the great indian joint family

I have recently been to my brother’s marriage......and in all the chaos i noticed the working of the great institution of marriage in binding another great institution of the Indian culture-the family. It is very often said that marriage is the unison of two souls.....marriage is also about getting together of two separate families. However, i would like to point out about how marriage brings one “long-lost” family together. My parents flew from lucknow.....my cousin brother flew from haridwar......my cousin sister came from Raipur......it was like a family reunion. How often do we get to see all this in the age of nuclear family?? Having brought up in a nuclear family i witnessed as to why the joint families were so preferred back then. It’s fun 24x7!!! To be around your bros, sis, parents, uncles, aunts, siblings all at once. Yes, there are many more things living in a joint family on a regular basis......there is lack of privacy, not enough personal space etc etc. With times we all have evolved as independent beings....maybe that’s why we prefer nuclear family unlike our previous generations. Whatever it is, being a part of a joint family once in a while is really fun.......enjoyed to the hilt.....:)