WEDDING IN RUSSIA
( An abridged, real-life
short story by Sudha Murthy, w/o Mr Narayan Murthy of Infosys)
A wedding is a great event in everyone’s life. In India, it
is done with a great deal of ceremony. In our films, a large number of
stories are based upon weddings. The amount of money spent sometimes
constitutes the entire life’s savings of a person. It is an occasion
where young boys get to meet young girls, old people talk of their
ailments and women exhibit their finest jewellery and silk saris.
Recently I was in Moscow, Russia. Moscow city has many war
memorials. Russia has won three great wars in its history, which are a
source of pride to them. They have built war memorials and erected
many statues of the generals who were responsible for the victories.
The first war was between Peter the Great and Sweden. The second war
was between Tsar Alexander and Napoleon of France. The third one was
against Hitler in World War-2 in 1945.
There is a huge park in Moscow, known as Peace Park. In the
middle of this Peace Park there is a large monument. There is a
pillar, and on the pillar the different battles fought by Russia have
been mentioned along with dates and places. The park has beautiful
fountains. In the summer, flowers of many colours bloom and the place
is a feast for the eyes. In the night it is decorated with lights.
Every Russian is proud of this park and it is a spot visited by all
tourists.
The day I went to the park was Sunday. It was drizzling and
cold, though it was summer. I was standing under an umbrella and
enjoying the beauty. Suddenly, my eyes fell on a young couple. It was
apparent that they had just got married. The girl was in her
mid-twenties, slim and blond hair and blue eyes. She was very
beautiful. The boy was almost the same age and very handsome. He was
in a military uniform. The bride was wearing a white satin dress,
decorated with pearls and pretty laces. It was very long so two young
girls were standing behind her holding up the ends of the gown, so it
should not be dirtied. One young boy was holding an umbrella over
their heads so that they should not get drenched. The girl was holding
a bouquet and the two were standing with their arms linked. It was a
beautiful sight. I started wondering why they had come to this park in
this rain soon after getting married. They could have surely gone to a
merrier place. I watched as they walked together to the dias near the
memorial, kept the bouquet, bowed their heads in silence and slowly
walked back.
By now I was very curious to know what was going on. There was
an old man standing with them. He looked at me, my sari and asked,
‘Are you Indian?’. I replied, ‘Yes, I am an Indian.’ Since we were
chatting quite amicably now, I decided to use the opportunity to ask
some questions.
‘ How come you know English?’
‘ Oh I worked abroad’
‘ Will you tell me why that young couple visited the war
memorial on their wedding day?’
‘ Oh, that is the custom in Russia. The wedding takes place
normally on a Saturday or a Sunday. Irrespective of the season, after
signing the register at the marriage office, married couple must visit
the important national monuments near by. Every boy in this country
has to serve in the military for a couple of years at least.
Regardless of his position, he must wear his service uniform for the
wedding.’
‘Why is that?’
‘This is a mark of gratitude. Our forefathers have given their
lives in various wars Russia has fought. Some of them we won, and some
we lost, but their sacrifice was always for the country. The newly
married couple needs to remember they are living in a peaceful,
independent Russia because of their ancestors’ sacrifices. They must
ask for their blessings. Love for the country is more important than
wedding celebrations. We elders insist on continuing with this
tradition whether it be in Moscow, St.Petersburg or any other part of
Russia. On the wedding day they have to visit the nearest war
memorial.’
This set me wondering about what we teach our children. Do we
Indians have the courtesy to remember our martyrs on the most
important day of our lives? We are busy shopping for saris, buying
jewellery and preparing elaborate menus and partying in disc--
Can we in India learn something from them?
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కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి