It was Mr. Sharma’s daughter’s wedding in the city, and the invitation card alone was enough to make headlines. It was so heavy that the postman had to ring the doorbell twice just to catch his breath. Printed in bold golden letters were promises like: “Grand Welcome, Royal Arrangements, A Memorable Celebration.” The entire neighborhood was convinced that this wedding would look nothing less than a scene from a royal palace.
Mr. Sharma, too, spared no effort in building anticipation. Whoever he met was treated to detailed descriptions of the grand procession—live band, decorated horse, fireworks, showers of flowers, and special VIP guests. People assumed traffic jams were inevitable. The children even planned to count the number of luxury cars in the procession.
Finally, the big day arrived. Huge posters at the entrance read: “Royal Wedding Celebration.” The neighbors arrived early, dressed in their finest clothes, eagerly watching the road. Soon, a small cloud of dust appeared in the distance. Everyone straightened up, assuming the grand convoy was approaching.
But what emerged from the dust was… a small minibus. From it stepped exactly twelve wedding guests. There was no decorated horse in sight. The groom himself climbed down from the front passenger seat, busy adjusting his phone. Instead of a live band, someone simply played a song on their mobile. As for fireworks, two half-burnt sparklers struggled to light up the sky.
Whispers began spreading through the crowd. “Such a grand announcement, and this is it?” Mr. Sharma, however, kept smiling confidently and said, “Please focus on quality, not quantity.” Meanwhile, the guests were in high spirits—filling their plates generously with paneer curry and four gulab jamuns each, even asking cheerfully, “Is takeaway available?”
Though the crowd was small, the food was delicious. The wedding hall looked a bit empty, but the atmosphere was relaxed and genuinely joyful. The groom’s uncle proudly declared, “We believe in simplicity.”
The next day, the neighborhood buzzed with amused comments about the “big name, little show.” Yet everyone agreed that although the wedding was smaller than expected, it was truly enjoyable. From then on, people understood that just because the banner is grand doesn’t mean the event will be larger than life.
RAJEEV VERMA 