Karnataka - Hassan   

Activism joins two hearts in love

Staff Correspondent

ACTIVELY YOURS: H.R. Navin Kumar and Saumya Rani exchanging garlands during their wedding organised by the CPI(M) and the CITU in Hassan on Sunday.

HASSAN: It was an inter-caste love marriage between the general secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI) H.R. Navin Kumar from the Gowda community and Saumya Rani from the Veerasiva community, here on Sunday. There was no purohit or chanting of mantras. The couple first exchanged vows and then garlands. Saumya, who is now a reporter for a Kannada television channel, is a former SFI activist herself, and the couple had met through the organisation.

While Saumya is from Hadagalli of Bellary district, Navin is from Hassan. The wedding was organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), and the two groups also met all the expenses involved. A seminar was organised on "Caste System and Marriages". The couple exchanged garlands at the end of the seminar.

A host of leaders, including G.V. Srirama Reddy, MLA, CITU National General Secretary V.G.K. Nair, Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) president G.C. Byra Reddy, SFI State president Rajasekhar, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State Secretary Bharatharaj and State CPI(M) member Sukumaran, were present.

Inaugurating the seminar, G.V. Srirama Reddy, MLA, described weddings as events involving social responsibility, and regretted that of late they had become occasions to exhibit wealth. He also said that the caste system was a social evil, and complimented the parents of the bride and groom for looking past it and attending the wedding.

Socialist and editor of "Janata Madhyama" R.P. Venkatesh Murthy said that of late, traditional marriages were creating certain crisis situations. For example, he said, in 37 per cent of such marriages, women became victims of harassment. He advised women's self-help groups to educate people in the villages on the importance of simple marriages.

State CPI(M) Secretary G.N. Nagaraj said both Saumya and Naveen had fought as SFI leaders for the welfare of students on issues such as reduction of college fees and filling of lecturer's posts. He also said true equality could exist only outside of the caste system.

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