[drmohitg]

So the wedding season has returned to the city and so has the time to stay inside your house or consider buying a Helicopter. How legal is it to carry these stupid celebrations on the Public roads for hours? Most such processions block the whole road, people start dancing like they are possessed, someother over enthusiastic relative starts firing crackers in all directions and so on. Who suffers as a result of this? The commuter. You waste a lot of time stuck in the resulting chaos, get irritated with all the honking and everyone trying to make it to the other side of the procession and all that fuel burnt in vain. Why should I be inconvenienced and made to burn fuel worth 10Rs also?
How legal are these processions? Can't the Police do anything regarding this?

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

So the wedding season has returned to the city and so has the time to stay inside your house or consider buying a Helicopter.
How legal are these processions? Can't the Police do anything regarding this?

Mohit, We live in India and all these are a part and parcel of our rich culture, These processions dont last that long to disturb our daily routine, There is no INDIA without such processions and festivities

As they say in Karnataka ""Swalpa Adjust maadi"" ( please adjust a little )

[mayankk]

While I wont say that I enjoy getting stuck in these processions, it really doesnt anger or irritate me as much.
They can be seen from SO far away, that when I have been in a hurry, I detour.
Otherwise, its kinda fun, passing next to a bunch of dancing, happy people, and the smiling knowingly at the dulha, knowing the amount of Ocular pain he is going to be put through soon on the dais.(I mean the flash bulbs.)

[carwatcher]

All I can say that though I see nothing wrong with the intentions behind Holi, Diwali and other celebrations (read marriage processions or Baaraat) which are now being questioned by everyone, it is the "manner" in which they are being celebrated is questionable. But think deeper, we Indians are known for not following the rules, mixing each and everything with show of power, status and there exactly lies the problem.
The newer generations are questioning each and every beliefs of previous ones and as the previous generation is not coming up with the proper answers, those symbols are bound to be destroyed.

[alpha1]

" शोर न मचाया तो मज़ा नही आया "
(= you won't enjoy it, unless you make noise)

is the Indian way of doing things.


Haven't you seen the advertisement?



Strictly speaking all these processions are ILLEGAL unless they get the permission from the Commissioner of Police. But our police is the greatest police in the whole world. Most helpless, lackadaisical, but always ready to prey upon the helpless common man.
(Kind of reminds me of scavengers in the wild)

Do you expect them to curb all these menace?

[anoopap]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Can't the Police do anything regarding this?

For police to take action, public support is required. If you can pull up a mob with size equal to the one dancing, you have a say in the matter. Else take another road and head off.
One more way: join the party, have a dance, enjoy; and then take your vehicle once the crowd moves on.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Most helpless, lackadaisical, but always ready to prey upon the helpless common man.

This is indeed one of the ways how common man enjoys.

[drmohitg]

Many times its not possible to take a detour. The post resulted since Yesterday I wasted half an hour stuck in real bad traffic because of one such procession. Ended up converting a relaxing fun filled dinner outing with family into a stressful experience which saw us spend 3 hours before we reached back. By the time we reached the Restaurant all of us were grumbling. Moreover with everyone trying to squeeze into the other side of the road 2 bikers grazed my new car which further enraged me. Best part is the baraat was accompanied by a whole contingent of beacon blazing cars. So yes the groom did showcase all his might at the commoners expense.
Makes me wonder if its finally time to get a beacon in all my cars too. Illegal for sure but perhaps the best solution since without it no one bothers about your existence and rights...

[Irish]

Why marriage processions only?

Since we live in a free democratic India, everybody has a right to protest and take processions on roads. Nobody cares about the disturbance created to others.

There are lot many other processions also:

• Religious Processions
• Employees processions (strike in office and traffic jam on roads)
• Public Processions
  • Citizens(against corruption / civic amenities)
  • Farmers (land compensation, reserve price / export ban for Wheat, Rice, Sugar, Sugarcane, Potato, Onion and can be any item which may come to our mind)
  • Milk vendors
  • Teachers
  • Doctors
  • Lawyers etc. etc.
• The Last Journey to the cremation ground (if he / she was influential)

Government / Police can't do anything so easily where there is a lot of gathering. They take every step with care especially during religious processions.

