The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Mass marriage marks Chief Minister’s birthday celebrations

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Mass marriage marks Chief Minister’s birthday celebrations

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: R. Saritha and M. Rajan from Thousand Lights area got married here on Sunday. But, this was not an ordinary wedding. A ‘Swayamvaram’ and marriage for 85 couples, as a symbol of communal harmony, was organised as a part of the 85th birthday celebration of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, by All India Cultural Academy and Mayilai Mayuravalli Wed Links.

“More than 200 persons from different castes have registered,” said Geetha Sekar, from Mayilai Mayuravalli Wed Links. This was the third ‘Swayamvaram’ organised by her; the first one was for women affected by the tsunami. “Each person comes on the stage and talks about what they want. Prospective partners come together, and after discussions, they decide to get married,” she said, describing the process. The cost of the marriage hall and lunch is borne by the organisation.

In the same function, ‘Thiruvalluvar awards’ were presented to achievers in various fields. One of the recipients of the award, R. Loganathan said, “The credit goes to my teacher, the sculptor, Y. Ganapathi, who created the Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari.” Mr. Loganathan, a sculptor from the College of Sculpture and Architecture at Mamallapuram, is currently working on the Ekambareshwar temple in Mint Street. In addition he has worked on temples in Chengalpattu and Ayanavaram.

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