 'honorably' becomes a burden the moment a daughter is born to the family (which may be one reason why most Indian parents pray for a boy).
Dowry has caused the country a lot of suicides and broken homes.

The traditional walls are crumbling though, at an amazing pace. This is where Mansi's 'No' comes in. The 'exposed' minority are the torch bearers, even though they are just a tiny portion from the one billion (and change) population. I pray the curse will be completely wiped off, at least couple of generations down the lane.