The Mother of All Weddings: When 10,008 Souls Said “I Do” 😊
This day, 30 years ago, from my personal diary entry
#memoriesfromdiaries
It is indeed quite fascinating to look back at this day, from exactly 30 years ago!
The political landscape of Tamil Nadu politics had witnessed a spectacle that remains unparalleled in its scale and ambition.
The scale of the weddings was so grand that, if you had been in Trichy on this day - 7th February 1996, you weren’t just in a city - you were in the world’s largest wedding venue. 😊
The mass marriage of 5,004 couples – which means 10,008 brides and bridegrooms, and at least 40,000 relatives on either side.
Each of the 5,004 couples had received –
A 4-gram gold mangalsutra.
Silver
toe-rings (mettis).
A
28-item gift pack, featuring silk sarees, dhotis, utensils, and lamps,
from the Chief Minister.
Through this mega-wedding ceremony, Jayalalithaa was solidifying her image as “Amma” (Mother) - a provider who cared for the poorest of the poor. And quite interestingly, 1996 happened to be an election year as well.
However, the alleged “Color TV Scam,” that followed, involving the purchase of more than 45,000 TVs at inflated prices, led to her subsequent arrest in December 1996. While she was eventually acquitted in 2000, that month in jail changed her approach to populism forever.
So when she returned to power in 2001 and 2011, the era of “Mega-Weddings” was already over!!!
Now, having learnt a bitter lesson, her strategy shifted from one-time, expensive institutionalised welfare weddings to the birth of the iconic “Amma” brand of services like Amma Canteens, Amma Water, Amma Salt, Amma Medicals, etc.
A great lesson in public demand, that helped transform a political leader into a lasting cultural icon!
Photo Courtesy: The New Indian Express | Added Sources: The Hindu
No comments:
Post a Comment