Twilight in Delhi Lesson Plan

What are the practical jokes that occur between the families during the engagement ceremony? How does this speak to the tension between the families?

As part of the engagement ceremony, the bride's people feed Ashgar small pieces of paan and crystallized sugar. They jokingly begin to feed him so quickly that he barely has time to chew. Asghar's cousin, Sharfullah, encouraged by Habibuddin, decides to seek revenge. After the groom's family serves sherbert, Sharfullah stands to wipe the bride's elder relative's lips, as per custom—only, Sharfullah doesn't stop, forcibly wiping the man's lips well past the point of necessity. Had Ashgar's family seen themselves as equals...