MYSURU: Over the past few years, Harish Reddy and D Roopa, residents of Tilak Nagar in
Mysuru
city, had saved up Rs 2 lakh for their elder daughter H
Chitra’s wedding.
About six months ago, an alliance was formed, and Chitra, who recently completed her
BCom
, was set to marry Bharat Kumar N, a resident of Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, in a choultry on
Sayyaji Rao Road
on May 13. However, because of the Covid-19-induced lockdown, the wedding was converted to a simple affair at the girl’s residence.
Reddy and Roopa have two other children, but instead of keeping the Rs 2 lakh in savings, the couple decided to distribute it to families hit by the pandemic. The couple donated Rs 5,000 each to 40 families. The recipients include a physically challenged man, who runs a small eatery and a widow. The groom and his family wholeheartedly supported the decision.
“In keeping with Covid-19 rules, only a few select guests participated in the wedding. Since we did not need the fund I had saved for wedding expenses, I decided to distribute it among the poor,” said Reddy, who serves as general secretary of Mysuru district’s Savita Samaja. “During the nationwide lockdown too, I was part of various initiatives like food distribution etc.”
He said the decision to help others gave him immense satisfaction. “A woman said she would use the money to buy a mobile phone for her daughter’s online education,” he said.
NR Nagesh, president of the Samaja, said the groom’s family too were pleased. “In this hour of crisis, the money will help families in a big way,” he said.