where heart alone matters

The politics over inter-caste marriage is ridiculous. And the politicians who use this tool to manipulate their support base are phony.

So feel doctor couple, Aravinda Raj and Maduram, who entered wedlock 41 years ago, despite stiff and constant opposition from their respective families.

Aravinda Raj, a Nadar, and Madhuram, a Brahmin, fell in love while working at a primary health center in Senthamaram village in Tirunelveli district. She stayed with her grandparents, who vacated the house the moment they came to know of her love. Even his family did not agree for their marriage. Anyway, the doctors went in for a registered marriage with the help of some friends. Relatives boycotted them initially, though Aravinda Raj’s family accepted them into their fold during his brother’s marriage three months later.

Surprisingly, the people of Senthamaram arranged a reception in honour of the couple. After serving in various government hospitals in the state, the couple set up their own clinic in Ramanathapuram in 1984. Their daughter, Kanaga Priya, is now a gynecologist, married to a doctor. But when Kanaga Priya was born, Maduram received no assistance from the family.Maduram says society should honour love marriages. Aravinda Raj says that inter-caste marriages bring no harm to society. “It is merely a union of true hearts.”