Matrimania: The changing face of India’s weddings

Matrimania: The changing face of India’s weddings Mahesh Shantaram The Bangalore photographer Mahesh Shantaram captured the shifts unfolding in Indian marriage celebrations. Mahesh Shantaram Chariot, Jalandhar, PB, 2013 “Every wedding is the greatest day of somebody’s lives, and they’re offering to share that with the rest of the world,” Shantaram tells BBC Culture. But none of the humorous observations that could be made at weddings – none of the excitement and energy – was captured, because wedding photographers thought they had a list of things that they needed to photograph.” Mahesh Shantaram Sangeet I, Mumbai, MH, 2009 “Everyone’s wedding photography was exactly the same, including my own – my wife and I simply rejected our wedding album, because it didn’t capture the moments that we remembered, and we didn’t want to remember these so-called moments that were in the book. My book is also a wedding album, but it’s made with a different purpose in mind.” Mahesh Shantaram Bride with bouncers, Bangalore, KA, 2012 It’s also a reflection of wider Indian society. “Matrimania is full of symbolism – you can see symbols of the class and caste divide, who’s working and who are they working for, who’s being served, and how each one knows their status and role in society.” Mahesh Shantaram Bandwallahs, Deogarh, JH, 2015 Parr gave him some advice when he first started working on the project.