Therefore, we shall discuss - How to enjoy such processions when stuck in traffic jam?

For example, one is stuck in a jam due to marriage, he / she can move his / her body (upper half only) on the dhol beats. Imagine his / her own marriage day and just smile. I think this is the best way to keep your cool and enjoy the moment.

PS: Once I was driving, a friend of mine got off the car, when stuck in a traffic jam, went inside the barat and danced with the relatives of the bridegroom and came back when traffic started moving.

Cheers!
Irish

[srishiva]

I agree its a menace to the vehicles. But I think there is something Indian about all these things which makes it unique

[ani_meher]

It is a menace, but much less so than when our great politician decide to take a stroll in the city at peak hours. While passing any wedding ceremony, I actually smile thinking this is perhaps the greatest day of the bride n groom's life. We can adjust a few minutes for accommodating!

[sgiitk]

I cannot be at all sympathetic to these senseless jokers (what I feel like will definitely be unparliamentary). I would suggest the Kolkata solution - ban all wedding processions from public roads. However, I will not like the Bengal option - morchas every week!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

It is a menace, but much less so than when our great politician decide to take a stroll in the city at peak hours. While passing any wedding ceremony, I actually smile thinking this is perhaps the greatest day of the bride n groom's life. We can adjust a few minutes for accommodating!

But isn't that rally almost as important to the politician also? I find it sad that we are ready to accommodate a wedding procession since some day it will be repeated by us too. But we would criticize the jam caused due to a political event because we know that we would never be doing that.

I sincerely feel any procession be banned on our roads whether it is a wedding or religious or political. I have heard that similar wedding processions are banned in Kolkata ( do not know true is it). Also I never saw something similar on Bangalore roads ( maybe because people there tend to show off less perhaps). But yes you are right in saying that it makes our country and culture unique. No two ways about the Big fat Indian wedding!

[madnish30]

Well, it all depends on how it's conducted and if it really causes chaos at a level enough to be a issue for many. Most processions are in the interior bylane in residential colonies, never seen any on main roads - say something like a 3-4 lane road.

Most of them are a jolly group of people having fun, we should take a deep breath and enjoy the moment! As if honking will force them to call of the wedding.

The thing that irks the most on the other hand is, especially in Delhi - when people put huge fancy tents outside their house blocking the entire lane of that block... That is absolutely insane and encroachment of public property! You can't just hold an entire lane to ransom for the sake of saving costs of a function, book a hall for god's sake!

But, then as mentioned - we can't help this much, it is one of the most important day for some of those involved - for the sake of humanity, we should hold back the temper and smile!

[Sheel]

Processions move, you can take a detour, but road-blocks???

This December I was driving down with my dad and there was a road-block for ~4 hours. Had it been in summers, either we would be forced to run the A/C (poor Car) or go back all the way (the jam had lasted for over 10kms) to a dhaba/restaurant. There was no detour (home was closer than the closest detour available)

Road-blocks should be dealt firmly with, after all, what has the poor commoner commuter done?

[racer_m]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

So the wedding season has returned to the city and so has the time to stay inside your house or consider buying a Helicopter. How legal is it to carry these stupid celebrations on the Public roads for hours? Most such processions block the whole road, people start dancing like they are possessed, someother over enthusiastic relative starts firing crackers in all directions and so on. Who suffers as a result of this? The commuter. You waste a lot of time stuck in the resulting chaos, get irritated with all the honking and everyone trying to make it to the other side of the procession and all that fuel burnt in vain. Why should I be inconvenienced and made to burn fuel worth 10Rs also?
How legal are these processions? Can't the Police do anything regarding this?

I very much agree with this BIG issue. As it is, there are traffic issues in all major cities and these only create additional headache and heartburns. I'm talking about ILLEGAL processions, and not the planned ones.
Has anyone thought about this:
1. Medical/emergency services being affected. Somebody could be losing their life or a house being burned down, all due to some idiots celebrating on public roads.
2. somebody losing their train/bus/flight or important meeting/interview.
3. litter/leftovers/road spills on the public roads leading to more accidents and hazards