JOIN USThe culture of “mass weddings” with political connotation was visible in Tamil Nadu once again as the DMK’s heir apparent, M K Stalin, younger son of the party patriarch M Karunanidhi, turned 60 on Friday. Sometime back, Karunanidhi had hinted that Stalin would be his successor.
In tune with the Dravidian party’s ideology, it was not called “Sashtipthapoorthy”, as it is traditionally known. But DMK circles call its Tamil equivalent, “Mani Vizha”, an occasion to rejoice and remember. On the eve of “Mani Vizha”, some senior party functionaries organised a mass wedding where 60 couples tied the knot in presence of Karunanidhi.
There are no rituals here, but the weddings are solemnised by the DMK patriarch, as self-respect marriages, a concept that late Periyar had popularised, as opposed to traditional marriages with vedic rituals.