Shaadi Without Rishtas: Loneliness

Loneliness Awareness Week

There’s music and laughter. Chandeliers swing. Guests twirl in sequined lehengas to Bollywood beats. Food stalls line the venue. There’s a varmala ceremony—but no bride, no groom, no sacred vows.

Welcome to India’s newest social event: the fake shaadi party. A wedding with no rishta, no rituals, no reason—except one we’re all trying hard not to name.

Loneliness.

💔 From Living Rooms to LED Backdrops

Once upon a time, a shaadi wasn’t an event—it was an emotion. Cousins slept on mattresses pulled into crowded halls. Aunties argued over flower garlands. Sangeets were chaotic dance-offs fuelled by mithai and rivalry. Uncles organized snacks, neighbors dropped by uninvited, and someone’s dadi was always crying tears of joy.

You didn’t just attend—you belonged.

Now? We book tickets online. Scan QR codes. Rent curated outfits. Pose in front of neon signs that say “Love is Lit”—even when love is missing.

Fake weddings aren’t just absurd—they’re a satire on what Indian culture has quietly lost. We haven’t let go of ritual. We’ve let go of togetherness

🎭 Theatrical Togetherness: Performing Connection Without Commitment

Inside these parties:

- No one asks when it’s your turn to marry.

- There’s no family drama—because there’s no family.

- You laugh, you dance, you drink—but you don’t feel seen.

It’s emotional escapism, wrapped in glitter.

We used to cry when the bride left. Now, we pay ₹5,000 to attend a shaadi where nothing actually ends—because nothing ever began. Cousins are played by strangers. Vows are mimed. The dhol beats—but the heart doesn’t echo.

🪞 The Real Hunger Behind Fake Rituals

As a psychiatrist, I see this everywhere. In my clinic. In cafés. In crowds.

We are more connected than ever, yet:

- Scared to call when we’re hurting.

- Smiling through curated loneliness.

- Attending events to feel included, while feeling invisible.

Fake weddings reveal a painful truth: we don’t crave romance. We crave recognition. The messy, chaotic kind you can’t schedule or simulate. Cousin bonding. Midnight giggles. Arguments that end in hugs.

We miss being part of a collective where our existence didn’t need a justification.

🧵 From Silk Sarees to Social Silos

Let’s be clear. These events aren’t mockery. They’re grief in disguise. An attempt to recreate a joy we lost in the rush toward individualism and Insta-relevance.

What we’re mourning:

- Joint families where you were never truly alone.

- Sangeets where even the shyest uncle danced.

- Neighbors who borrowed sugar and stayed for chai.

Now, we scroll past happiness. We double-tap nostalgia. And sometimes, we pay for borrowed belonging just to remember what it felt like

🌱 An Invitation to Feel Again

This Loneliness Awareness Week, let’s name what hurts. It’s not just the absence of a rishta—it’s the absence of rituals that rooted us.

If we can create events to pretend connection, imagine the spaces we can build when we dare to seek it for real.

Let’s reimagine community—not as ticketed joy, but as open-hearted chaos. Let’s replace choreography with emotion. A selfie booth with soul talk.

Maybe it’s not about bringing back the old traditions, but keeping their essence alive: unconditional presence, emotional truth, and togetherness without agenda.

Because what we truly crave isn’t a shaadi—it’s someone who saves a seat for us when we arrive late, and remembers how we like our chai.

So Let's reconnect with our family ,bond with cousins ,bring back joy laughter love .