Lull at sub-registrar offices on V-Day

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cupid might have been busy all over the world, but not in the capital city. The number of love affairs which ended in marriage on this sacred day of love was very few in the city, according to the records in sub-registrar offices here.
The four sub-registrar offices in the city -- at Pattom, Sasthamangalam, Killipalam and Fort -- recorded just seven marriages conducted under Special Marriage Act on Valentine’s Day.Among them, Sasthamangalam sub-registrar office conducted four marriages, Pattom two and Killipalam one. There were no marriages at Fort sub-registrar office.
“We were expecting a busy day since lovers find the day an auspicious one to get married. But this year, we are surprised that only one couple turned up,” said Anil Kumar, an official at Killipalam sub-registrar office.
T Sanal, junior superintendent at the office, thinks the low turnout may be because parents had become smarter. “The young would have realized that their parents would be extra vigilant on the day.”
However, the low number of special marriages does not imply that youths are no more in love. All the offices in the city received plenty of applications from young couples for tying the knot on Tuesday. According to Seenath, superintendent at Pattom sub-registrar office, there were 55 such applicants, but only two turned up.
Under Special Marriage Act, an aspiring groom and bride have to wait for 30 days from the day of filing application to become eligible to get married. A couple can make their relationship official on any chosen day between the 30th and the 90th day after filing the application.