At least one species of a politically-blessed mass wedding comes with no bride price in Tamil Nadu.
This spectacle unfolded when 1,006 couples from economically weaker sections tied the knot in a huge ‘pandal’ near the Karumari Amman Temple at suburban Tiruverkadu on Monday, under the auspices of the State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department.
From the four-gram gold ‘mangalsutra’, silver rings to the brides, the bridal dress to 21 other basic paraphernalia, including stainless steel utensils and brass oil lamps to auspiciously set up a new home, everything came free from the State for these couples entering wedlock.
As the AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalitha took centre stage, with all the gift articles on splendid display on one side and ‘Vedic Pundits’ performing a common ‘yagna’ on the other side, there was the anxious wait for the auspicious moment, fixed between 9.30 to 10.29 am.
The couples in their bridal attire were seated in blocs, district-wise with the corresponding Minister in-charge lending a hand and keeping a watchful eye. Elaborate arrangements were made for the past few days to accommodate the relatives of all the would-be couples in nearby ‘Mandaps’.
Around 9.40 am, as the ‘mela-taal’ and ‘nagaswaram’ music reached a crescendo, Jayalalitha blessed all the ‘mangalsutras’ with her touch, after which the respective Ministers reached them to the couples. ‘Amma’ then showered the couples with flowers and saffron-rice as the bridegrooms tied the ‘Thali’ on their respective brides.
Contrary to the ‘self-respect marriages’ which the Dravidian political tradition consciously fostered over the decades - eschewing all Vedic rituals and priests - this wedding format seemed a happy blend of both the ‘Vedic’ and the ‘Dravidian’ ceremonial elements.