Couples to get knotty on V-Day

MRIDULA CHUNDURI / TNN / Feb 14, 2007, 03:05 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Sumit and Rakhi are binding their love in the ultimate commitment of life.

HYDERABAD: Valentine's Day is not just a fashion statement. Sumit and Rakhi are binding their love in the ultimate commitment of life. They are tying the knot on what is billed as the most romantic day of the year.
For this couple, Valentine's Day is the perfect day to celebrate their love and they see marriage as the ultimate experience in sharing joy.
And there are several others like them who find it most appealing to get married on February 14, better known as the day of lovers.
The three Arya Samaj mandirs in the city are flooded with booking requests for wedding ceremonies on Valentine's Day. Each of them have been approached by at least a dozen couples to perform their wedding ceremonies.

And, despite scrutinising the profiles of the boys and girls and choosing only those couples who the Samaj members think will be able to support each other financially and emotionally, each Arya Samaj mandir will play host to at least half a dozen marriages on Wednesday.
"For the past two years, we have noticed this trend of couples wanting to get married on Valentine's Day. They tell us, it is the most romantic thing to do. We have our rules to follow and only select couples who come across as most responsible towards each other and yet, this year we have already booked five weddings at the Kacheguda mandir and before Wednesday morning, I am sure to get a few more weddings sanctioned," said Sriramachandra Raju, in charge of the Arya Samaj mandir headquarters in Kacheguda.

This is not all. Valentine's Day seems to be the ideal day for all those who want to rebel against tradition and social norms to get married. A mass marriage ceremony is on the cards in Medak district where couples who do not want to spend lavishly on their marriage are daring to go against their families and community and prefer a registered marriage.
These are bidi workers of Rasbihari Enterprises Ltd, who belong to the Pullar community. Social obligations force several couples to even postpone their marriage ceremony because of lack of funds for a lavish ceremony. And when some of them got married at the registrar's office, their families were boycotted.
To aid people against this kind of discrimination and social obligations, Vidi Kamgar Kalyan Pratishtan's labour welfare executive Gayatri Gaikwad is organising a 'Samuhik Vivah'.
"Samuhik Vivah is organised with the purpose of getting couples to go for a registered marriage which incurs no financial liabilities. These couples will get a lot of benefits from government schemes," Gaikwad said.

End of Article