BOOK REVIEW: THE GREAT INDIAN TAMASHA-ADVENTURES OF A WEDDING PLANNER

 BOOK BLURB:

"Reception ho yah inflation...shaadiyaan toh honi hai.’

The band, baaja, baraat have got louder. With destination weddings, experiential events, curated guestlists gaining popularity, the wedding planner has become a permanent fixture on the shaadi scene not just as the event organiser but as the friend, philosopher, and guide to the entire khandaan.

The Great Indian Tamasha makes us realize that saying yes to the proposal is probably the easiest part. As we immerse ourselves in the chaos of the stories laced with black humour, we are exposed to the dark underbelly of the weddings of the affluent and the influential. These weddings are more than just a glamorous return to traditions or celebration of new kinship bonds; they have come to epitomize conspicuous consumption and a show of strength.

Well-known wedding planner Rasika Bhatia’s incisive portrayal of spirited brides, hesitant grooms, controlling parents, greedy in-laws, fraudulent clients, and conniving competitors aptly depicts the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the modern big, fat Indian wedding that has indeed become a tamasha."

BOOK REVIEW:

Author Rasika Bhatia is a professional wedding planner and she has shared an honest account of a life of a wedding planner in this book. I read this book because the concept sounded so interesting - adventures of a wedding planner!  So many things happen during wedding planning and there is an old saying that - if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail, but the wedding planner in the book makes sure that everything is well planned so that she is able to do justice to her profession and to her clients as well. Author Rasika explains in these 22 crazy wedding short stories that how wedding planning has been a breathtaking journey for her. These stories are hilarious, bitter, sweet, entertaining and sometimes emotional too. I absolutely loved Author's writing style, she is witty with her words. I loved knowing the author more through these stories and I really admire her for quick decision taking and counselling skills that always helps her in dealing with her clients. One of my favourite stories in the book is 'Money can't buy happiness'. The unique sketches in the book are apt for these stories and makes the reading experience even more entertaining. 

I admire the perfect partnership between wedding planner Rasika and her partner Yash. I also loved how Author has shared her grandma's advice and how it worked for her in this profession. I would like to share that advice here-

'People will say things to you to make you feel bad and they will try to break you, nobody will praise you. If you have heart strong enough to hear all that, then only you should start your work, beta.'

This book is based on a lived experience of author and this book can be proved to be a useful handbook of some must know facts for a person embarking on a journey as an event manager.

RATING: 5/5 STARS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rasika Bhatia, a quintessential Delhi girl, calls herself a wedding planner by luck and a graphic designer by profession, has a degree in English literature. She strongly believes there are no shortcuts to hard work. And success is 80 per cent hard work and 20 per cent being at the right place at the right time. She has worked as a visual artist and a copywriter with Archies where she first got the opportunity to showcase her creativity before starting her own wedding designing and planning company twenty years ago. She started with a team of two talented people and slowly became a name to reckon with in the wedding industry. She has been a part of some bigwig weddings all over the country. She also got an opportunity to take on some international projects in the UAE and South-East Asia. She feels lucky to earn a living by following her passion.