MALAPPURAM: Sending out the messages of religious harmony and compassion, warm-hearted people in Vengara joined hands to arrange the wedding of a girl at the Rosemanor short stay home at Manatiparambu in Vengara on Sunday. Rakesh, 32, a native of Edayoor in Malappuram, tied the knot with Rosemanor inmate Girija, 19. The people in the Muslim majority area have borne all expenses of the Hindu marriage held at the Ammancherikkavu Bhagavathi Temple, Vengara.
Dhanya V, superintendent of the short stay home, said the members of the home are grateful to the people of Vengara. “Girija and her sister joined us at the short stay home 10 years ago after they faced some family issues. The IUML has been donating food items to the home after financial crisis hit the normal functioning of the home five years ago. When we informed party leaders about the marriage proposal for Girija last month, they promised to arrange the money required for the marriage. They collected money from people and arranged the wedding ceremony on Sunday. Girija and other members of the home are grateful to the party and the people in the area,” Dhanya said.
Around 600 people from different faiths attended the marriage ceremony held at the temple. The ceremony shows that communal harmony is upheld in the area, said Haris Maliyekkal, Vengara panchayat Muslim Youth League (MYL) president. “People from all communities came forward to donate money for the wedding. As the bride and groom are from the Hindu community, we contacted the temple committee. They agreed to arrange the marriage ceremony at the temple,” he said. Abdul Fathah, Vengara panchayat MYL general secretary, said: “People from all faiths celebrate the festivals of the temple. There is no restriction on people from other faiths during the temple festival,” he said.
Among those who attended the marriage include IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty and IUML Malappuram district president Syed Abbasali Shihab Thangal. “People in Vengara have been busy arranging the marriage of their daughter Girija. When a person needs help, the people here never consider their religion or caste. I am happy to see such efforts from the people and IUML members to help the poor and needy,” Kunhalikutty said.
Earlier, the short stay home accommodated more than 30 members, including women and children. But, recently, we brought down the number of members in the home to seven due to financial crisis.
“We lost Central government’s financial aid 10 years ago. Now, we need financial assistance to look after the women and children living in the home,” Dhanya said.