'Wedding of the century': What does Mukesh Ambani want to prove by such extravaganza?

By NS Venkataraman*

Mukesh Ambani, a renowned Indian industrialist who is said to be the richest person in India and one of the richest persons in the world, has just now conducted the wedding celebration of his son in Mumbai, with unheard level of lavishness in India.

It appears that a few million dollars of money must have been spent in conducting this wedding, which was attended by past Prime Ministers and Presidents from different countries, CEOs of several multinational organisations, popular film stars and sports persons and of course, lawyers, politicians and journalists.

It is further said that Mukesh Amabani sent separate aircrafts to different destinations to bring these so-called VIPs (very important persons), lodged them in leading hotels in lavish style. The event was widely publicized in print and visual media in India and a few other countries. Several media called this wedding as the wedding of the century, whatever it may mean.

There is no doubt that Mukesh Ambani has earned several millions of dollars of income by hard work, sustained and intelligent investment and promoted large scale projects in multiple fields with dynamic management practices. All credit can be given to him for such achievements.

But, is there not a sign of vulgarity and exhibition of enormous ego in conducting such lavish wedding celebrations? What does Mukesh Ambani want to prove by such extravaganza? In throwing away money by conducting such luxurious wedding celebration, is he not aware that many people may suspect his mental state and thought process, which does not certainly reflect any level of thinking at a higher level?

India is a country with 1,400 million people, of which 15% of the population still live below poverty line and around 40% of the population are just above the border line of poverty level. Has Mukesh Ambani thought about these people in his “hour of glory”? By wasting his wealth in such luxurious wedding function, he has lost the opportunity to use this money for helping the cause of the poor and downtrodden, who constitute lakhs of people in India.

In throwing away money by conducting luxurious wedding celebration, isn't he aware, many people may suspect his mental state?

By spending for the benefit of poor people, while celebrating the marriage in simple style, instead of throwing money in wasteful wedding exercise, Mukesh Ambani and the young couple would have received the blessings of millions of people, which will stand him and his family in good stead in future. Such blessing are far more significant and important than the praise and admiration that Mukesh Ambani received from his rich guests.

Just like days follow night, the wedding celebration of three days would also go away, leaving only bitter thoughts and frustration in the mind of the poor people in India, who would inevitably ponder about the state of their life with the life style of the rich and affluent people. Such unacceptable exhibition of wealth would only create a sense of anger towards rich people amongst those who have to fight for square meal a day.

It is inevitable that in the mind of deprived of people and discerning observers, there would be development of feelings of contempt for Mukesh Ambani’s style and for the similar style of other rich people too.

Human life is essentially a time passing exercise and people with noble thoughts would not believe in such ego centric actions.

Money is noble when spent for good cause. Money becomes evil and even vulgar when thrown away for ego centric actions.

This above conclusion is not only applicable to Mukesh Ambani but to several other ego centric wealthy persons and families and politicians who could be gathering curses rather than blessings by celebrating lavish marriages which become an eyesore for the discerning people and those facing poverty conditions.

---

*Trustee, Nandini Voice For The Deprived, Chennai

Comments

King Corona and his descendents: How long will the Dynasty last?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* “Corona ” is in the media once again, precipitating a déjà-vu feeling and some amount of panic among the people. Among viruses and microorganisms King Corona and its descendents enjoy Royalty Status. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This classic quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is well known. But does it hold well in current times? The events during the past five years challenge the Bard's view.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement: Why India should reconsider its stance

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* For more than the past three years, the WHO has been trying its best to push the Pandemic Treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations in unholy haste, instead of conducting a proper appraisal of the impact of the measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic—a routine exercise after any pandemic to guide future strategies. This raises questions about whether the WHO, under China’s influence, is trying to conceal its acts of omission and commission during the pandemic, including obstructing investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The WHO recently faced a setback when the USA decided to cut all ties with the organization.

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

By Gajanan Khergamker The recent Indian military strikes on Pakistan, dubbed Operation Sindoor, have sparked a storm of international media coverage. Several prominent outlets have portrayed India as the aggressor in the escalating conflict, raising concerns over biased reporting. This commentary critiques coverage by foreign media outlets such as The New York Times , Reuters, BBC, and CNN, which have often been accused of framing India’s actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting critical context regarding Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism. By examining historical patterns and current geopolitical dynamics, this analysis highlights the recurring selective framing, omission of evidence, and a tendency to favor narratives aligned with Western geopolitical interests over factual nuance.

India’s 2021 excess deaths: was it the virus — or the containment frenzy?

By Bhaskaran Raman* Tyagu (name changed), a vegetable vendor recalls of his brother’s death in 2021. The victim had a normal fever, but was forcibly taken away to the hospital saying that it was Covid. He had been coerced into taking the Covid-19 “vaccines” by that time. After 10 days in hospital, he died. There was no proper information during his hospital stay, and no one was allowed to visit, saying that visitors could also get Covid.

Killed in Chhattisgarh encounter, this Maoist leader suffered from overreliance on military actions

By Harsh Thakor* Namballa Keshava Rao, also known as Basav Raj, General Secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter in which 27 Maoist cadre died during a security operation in the Abujhmad forest, Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, on the morning of May 21. This marks the first time in the history of the CPI (Maoist) that its General Secretary has been killed in an encounter. Rao is the second General Secretary after Charu Mazumdar to be killed by security forces.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

By Rajiv Shah A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

Crying air, water, and earth: A call to conserve our dying natural resources

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Air, water, and earth—these natural resources are essential for the survival of all living beings, including humans, animals, and plants. Life in any form is impossible without them. These are precious gifts of nature to humankind. However, in the pursuit of economic growth, modern humans have severely polluted these valuable resources in an attempt to satisfy their greed.

Ninety years of the socialist movement in India: What's the path head

By Dr. Sunilam* We are all aware of what the leaders active in the socialist movement have accomplished over the past 90 years. We are also well-acquainted with the sacrifices made by leaders and workers during the freedom struggle and the socialist movement. For the past 45 years, since I became interested in joining the socialist movement as an activist, I have been keen on understanding and analyzing its history. Inspired by 101-year-old freedom fighter Dr. G.G. Parikh and in collaboration with comrades from the Socialist Samagam, I have actively participated in organizing events to mark the 82nd, 85th, and now the 90th anniversaries of the socialist movement.

Search This Blog