“They can be penalized and they can be imprisoned even if anybody violates the government order.”<br />The urge to mark weddings as lavish affairs is partly cultural, said Sonalde Desai, a sociologist at the University of Maryland<br />and the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi who studies changes in Indian families, including marriage practices.<br />“Poor people were forced to spend the money on the marriage ceremonies of their daughters and sons.”<br />Though it would appear difficult to enforce the order, which will take effect on<br />April 1, Mr. Ali said the government would issue penalties for noncompliance.<br />“During the last 20 months, we have been receiving complaints from the public<br />that rich people are spending huge amounts during the marriages,” said Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, the state minister for the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.<br />But in an effort to curb such extravagant spending, lawmakers in one Indian state have imposed<br />new regulations to limit wedding celebrations to an intimate 400 or 500 guests.<br />Under the new regulations, weddings will be capped at 400 to 500 guests<br />and organizers can serve just 14 dishes — seven vegetarian and seven nonvegetarian options.<br />On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir State issued an order that one official said was aimed at closing the gap between the rich and the poor.
