印度人民愛黃金

India is the world’s largest consumer of gold. Why gold？ Because in India， there is no possession more valuable. For Indians， gold jewelry is wearable wealth， financial security that’s also a fashion statement. India’s love for gold is as ancient as its culture. And with its growing prosperity， the one event that drives most of that demand is an Indian wedding.

There may be no wedding like an Indian wedding. The events can last for days with music and dancing and traditions that go back centuries. Everywhere you look， there’s a collection of colors， flowers and food. And then there’s the gold： breathtaking. Here it’s a symbol of purity that also shows off the couple’s wealth and wellbeing.

Reporter： I’ve heard several times since I’ve been here， “No gold， no wedding.”

Divya Chauhan （Wedding Planner）： Yes， absolutely. Chauhan’s Friend： It’s very true.

Chauhan： The bride is ready， the groom is ready， the venue is set， the food is set， but if you don’t have gold， there’s no wedding.

In November， in the small southern city of Tumkur， they pulled together the wedding event of the season. Two of the town’s elite families joined through the marriage of Nivedita Keshavmurthy and Akshay Bavikatte—both doctors. The families spent over $200，000 just on gold. Guests came to wish the couple well， not to mention it gave everyone a chance to break out their finest gold jewelry.

Chauhan： The gold will show off the prosperity and the stand of the family in the society.

Reporter： Is that 1）vanity？ What is that？

Chauhan： It’s not vanity. It’s just something so culturally 2）ingrained in us that you can’t have reasoning around it.

An Indian bride is usually given jewelry by her parents， gold they started buying when she was born. It’s her financial security after she joins her husband’s family—gold she’ll control throughout the marriage.

Ajay Mitra （World Gold Council’s Managing Director for India and the Middle East）： Gold is a part of life. You can not have a family which doesn’t own gold. It is an incomplete family.

Reverence for gold touches everyone， from the very old to the very young. From the high-end stores in major cities， to the gold-plated jewelry shops in the poorest villages.

The Bavikatte wedding was a Hindu ceremony， the religion for 80% of Indians. The bride and groom had gold on them and all around them， a powerful symbol of purity and eternity that Hindus elevate to the status of a goddess. They call her 3）Lakshmi. Every fall， there’s a religious holiday， one day when Hindus worship Lakshmi by shopping for gold.

Chauhan： That day， if you buy gold， it’s considered to bring you prosperity， good luck， health， wealth， everything. If you buy gold a day before， you get nothing. You buy gold a day after， you get nothing.

Reporter： So you don’t just buy it， you buy it on a particular…

Chauhan： Day.

Reporter： And that’s the way it is.

Chauhan： Yes.

Reporter： You don’t question that.

Chauhan： We have never questioned it. We just know if you buy gold today it’ll bring you prosperity. Goddess Lakshmi will visit your house. So hey， let’s do it. Who doesn’t want to be prosperous？

Reporter： How can you be both 4）frugal and conservative， but yet be willing to spend thousands of dollars on gold？

Ishu Datwani （Gold Store Owner） ： Because in your mind， that is a saving. That is going toward your saving account. You know， a lot of people， when they come and buy gold， they don’t think they’re spending money. It’s not an expense. It’s an investment.

印度是世界上最大的黃金消費國家。為什么是黃金呢？因為在印度，沒有什么財產比黃金更貴重的了。對于印度人來說，黃金首飾既是可以穿戴的財富，又代表了經濟保障，更是一種彰顯時尚的方式。印度人對黃金的喜愛就像印度文化般歷史悠久，而隨著該國日益繁榮，婚禮成了推動黃金需求的大事件。

世上也許沒有什么婚禮比得上印度人的婚禮。一場載歌載舞的傳統婚禮會持續數日，婚禮上古老的傳統儀式已經流傳了數百年。婚禮上處處是琳瑯滿目的絢麗色彩、鮮花和美食。還有黃金，讓人倒吸一口氣的金子。在這里，它是純潔的象征，也向世人宣示新婚夫婦的財富和他們的康樂。

記者：我到印度后聽別人說過好幾次，“沒有黃金就不能舉行婚禮”。

迪婭·查罕（婚禮策劃人）：是的，絕對正確。查罕的朋友：這是一句大實話。

查罕：新娘準備好了，新郎準備好了，場地準備好了，食物也準備好了，但如果沒有金子，婚禮就無法舉行。

11月，在印度南部的杜姆古爾小鎮，她們攜手策劃了一場年度最盛大的婚禮。鎮上兩個上層家庭聯姻，兩家的納瓦迪特·凱沙墨菲和阿克謝·巴瓦卡德（兩人都是醫生）喜結連理。兩家光是在黃金上就花了超過二十萬美元。賓客們到此向新人表示祝賀，此外，這也給了所有人一個展示自己最漂亮的金首飾的絕好機會。

查罕：在這里，黃金可以顯示一個家庭富足的生活和這個家庭的社會地位。

記者：這是虛榮心嗎？還是其他什么？……