As I was having lunch with a colleaugue who is also a good friend... we were discussing his impending marriage... he was very happy and it seemed it was not because he would be getting a girl to spend his life with. His whole future will be taken care of by the dowry that he will be getting... when asked how much he would be getting .. he shyly says ... they are giving me 30 lakhs.. cash GAWK... 
I was like... DOUBLE GAWK...
Ok and he is a guy who is just starting off his career and typically getting married early.. but just thinking back in perspective as to how much they are willing to give their daughters away with... he shyly said to me that his family gave 20 lakhs for his sister ... so his family's account will be kind of balanced...I was like... DOUBLE GAWK...
Smart Aye ??
Then he went on ... Oh you know the other pal got some 50 lakhs.. 30 lakhs is nothing yaar..( NOTHING.. How can he say NOTHING !!!) .. that is what fades from my thoughts ... and I was wondering in my mind... what I would do with that kind of immediate money...
Travel the world...
Open a company of my own..
Buy a Bose Home theatre..
Buy a land and make my dream house...
Have a kennel of dogs...
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz......
Suddenly I am rocked with the hot !#$&&!!# pizza burning my palatte and am rudely awakened from my ruminations... serves me right for building castles with somebody else's money .. LOLOLOL 
Anyways... I was thinking it would be so easy to spend all that dough... and I am reminded every now and then ... how good I am at emptying my bank balance... SIGH...
Back to my world of savings... spendings.. savings.. spendings... = zilch... as I call myself... pound wise pound foolish...
I cant help think back to my wedding where my dad spent an indecent amount of money and bought all things necessary for my inlaws house. ( which is rotting with disuse) .. instead of giving them to me ( yeah right as if I had any say)... 
I still cannot understand why he had to spend so much.. when the money did not come to anybody's use... and he says... it was all for me... I do not see a ME anywhere there.. go figure... cant help wondering what a waste all that money went to... and for what.... something in the disguise of something disgusting called providing for the daughter so that the people who know you will nod with approval of giving away your only daughter with so much useless pomp and show... SIGH ... 
Then again my friend's dad was very smart... I call this intelligence..he gave her the cash all that was necessary and made her save it in her account.. with the help of which she has built a pretty nest for herself.. which is reasonably good use of the money... 
My point is... well at first there is no great need to exchange all that money.. but if one is doing so.. one has to invest it wisely .. instead of bothering about what people would say.. but I guess the society functions like that so I have reached a moot point.. 
Ladies, if you are getting married make sure you wisely deal with your Stree Dhan... and build a better future over what has been given to you... 
Am I sounding wierd ? well I guess it is the influence of the lunch discussion and a very bad cold that I am laden with... which is not making me think straight... 
