Ramlila Maidan didn't only serve well Ramdev,Anna and Arvind but it also witnessed marriges of disabled getting solemnized.. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/92-disabled-couples-tie-knot-at-mass-wedding/articleshow/36632565.cms NEW DELHI: For the first time in Delhi, a mass wedding for disabled couples was organized at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. The couples, most suffering from polio, tied the knot amid much fanfare and celebration.
The couples were lined up on a massive stage while traditional music blasted and flower petals rained on them. Many of the couples hobbled or walked to the stage on crutches, but all looked determined to complete the ceremony and become, as they say, "a support to each other". "There is only one religion, and that religion is love," says Kailash Manav, founder of Narayan Seva Sansthan, the NGO which organized the event. From the 92 %couples, one pair was Muslim and another was Christian. They received their own separate ceremonies. Narayan Seva Sansthan president Prashant Agarwal says, "Manav felt that disabled people should be married to each other and support each other. However, it is difficult for those with disabilities to find partners. Although some people with disabilities decide not to get married, we want to make it so that those who want to marry can wed." The NGO provides a registration service where people apply and meet with prospective spouses who also suffer from disabilities. The organization has been hosting mass weddings in Udaipur since 2004 and have helped 890 couples tie the knot. The NGO also provided the couples' wedding finery and gave them gifts like dinner sets, sewing machines, pressure cookers, jewellery, clothes, etc. "We worried all week about the weather but today the gods shined on us and it is perfectly clear for the ceremony," admits Agarwal. Back in 2007, Promila Katara (20) underwent polio surgery at the NGO's hospital in Udaipur for free. Three months ago, she began vocational training with the organization, where she met her groom, Vijay Singh Chauhan (28). Chauhan works at the Narayan Seva Sansthan-run hospital in Udaipur as well. Katara says she is ecstatic about how the ceremony has turned out. The couple will return to Udaipur after the wedding. Narayan Seva Sansthan was founded in 1985 by Kailash Manav, who himself is blind. It operates from Udaipur and provides philanthropic services to people suffering from polio and cerebral palsy. It also provides vocational training-including mobile repairing-to help polio-affected people find employment. ?Since its founding, Manav claims that 209,000 patients have undergone operations for free and 100 patients are operated on daily at their 13 hospitals for polio patients. Narayan Seva Sansthan currently runs 13 hospitals for polio patients. Manav thanks the Delhi police and the surrounding physiotherapy hospitals in Delhi for providing security and aid for free. -- Avinash Shahi M.Phil Research Scholar Centre for The Study of Law and Governance Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
