A Suyamvaram with a difference

CHENNAI: The jubilant smile on R Chitra’s face, as she exchanged looks with her potential groom, said it all. The 23-year-old teacher from Erode, who developed a limp after she suffered a polio attack when she was three years old, found hope in the Suyamvaram for the differently-abled that was inaugurated by Minister for Social Welfare Selvi Ramajayam at Shree Geetha Bhavan. At the event organised by the Shree Geetha Bhavan Trust and Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust, Chitra met 26-year-old R Kannadasan, an aspiring teacher from Salem with no physical disabilities and caste preferences.At the Token-2 counter where the ‘match-fixing’ took place, Chitra’s mother, R Lakshmi, who is a weaver by profession, cannot contain her excitement. “Our long wait is over, we came with the strong belief that we will be able to find a groom for her,” she exclaimed.Talking to City Express, Ashok Kumar Goel, Managing Trustee of Shree Geetha Bhavan, said that the Suyamvaram was a prelude to the marriage ceremony that will be held at the Shree Geetha Bhavan on December 8. This year, the trust received more than 400 applications, out of which 38 women and 112 men registered for the event at the counters stationed outside Geetha Bhavan.The couples who agree to get married by mutual consent will be provided with funds for the wedding. They will also be provided with  silk saris, a four gram gold thali and ration supply for a period of one month at the ‘mass wedding ceremony’, he added. Last year, out of the 34 couples who got married, four were differently-abled. For many parents, the  Suyamvaram was a platform for them to try their ward’s luck to seek a life-partner.Thirty-two-year-old K Anbarasu, who works in an automobile factory in Maramalainagar, is a case in point. His parents M Kannan (82) and Umavathi (71), who were waiting for their turn to voice their son’s preferences on stage, felt that they would be able to find a suitable bride from the same caste at the event. “He lost his ability to use his left leg and left hand after he suffered a polio attack when he was seven years old. Now, we both are too old to take care of him and we want him to choose a bride who can support him,” said Umavathi.Referring to the trend in the marriages, G Chidambaram, the State President of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Physically Handicapped Associations, said, “Out of the 22 lakh who are differently-abled in Tamil Nadu, only one per cent get married.” Citing reasons such as the practice of rigid caste preferences, trend among differently-abled grooms to seek brides without disabilities and vice versa, he said, “Caste and creed should not be a bar in marriages. The participants should look out for the educational qualifications and employment status, not just the physical disability.”He also underlined the need for the state government to make provisions in the budget for providing houses for differently-abled couples, as well as increase job opportunities for them .to boost their self-reliance.