A Big, Decadent Pakistani Wedding

Pity the nation whose leaders spend twenty million dollars on luxury bullet-proof Mercedez while the nation’s children die from malnutrition. Pity the nation whose rich spend recklessly on decadent weddings but won’t spare few dimes to alleviate suffering of the down-trodden. Pity that nation, for it is a dying nation.


A dazzling ambience of fame and money
Immaculately attired gathering all around me
Men covered in Cerrutti suits, women coated in Vera Wang perfume
Amidst the buzz, I met a dazzling socialite
Her evening gown flaunting an incredibly well-toned figure
She relished the attention, even the fake compliments
I wondered if I were in Pakistan, a land of vast destitution
Or at a chic reception in Manhattan
What a sight a big, decadent Pakistani wedding


Our talk meandered from her gown designed by Ritu Kumar
To her a-listed gym instructor and her hip party friends
She had no opinion about a man named Obama
Nor any interest in Pakistan’s political dilemmas
I could not keep up with self-importance as vast as the Himalayas
So I made an excuse and bid adieu
My disastrous debut to Pakistan’s high society
What a sight a big, decadent Pakistani wedding


Walked to the stage to congratulate bride’s mum who looked uncannily young
It was the wonders of botox and make up, I betcha
Entire family including sixty year old dad had an extreme makeover
A wondrous transformation of Special Shadi Package by Diplex*
The brides mum waved her hand at the beautiful décor
Beta, these roses are from Thailand & cost five thousand dallars
How Much auntie…. five thousand daaallars
Dazed by the excess, I stumbled back to the crowd
What a sight a big, decadent Pakistani wedding


Standing in the midst of glamour, I felt the urge to be like them
To name-drop in every sentence, to boast shamelessly about my designer friends
Attend wild parties, and speak with a British accent
Tomorrow, I will take my credit cards and go on a spree
Not return till I’ve smashed my credit limits
I want to wear Armani, YSL with their labels intact
So everyone sees that I am cool and befriend me
Then I will feel that I belong to the Pakistani elite
And the emptiness within me will recede
What a sight a big, decadent Pakistani wedding


On the way back from the decadent wedding
Took a wrong turn and ended up in a slum
I went off for directions and saw a sight that shook me to core
A sea of misery and wretched poverty
Not far from the abyss of wealth that was the decadent wedding
A throng of homeless families sleeping on the street
A hungry infant crying in the arms of a helpless mother
Children scavenging in the dumps for leftover
What a contrast from a big, decadent Pakistani Wedding


I stopped to speak with a vagabond
His face creased by harshness of the sun
His hands bruised by the heavy weight of life
His eyes showed a longing for life and sadness for the loss
An old man who once dreamed of better days
But let down by the rich so immersed in their celebration
And numb to the suffering of their countrymen
And a government that nurtures the rich and forgets the vulnerable
What a contrast from a big, decadent Pakistani Wedding


That night I tossed and turned
Thinking about the exuberance of the decadent wedding
And the darkness and poverty that surrounded the opulence
I wondered how many people could be fed for five thousand dollars
Those flowers adorned to massage egos for one night
Each flower could have fed a hungry family for a week
Instead the flowers will be trampled upon
And so will the hopes of those who could be helped
What a contrast from a big, decadent Pakistani Wedding


I too was dazzled by the glitter of the glamour
Wanted to have a façade of designer clothes
To fill my inner void and emptiness
In the morning, I made way to Edhi Welfare Centre**
The money I was to splash out on clothes, I donated to charity
To buy books for orphans, uniform for their new year
As I walked out of the Centre, without a single designer label
I was filled with harmony and serenity
I never felt at a big, decadent Pakistani Wedding