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Glorious Past, Uncertain Future: The Indian Wedding Band!

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Glorious Past, Uncertain Future: The Indian Wedding Band!

The custom of hiring an Indian wedding band Baja (Baja loosely translates to a musical instrument) for nuptials began in the 19th century. Indians were inspired by British customs in all facets of life, which led to the development of this trend. As colonization spread, Indians started to adopt numerous wedding-related customs, including the reception and even the printing of invitation cards.


Interestingly, to impress the locals, the British soldiers brought marching brass bands to India and used to hire a singer for a party.


Sadly, renting a wedding band isn't longer a popular choice. The sustainability of this occupation has dramatically decreased as a result of the rise of experienced DJs and shifting tastes in music and rituals.  


The Indian wedding band is rapidly vanishing for several reasons


  1. In North India, the "baraat," or groom's wedding procession, includes a marching Indian wedding band. This is not regarded as a religious ceremony but rather as a festive celebration. Celebratory occasions are subject to change based on current notions and trends. In the same manner that IPL cheerleaders lost favor but umpires are still in demand!
  2. Musicians in an Indian wedding band are typically from nearby villages. They only visit the city even during wedding season to earn some money before returning to their villages. Each member of the band earns between 500 and 600 rupees every wedding and views this as a means to increase their income. Because this isn't a serious career, like booking singers for concerts the band members don't place a lot of importance on the music's quality.
  3. The band musicians receive no respect and are primarily selected from the poorer classes of Indian society. In a wedding procession, their presence is utterly disregarded! They play loud Bollywood songs on their instruments and then wait for the groom's party to form, which is loud enough for intoxicated members of the groom's/family bride to dance wildly, and they return to their claustrophobic temporary homes extremely late at night.
  4. The practice of engaging wedding bands has been challenged by the rise of more "sophisticated" musical tastes and the popularity of employing top DJs. To reduce wedding costs, a growing number of families are performing their songs from flash drives. Wedding band providers are also expanding their services to include additional things like hiring out colorful parasols for processions and ponies for the bridegroom to ride. The band themselves are becoming less significant.


A photographer's fantasy is the Indian wedding Band


We frequently notice the intriguing tendency that a falling trend is likely the only one to obtain notoriety through photography. For instance, there has been a surge in enthusiasm from filmmakers as well as photographers for the traditional "truck art," which is fading.

This is also true of the threatened Indian wedding band. Any remaining Indian wedding band is a photographer's fantasy with all the color and grandeur placed against harsh working conditions and which is why we should all encourage band booking for marriage.

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