Saturation coverage of major events has become the norm in India as hundreds of TV news networks battle for viewers. And, when the coverage revolves around a wedding, we need to prepare ourselves for even more frenzied flogging of the horse.
All this week, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has been making news after declaring her love for Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and announcing that a wedding will take place within a few weeks. Mirza, one of India’s most prominent sports personalities, is used to living under the media gaze, be it her broken engagement with her Hyderabad-based childhood friend, her irreverent dress sense or her no holds barred statements.
But, I have a feeling even she doesn’t know what she’s in for this time. After all, an Indian who has won numerous laurels for her country is getting married to someone from one of our ‘arch rival’ in sports, Pakistan. Some Hindu activists have decried her choice of spouse, wondering why she couldn’t find an Indian Muslim to marry. There are others who want to know whether she’ll continue to play for India, and if she’ll be able to ‘truly’ root for her country when India and Pakistan clash on the cricket field. And, of course, there are countless others who want to know where they’ll live (the couple have said they have chosen Dubai to set up their marital home), what she will wear, who all will attend the wedding etc etc.
They needn’t worry. With our news networks on the chase, every little detail is bound to be relayed to us ad nauseam. A big fat Indian wedding gets so much attention. Undoubtedly, though, an Indo-Pakistani wedding will make even the response to what’s gone before seem tepid in comparison.