To find the Ambani wedding distasteful

[Soonenough]

I know everyone can do what they like , it's their money . But such an extravagant event in a place where a large proportion of the population live in slum conditions is rather unsettling.? Plus the bride is stunning but the groom unfortunately does not come across as an individual with a lot

of intelligence . Before I get flamed , he and his family are encouraging the public to view them and I guess are expecting admiration.

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!)

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.

@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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

@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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

@Grammarnut

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

What about closing public roads for a coronation street party?
Or a cycle race?

if two people asked closed your street and paid an official to do so would it be the same as 200 people in your street asking to close the street for a party and no money being given to officials?

Clearly it's not the same if many people want their road closed for a specific purpose. A street party for the coronation, or a cycle race which hundreds are going to watch are both occasions when most would agree a road can be closed for an afternoon. However, when zil lanes were put in during the Londone Olympics most Londoners objected, pointing out that Olympic officials etc could use the tube, and - if I remember correctly - the lanes were not strictly enforced. How many roads were closed and for how many days was it done for the PRIVATE Ambani wedding?

No, it was necessary. The head of state must be inaugurated and the UK still practices coronation, making kingship and sovereignty sacred things as well as political matters. That is part of the integrity of the UK itself. And it was 100 M, not hundreds of millions btw, which is why I said it seemed admirably economical.

Economical 😂

Crossing fingers, like many Brits, for a future Monarch who rejects such frivolities.

For many, the Royals aren't 'essential' or 'sacred', never mind the OTT parades and ceremonies that occur in their honour.

Exactly

a private event and affect many public place

@HucklefinBerry - at no point did I ever claim the wedding caused monsoon flooding - ffs. Why not try reading the content of people’s posts, rather than misinterpreting them, or reading other people’s deliberate misinterpretations, instead? I have explained exactly what I meant by worsened several times now and the word worsened has at no point in history ever meant “caused,” in any event. Yea, it would have been more clear to specify that it worsened the effects of the monsoon flooding, but the flooding was never the point of the post, which was pointing out that the wedding was not as uncontroversial in India as some were trying to claim.

So, why not try engaging instead with the substance of the posts made, rather than avoiding that so as to comment on the meaning of the word “worsened,” which is utterly irrelevant to the substance of the argument made, and if anything at all simply goes to show that you are one of the many who would fail a comprehension test.

So, here we go again… Are the Ambanis a private family or holding themselves out as something more than that? Should it be of no concern to anyone that a private family can persuade the government to redesignate an airport an international airport simply to facilitate their pre-wedding celebrations? Is it of no concern that for several days, important roads in Mumbai should be closed for the majority of the day, during heavy monsoon rains, just for one private wedding? Is it of no concern how many government contracts are awarded to Ambani businesses? Is it of no concern that income inequality in India is now greater than it was during the British Raj? Is there “nothing to see here” that some people are describing Indian billionnaires as the new maharajas of India - and people are even comparing the Ambani wedding to events relating to the British royal family? Is there not some confusion here between public and private and very clear evidence of the connection between extreme wealth and political influence so great it begins to look like real and very undemocratic power?

How about responding to that, rather than pretending that the meaning of “worsened” is desperately important to everyone’s comprehension of the above? Why not read some of the articles I have linked?
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/mumbai-traffic-restrictions-for-anant-ambani-radhika-merchant-wedding-spark-outrage-101720255902005.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87repz4yx8o

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5x22w0xl0o

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

@marcopront - yes, I understand the difference. Do you understand the difference between “worsening” and “caused”? And do you understand the difference between engaging with the substance of an argument and focusing obsessively on something that is irrelevant to the original point made (that many people in Mumbai may well have preferred the wedding to have taken place elsewhere - which would be the case whether the wedding miraculously managed to cause flooding, worsened the flooding, or worsened the impact of the flooding)?

@Walkaround

Please do not tell me what I can and cannot discuss.

Words matter.

If worsening is not related to cause then what do you mean by "worsening the effects". You can't have it both ways.

I am not denying there were problems but I have talked about this with people in Mumbai and they have a different opinion to you. I trust them more.

@Walkaround

Is it of no concern that for several days, important roads in Mumbai should be closed for the majority of the day, during heavy monsoon rains, just for one private wedding?

Since when have roads in BKC been important roads?

@marcopront - care to engage in the substance of the points I have made several times on this thread? As set out in my post to @HucklefinBerry?

As for important roads - if closing them worsens the impact of monsoon flooding, they are obviously important. Besides which, I doubt such a wealthy family would choose to hold their wedding somewhere they deemed unimportant and out of the way 😂. And, tbh, I do find more credibility in the reporting of the BBC, Time Magazine, Reuters and The Hindustan Times than I do in the reporting of a total stranger on the internet who has spoken to a few of their friends in Mumbai.
Also, why did the Mumbai police describe the wedding as a public event?