Srinagar, April 25 -- ByDr. Rameez Ahmad

Modern weddings in Kashmir increasingly resemble public exhibitions where families compete through spending, decoration and spectacle.

Banquet halls overflow with excess, designer outfits appear for a single evening, and wazwan feasts grow larger with every season.

Gold, furniture, electronics and expensive gifts pass through the ceremony as silent social requirements. Every event sends the same message: social standing must remain visible.

Many families simply cannot keep pace.

A painful social crisis now sits behind the glitter of wedding culture. Hundreds of young women remain unmarried because their families lack the money required to satisfy rising expectations. Education, character and c...