Launched in 1936, Jea Band, touted to be the oldest brass wedding band 
in the country, has been featured in Bollywood flicks such as Love
     
The average spend on a baaraat has gone up ten times
    
     
      Aaj Kaal and Band Baaja Baaraat. But the baaraat is no longer 
simply a horse; fluorescent lights buzzing like flies, and a cacophony 
of sound. Today it features exotic cars to ferry the groom, a zoo of 
animals accompanying him and imported instruments that could put an 
orchestra to shame.
     


     
      According to Anil Thadani of Jea Band, the average spend on a 
baaraat has gone up 10 times in the last five years, as has the size of 
the baaraat. “First people wanted horses, then they wanted fancy horse 
carriages, then they wanted themed buggies to go with the fancy horse 
carriage. We had to change uniforms, add umbrellas, and get new 
instruments. For a Japanese-style baaraat, we imported kimonos from 
Japan. Another baaraat featured pole dancers. Budgets have increased and
 there is a whole new standard of lavishness. The band, baaja, baaraat 
as we know it, is fast changing, I am curious to see what form it will 
take.”
     
    
No comments:
Post a Comment