Gold prices touch an all-time high, Indian women ask: Who's rich now with all that 22K jewellery?
Let me tell you a story.
My sister and I had arranged marriages. That means we essentially married the equivalent of a blind date—handpicked by our parents. It's a massive gamble, really. But in India, when you go along with your folks' wishes and embrace the traditional route, there's an unspoken reward system: they deck you out in gold. Generously.
In contrast, some of my distant cousins and friends who chose to fall in love and elope with partners of their choice were often penalised by their parents. They were sent off to their new homes without a single gram of gold. No trousseau, no ornaments—just love, and a lot of crossed fingers.
While I don't condone the culture of over-the-top, ostentatious weddings, I can't deny that the women who leaned into tradition got something undeniably valuable—solid financial security. Because let's be honest, gold is more than jewellery in India. It's insurance. It's independence. It's power.
Women, in their own quiet way, are flipping the script. I remember when I was told I'd be given 17 gold chains/traditional ornaments for my wedding. I jokingly said I wouldn't marry unless they gave me 21 chains. It was partly a joke—but also a test. I wanted to see how badly they wanted this marriage to happen. To my surprise, it worked. Sometimes, demanding more gold isn't about the jewellery—it's about leverage.
Yes, with all those gold chains, I looked like Bappi Lahiri styled by Rick Ross — pure desi disco meets Miami swagger.
I've had long conversations with my sister and parents about why gold holds such deep significance for Indian women. And the conclusion is crystal clear: if the man your parents lovingly—and sometimes naively—choose for you turns out to be a disappointment, your gold remains yours. Nobody can snatch it away. You can pawn it discreetly—no family drama involved. Banks now facilitate gold loans quickly, respectfully, and without shame.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped viewing gold as a relic of outdated tradition and started seeing it as a practical, almost crucial/rebel tool of personal security. And as the prices rise, my mother and grandmother's lifelong advice rings louder than ever: 'Don't waste your money on fashion jewellery. Buy solid gold.' Turns out, they weren't just being traditional — they were being strategic.
Plus, the anonymity and security that gold offers a woman is unparalleled. It doesn't ask questions, demand paperwork, or judge your circumstances — it simply steps up when you need it most. Take Nazriya's character in Bangalore Days, for instance. When her arranged marriage hits choppy waters, she quietly pawns her gold to fund her MBA. No drama, no explanations. Her husband isn't even in the picture — but her gold is. It's not just ornamentation; it's quiet empowerment wrapped in 22 karats.
But I have always wondered how the market price of a company's stock moves up and down every day or even every hour or every minute. The company is the same, the principal owners remain the same, they produce and sell what they did yesterday, the workers remain the same. What has changed? Only the price of its stock. And why? The economists tell me it is value of the public perception of the company, an intangible entity.
As regards the gold in my locker, nothing has changed; not the gold, not the owner, not even the perception. I got wealthier, full stop.
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