I sometimes think it was Indians who invented this notion of ‘the big show’. We all know what that means: the desperate need we always feel to show off and tell the world that something important and monumental is constantly happening in our homes. It is the need to make others feel as if their lives are less exciting than our own; the urge to constantly do or say something that places us and our tiny happenings at the centre of things, irrespective of how rich or poor we may be.

Take a look outside your window for proof. Chances are there is someone outside in the middle of their own big show at this very minute. There may be balloons and flashing lights, the ear-splitting thump of bad music to signify an important event, and men in polyester suits walking around trying to look important because someone they know has just had a child, an anniversary, or a wedding. It’s why so many of us survive on credit, borrowing large sums of money we don’t have to throw parties we can’t afford, just so our relatives can think of us as more successful than we really are. It’s no wonder a concept as evil and despicable as dowry originated on our shores and continues to survive despite our best efforts at eradicating it. It’s all an act.