Money... Let the rich spend

In March 2011, Delhi businessman and Congress MP Kanwar Singh Tanwar created a record of sorts of 'The Most Expensive Indian Wedding' by spending a colossal  250 crore on his son's wedding. The big, fat Indian wedding was attended by more than 15,000 guests and  included performances by Bollywood actors. More than a thousand staff served over 100 delicacies including more than 30 different types of kulfis. Presents for wedding guests included an expensive shawl, safari suit,  2,100 in cash and a silver coin each. The groom arrived in a top range BMW, and was gifted a Bell 429 helicopter, valued at more than Rs 29 crore, as a wedding gift along with not one but two private jets.

Similar weddings, to name a few, include the wedding of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal's daughter Vanisha, at the Palace of Versailles costing  220 crore; Socialite Kajal Fabiani's marriage with Gaurav Assomull, the CEO of luxury purveyor Marigold Group, enjoyed their royal rituals in Monaco at a total cost of 44 crore; The wedding of GVK Group's GV Krishna Reddy's granddaughter Mallika with Siddharth, son of Indu Group's Indukuri Syam Prasad Reddy costing hundreds of crores attended by top bollywood stars.

Or for that matter, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati's fad for building memorials and parks with umpteen statues of Dalit icons and elephants at a cost of a grand 7000 crore...

How do we feel when we hear or read the ostentatious show of money like this? Well, almost all of us get totally disgusted with it. We get feeling of outrage, repulsion, detestation, abhorrence, repugnance... (Just used the thesaurus to write a few synonyms of the same word to make my point)

Now I would like to give you a thought to ponder. If the money would not have been spent as above, what would have happened to it? Either it would have been stuffed in mattresses or thick iron-walled safes or worst would have found its way into the good old swiss banks. Right?

But what happened instead? The tens of thousands of crores of rupees found its way to marriage organisers, tent-wallas, caterers, artisans, waiters, set designers, cooks, craftsmen, mehndi artists, performers, gardeners, cleaners, security guards and every other professional who is directly or indirectly involved in a marriage or making of a park.

And then, let's not forget the multiplicative factor of money that flows in the economy. This money will in turn get spent so as to trickle down to the lowest socio-economic levels thereby reducing powerty or get deposited in banks which in turn dole out loans to help grow businesses & infrastructure to in-turn develop the country.

Isn't that just wonderful? Fact is, the rich are going to make money whether anyone likes it or not. So it actually makes sense for them to spend it, even if it is to show-off. Also, irrespective of one's richness, how much can you expect anyone to spend on basic needs? Even if one decides to import food or buy designer clothes or get water bottled at Gangotri, it is just not possible to spend the money that the Richie Rich earn.

Let us not criticize, condemn, censure or denounce... (God, this thesaurus is too good) Instead let's all stand up and applaud whenever any politician, royalty, businessman or nouveau riche pulls out his stash and spends it on grand marriages or making lavish park. It is definitely for the better...