CHENNAI:Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) leader K Veeramani, who recently kicked up a controversy by calling for a ‘Thali-removal’ event on his party office premises, has been solemnising ‘self-respect’ marriages in which he himself hands over the ‘Thali’ to the groom for tying around the bride’s neck.
A video recording of one such marriage, held on August 24, 2011, went viral on all social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, with netizens raising questions over Veeramani’s honesty in taking a stand against ‘Thali’ and wondering if it was not hypocrisy that drove him to organise an event to remove the ‘Thali’ when he himself had handed it over to grooms with approval.
Status messages and tweets on the subject over the past two days have been acerbic and the video has been shared repeatedly on WhatsApp groups. Most of the comments target Veeramani, who is seen presiding over the ‘Self Respect Marriage’, said to have been held at Thanjavur.
Titled ‘Self Respect Marriage part six’, the video on YouTube, uploaded three years ago by the groom, Harish Kamuhakudi Marimuthu, clearly shows Veeramani picking up the ‘Thali’ from a tray, handing it over the groom and gesturing him to tie it. Harish and the bride Sneha are seen in the video exchanging garlands and also repeating the vows, read out by Veeramani, who presides over the nuptials with a host of friends and relatives crowding the stage.
It is not uncommon for couples to opt for ‘Thali’ in such ‘self-respect’ marriages conducted by Veeramani and other DK leaders, it is learnt.
Harish, on learning about his marriage video being shared by people on various social networking sites, posted a note about it on his Facebook page. He explained that he had to tie the Thali because both the parents and his grandmother were for it. Harish, who is a software engineer working for Lloyds Bank, now lives in London with his wife and son, Aharan.