From Monsoon Wedding to A Suitable Boy, weddings have always been part of the pop cultural imagination of India. But between religious fundamentalism and the standardization of diverse Indian weddings, public anti-dowry activism against expensive weddings, and the growing role of the commercialized wedding celebration in diaspora life, there’s more to these events than bombast and ritual.
From Monsoon Wedding to A Suitable Boy, weddings have always been part of the pop cultural imagination of India. But between religious fundamentalism and the standardization of diverse Indian weddings, public anti-dowry activism against expensive weddings, and the growing role of the commercialized wedding celebration in diaspora life, there’s more to these events than bombast and ritual.

A meditative Buddhist and Hindu practice dating back thousands of years, the sand mandala is not simply a spiritual art: today, its influence appears from commercialized accessories to community decoration to expressions of heritage and political courage in India’s Tibetan diaspora, the largest in the world.