“Indian Wedding”

 It explores the challenges of balancing two worlds, where a lack of cultural awareness can create gaps in one's sense of belonging. The song “American Wedding” by Frank Ocean parallels the concept of privilege. On the other hand, “Hotel California” provides a contrasting perspective on American life, emphasizing the gray zone where immigrant children often find themselves—unsure of where they truly belong. Both songs share the same tune but differ in meaning. 

“Indian Wedding”

In the glow of gilded sarees and the rhythm of ancient songs, she stood—a stranger to the vibrant pulse of a heritage she’d never truly known.

She watched as the strangers known as her family danced in vibrant circles moving like swans sharing the culture of her ancestors. 

Her heart longed as she watched her cousins' strangers to her heart laugh and share jokes singing hymns to commemorate the ceremony creating memories they would forever cherish. 

 

"American Wedding" hummed softly in her ears,

A quiet reminder of her distance, the slow unraveling

Of a culture, she’d let slip, thread by thread, from her grasp.

She sang to herself:

“A thesis on Islamic virgin brides and arranged marriage

Hijabs and polygamist husbands—

Those poor un-American girls...”

In that moment, Frank Ocean’s mispronunciation of “hijab” echoed differently, No longer a passing note, but a mirror—reflecting her own forgetting.  

She had once felt fortunate to be "American," Yet the scent of spices and the shimmering lehengas of her homeland.  

Had slipped from her memory, lost with the richness of her heritage.

As the daylight fell she excused herself to the outskirts of the wild colorful affair she realized those “poor un-American girls” held so much value she could not comprehend and she herself was the “poor American girl”. 

Who did not understand the language of her blood, the culture and religion her ancestors once cherished, the vibrance of weddings, the laughter and cheers as memories were made, the symbolism of the affair, the family, and the whole ceremony She felt ashamed. 

She walked away, the echoes of their laughter clinging to her like the forgotten silks of a homeland she could no longer wear.

An American Wedding, where the culture slipped away as easily as the tune of Hotel California.