Tamil Nadu: Love blossoms at mental health institute; couple tie the knot

It was wedding bells at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) here on Friday as Deepa and Mahendran, two inmates of the centuries-old institute, began a new life by tying the nuptial knot. Staff of the IMH, friends, and relatives cheered as Mahendran and Deepa got married in a simple religious ceremony at the temple inside the campus.

Within minutes, the couple got a surprise wedding gift. Health Minister Ma Subramanian handed over appointment orders as ward supervisor of IMH to Deepa and Mahendran to ensure that they don’t suffer financially.

It was the first time that two inmates of the 228-year-old IMH fell in love after treatment and got married. The couple will now have to leave the campus to start their new life – they have already found a rented accommodation near the institute and their colleagues have promised to help them in setting up their home.

Forty-two-year-old Mahendran and 36-year-old Deepa met for the first time at the IMH where they were admitted around the same time. While Deepa came to the IMH after she was under depression following her father’s death in 2016, Mahendran found himself at the institute after he felt there was nothing he could achieve in this world due to a family dispute.

The love between Deepa and Mahendran blossomed after they were transferred to Half Way Home, where people who are halfway going home after treatment are lodged. “It was me who first broached the topic of marriage with Deepa,” Mahendran says, singing an Ilaiyaraja number kalyana maalai kondadum penne (a woman celebrating her marriage).

It was love at first sight for Mahendran as Deepa reminded him of his mother and only later he came to know that his would-be wife was also a teacher before she landed at the IMH. “I never thought I will get married in life and that too I will get a partner here (IMH). I have no words to express my happiness,” she said.

After treatment, Mahendran was working with a daycare centre at the campus, while Deepa is a staff of Cafe R’vive inside the campus. However, both of them will now work as ward supervisors. Subramanian, who called himself an “uninvited guest” to the wedding, said he felt very happy after reading about the couple and came to wish them luck.

When the news of Mahendran and Deepa meeting frequently inside the campus, the management did impose restrictions on them. But eventually, the couple and their love won.