Family Cooks 365 Dishes for Son-In-Law on Sakrant. Why Do Indian Parents Pamper Damaads?

Family Cooks 365 Dishes for Son In Law: It is a well-established fact in India that sons-in-law are glorified and pampered by the girls' parents across most households in the country. But what a family in Narsapuram of west Godavari did to honour their future son-in-law during the festival of Bhogi- Sankranti-Kanuma is unthinkable.

As a custom, the family invited their future son-in-law to the harvest festival being celebrated at their place. Next, they prepared a royal feast of 365 items for him which consisted of 30 different varieties of curries, rice, biryani, pulihora, 100 different types of traditional and modern sweets, 15 different types of ice creams, pastries, cake, hot and cold beverages and fruits, as per a report.

In 2020, a woman from Andhra Pradesh had become an instantaneous internet sensation after she cooked a sumptuous five-course meal for her son-in-law. The humongous 67-item feast comprised a welcome drink, starters, chaat, main course, desserts and a number of pickles and pachadis to accompany the meal for him.

The question we must ask here is whether such lavish customs are relevant in today's times? Why are sons-in-law placed on a pedestal in most of the household? One would argue that it is a way to welcome the son-in-law in the new family but then have we ever seen a family organising a grand feast for their future daughter-in-law? Why does a person get special attention just because of his gender? When will we dismantle such patriarchal customs? Besides this, how do you think it is possible for the son-in-law to eat the royal feast of 365 items? Where does the leftover food go? We have no answers to these questions.

A lot of Indian families believe their daughter's happiness relies on how well the son-in-law is treated by their in-laws. And so, he is pampered at every occasion possible which leads to unnecessary glorification of the son-in-law. But isn't that a very toxic arrangement to put your daughter into in the first place? And think about the women of the house who have spent countless hours preparing those dishes in the kitchen for just one custom. Will she get praised for the hard work she did? Aren't we reinforcing the stereotype that women must cook to gratify men?

It is time to question these norms and treat everyone equally. Relationships are built on love, respect, compassion and empathy and not by glorifying certain people due to their gender and by treating them lavishly.

Suggested Reading : Woman Cooks 67-Item Meal For Son-In-Law! Is Damaad Pampering Justified?