CHENNAI: The hundreds of images exhibited at Shree Geetha Bhavan Trust showed the joyous smiles of newly married couples, the thrill in their families’ eyes, and the promise of a bright future. “This is what keeps us going,” said Om Prakash Modi, chairman of the Trust. In the 11th year of mass marriages for the disabled, the Trust hopes to help more people who are struggling to find a life partner. In a press meet conducted at the Trust’s premises in Gopalapuram, on Tuesday, the organisers addressed the importance of conducting mass marriages for the differently-abled.
For more than a decade, Geetha Bhavan Trust has been instrumental in creating a forum for persons with disabilities to find a right match. “Lots of disabled people even with higher education, secure jobs, good salaries etc., have been finding it difficult to get a life partner because of societal judgement. We wanted to build opportunities for them so that they can have a good life which they aspire for,” shared D Poonusamy, secretary, Tamilnadu Differently Abled Federation Charitable Trust.
The aim is to conduct marriages for all without any difference. P Simmachandran, president, Tamilnadu Differently Abled Federation Charitable Trust, explained, “So far, 507 marriages have been performed from 2010 to 2019. Due to the pandemic, we were not able to conduct marriages for the past two years.
This year, we aim to conduct the Swayamvaram, the process of choosing the partners, in fifteen districts of Tamil Nadu. Before the Swayamvaram, participants are advised to obtain the application form from our website, tndfctrust.com, and apply online or offline. On our website, we have also included phone numbers and information about the venue. People can reach out to us via phone and register for the event.”
Addressing the media, Manu Goel, managing trustee said that marriages will be solemnised on November 20 at Shree Geeta Bhavan according to Hindu rites, for all those who wish. “We accept people from across south India, regardless of socio-economic status, caste, or religion. Marriages will be solemnised in a methodical manner, with qualification, employment, age, medical fitness, legal clearance, and so on. Following the Swayamvaram, a counselling session will be held and clinical testing will be performed. Psychologists, gynaecologists, general practitioners, and legal specialists will be on board to screen the candidates,” he said.
Claiming a 100 per cent success rate of the marriages, Simmachandran added, “We review every marriage and stay by their side for any assistance. Most of the people claim that differently-abled people’s children might have some disabilities. We also broke that myth because none of the kids from the previously conducted marriages were born with a disability. We plan on improving their lives.”
Apart from organising mass marriages, the Trust provides scholarships for students, builds hospitals, improves sanitation facilities, offers flood relief and works in every sector of the society that needs imp rovement.
For details, call 28351513 or check geetabhavantrust.com