To find the Ambani wedding distasteful

No you're not being naive.
A lot of people got money from this.

At least it is some of the wealth distributed from an obscenely wealthy family to many suppliers. Or am I being hopelessly naive?

It was in no way 'necessary' to be so indulgent as to blow hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer money, especially during a period when so many are struggling. I really don't care if Royal engagements make us look 'cheap' to the World.

Pomp & ceremony is not essential, the same as ridiculously extravagant weddings.

Closing public roads for a private wedding is a bit thick. What gave them the right to do that?

They mean the British RF and have no understanding of how it works, I think.

The coronation was necessary and not the sort of thing you want to look cheapskate. The head of state was crowned and dedicated to God, along with his consort. I didn't complain about it - seemed economically done. How much does it cost for the inauguration of a POTUS? And that happens every 4 years. The coronation was the first in 70 years.

@Walkaround

People living in the city have complained that road closures have worsened traffic problems caused by monsoon flooding, while others have questioned the ostentatious display of wealth.”
This is not saying the wedding caused monsoon flooding ffs.

It's saying the wedding caused more road closures.

The road closures worsened traffic problems that were already bad due to monsoon flooding.

Not that the wedding caused monsoon flooding.

This inability to differentiate is why people do poorly in comprehension tests.

Surely you are not expecting Heads of State inviting other Heads of State and opening up the country for a mini tourist boom to fund security privately?

And of course celebrities are private individuals and do pay for their own weddings.

But neither for months on end and across multiple countries.

Princess Sheikha Mehra of Dubai has divorced her husband after commenting on his "other companions"

The Princess made a point but she hasn’t divorced him. She can’t unless she goes to court and the judges grant her a divorce. The husband is the one who divorces a wife using I divorce thee x3.

The Princess is a class act and she has made millions of women laugh, as well as very happy.

Those who can suspend bias and see why this wedding is case study in soft power and compared to royal wedding and South Korean culture

Watch this 25min video...

Was the Ambani Wedding a Genius strategy or just a Show of Extravagance? : Marketing Case study

PS skip the sponsor msg in the middle.

250 million's worth?!

Nope.

Not even the bloody coronation cost that much, and yes, many of us complained about how indulgent that was at a time when ,any families were struggling to feed their kids.

Spending that much on a wedding is disgusting in my eyes, no matter where you're from AND regardless of race!!

The bloody cheek on you, honestly.

@Walkaround

The roads being closed for the wedding did not worsen the monsoon flooding they worsened the impact of the monsoon flooding.
Do you really not understand the difference?

Your article shows that yes there were some people who complained. The people commenting on the X feed were probably middle class though.
I am not denying some people had a problem but none of the people I have spoken to had a problem.
We don't know what your sample size is.

They are being held to the same standards as the minority ethnic group on the planet (that's white Caucasians) and were specifically compared to e.g. the British Royal Family, whose weddings, funerals, coronations etc are a matter of public display from a family which is accountable to the people who watch/see in contrast to the private wealth being used (perfectly properly, it's their money) by the Ambani family who, whatever their charitable activities, have no accountability to anyone for the wealth and power they are displaying. I would feel exactly the same at an extravaganza by a powerful CEO of a multi-national, he is exhibiting his power, while he has no accountability to the people filling the coffers of the multi-national for his power or how he exercises it. The British RF are accountable to the people of the UK, and behave in a way that shows they know this.

I think that whilst you probably started this thread after scrolling through social media and feeling a bit uncomfortable at what you saw and nothing more, what many who disagree with you are trying to say is maybe challenge your thoughts and ideas.

Sadly this thread has turned into some of the horrible parts of social media

1. body shaming (the groom has been ridiculed for the way he looks)
2. judging of women (she is only marrying him for his money)
3. racism - only this event has been called out despite many linking to other (white) events that are also over the top displays of wealth
4. Ignorance - you seem to think that India has a specific obligation to deal with poverty over and above any other country. The poverty in the UK is appalling and getting worse. We are a “developed nation” and yet we have children starving and working people relying on food banks. Yet you won’t hear of any comparisons with the wealthy in the UK and holding them responsible (see point 3!)

It is actually more than normal for weddings to cause chaos with traffic! I’ve been to lots of weddings (in India) and parades down main roads to the venues is perfectly normal. Sometimes the roads are closed sometimes they aren’t.

https://time.com/6961171/india-british-rule-income-inequality/

@marcopront I did not say the wedding caused monsoon flooding… I said it worsened it - and if I were forced to go through flooded roads because unflooded ones had been closed off for a wedding, I would most certainly as a result perceive this as the wedding making the flooding worse, because the more people forced into it, the worse the flooding is.

In return, I like the way you said “The news reports say
The wedding happened
Monsoon flooding happened

Please share a link to the one saying they are related.”

And then when given several examples of news outlets that do just that, you failed to acknowledge it and instead said that you had no trouble driving through Mumbai on Thursday.

This is from an Indian source, since you prefer that, which is fair enough:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/mumbai-traffic-restrictions-for-anant-ambani-radhika-merchant-wedding-spark-outrage-101720255902005.html

And this BBC report highlights why many are concerned about the excesses of a tiny global elite, of which the Ambani family are one:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87repz4yx8o

@Walkaround

Firstly I like the way you completely ignore the fact you wrongly said the wedding caused monsoon flooding.

Secondly I would have more faith in an article from the Times of India than one from western press.

Of course there are people who have complained but my experience being in Mumbai and talking to Mumbaikers doesn't match your opinions.

@marcopront So are you saying that the BBC, Washington Post and Reuters were lying that residents of Mumbai were particularly angered by key roads being closed specifically for the wedding (quote from BBC, “Key roads in Mumbai are being sealed off for several hours a day until the festivities end on Monday”), or are you claiming that closing key roads in Mumbai for several hours a day is normal for an Indian wedding, even if this means that normal people are unable to avoid monsoon flooding as a result, thus making the effects of the flooding much worse than should be the case?

Bad things happen because good people say/do nothing.

Just sayin.

Lol. You are 4,500 miles away from a celebration of a private business family in a nation where you have no idea about its culture, precedence, history, or economic growth. And you create a thread to gather opinions about your petty thoughts. So, you think I’m getting personal?

The gap between developed and developing nations is closing, so I can understand unease within geopolitics, but why is an average Joe getting worked up?

Looks like you have an agenda. I frankly think this is bigotry and am offended by your thought process.

As far as my connection with Ambanis, they have contributed to the nation-building of my home country and made me and my loved ones money through their awesome stock market performances.

The issue is the fact the media are giving it such attention. Large groups of the media love to feature the rich, the titled, the highly paid - is it rubbing the noses of the plebs in the dirt? It certainly does not promote freedom, democracy and social improvements.

My apologies for thinking when you said "worsening monsoon flooding" you meant making the flooding worse not compounding the effects of the flooding.

There is always flooding in monsoon, there are always roads closed. Indian weddings often block roads. I travelled in South Mumbai last Thursday traffic was not worse than usual.

@marcopront Basically, if lots of roads were flooded and unflooded roads were closed for the benefit of one family’s wedding so that I could not avoid flooded roads, I would be pissed off with the wedding. Clearly many residents of Mumbai felt the same way. It’s really not hard to understand if you are not deliberately misinterpreting other people.