State rings wedding bells for 64 couples

CHENNAI: A day after chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s former associate Sasikalaa Natarajan deposed in court supporting the AIADMK leader’s statements, Jayalalithaa arrived at YMCA grounds in a mellow mood to bless 64 couples whose marriage was being conducted by the state.
Sunday’s ceremony bore all the hallmarks of an official function. Neither the balloons nor the music could take away from the presence of groups of policemen and party workers.Inside the marquee, 64 couples sat on the stage awaiting the arrival of the CM, the brides dressed in maroon silk saris and the grooms in white. “Our parents could not afford to conduct a ceremony for us, but the state has been generous,” said Selvan, who works in a garment factory in Coimbatore, and married Deepa.
Presiding over the function, Jayalalithaa hailed the Indian family system but rued that nuclear families and old age homes were on the rise. She exhorted party cadre to remain united so that the AIADMK could win all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next Parliamentary polls.
To mark the CM’s 64th birthday, each couple got 64 gifts, including 4 grams gold thali and toe rings, a deity’s photo, silver lamps, vessels, mattress and bedding, LPG stoves, mixers and table fans. Vijayshanthi, an exuberant 19-year-old bride thought it was “grand” to receive gifts. “I’ve never had new items before,” she said. “I’ll ask my brother to get married this way too.”