[1]About 1,006 couples, clad in silk sarees and silk dhotis, tied the knot after Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa blessed the gold thali gifted by her government at a gala mass marriage function organised by the state Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department at Tiruverkadu here on Monday.
The priests sang the Thevaram invoking divine blessings on the occasion. Ms Jayalalithaa blessed the newly-weds by showering akshatai on them.
The chief minister’s Cabinet colleagues, HR&CE minister M.S.M. Anandan and state officials, chief secretary Debendranath Sarangi, HR&CE secretary M. Rajaram and commissioner J. Chandrakumar also participated in the function held near the renowned Sri Karumari Amman temple.
The CM called upon the couples to lead a successful life by overcoming the challenges. Narrating a tale, she advised, “Identify the challenges and overcome them… The courage to stand up against problems makes us live rather than being cowardly in times of trials and tribulations.”
About Rs 4.46 crore was spent to organise the event. Some couples, who had delayed by almost a year to tie the knot in the presence of Ms Jayalalithaa, said the memorable event was worth the wait.
“Though our marriage was fixed, we wanted to wed in the presence of the chief minister,” they said. Those from the lower income group thanked Ms Jayalalithaa for the gesture.
Besides arranging transport and accommodation, the government had given 21 varieties of wedding gifts to each couple.
The scheme was first launched by former chief minister MGR in 1981. As CM, Ms Jayalalithaa solemnised the marriages of 1,008 couples in 2002 and 1,053 couples in 2003 at Tiruverkadu.
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