There is a telling saying in Hindi that goes “बेगानी शादी में अब्दुल्लाह दीवाना” (Begaani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana) which loosely translates as “Deriving joy from strangers’ happiness.” It literally translates as Abdullah is joyously celebrating the nuptials of those he has absolutely no relations with.
At its core, this approach to life can be selfless but it can become meddlesome rather quickly because it may mean crashing someone else’s happy occasion. The reason I was thinking of this saying was because I heard the news of the impending wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle. The announcement was made by Charles today.
Reading the formal text of the announcement (see the image above) I was struck by a few things. In the eight-line announcement the word “Prince” is used five times, “Royal” and “Highness” thrice each and “Majesty” and “Queen” once each. To that I say, “We get it. All this is very royal and high and princely and majestic.”
It is a tremendously happy occasion for the young couple and their families and one must not either take away from or intrude in that. It is the inordinate sense of joy that the multitude at large feels that prompted me to remember “बेगानी शादी में अब्दुल्लाह दीवाना”.
For those of you who may not know such things—I too did not until this morning—Clarence House is a royal residence which is where Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, live. “We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together,” they said on the engagement and upcoming wedding in spring next year.
Britain will now have a national obsession for the next several months or, in other words, “बेगानी शादी में अब्दुल्लाह दीवाना”.
It may seem like that but I am not deriding the idea of being happy about someone else’s happiness because at its core it is a selfless act. I am merely pointing out that it can quickly lapse into meddling.