By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram
A mass marriage ceremony of 101 women from poor families was held in Kollam in Kerala yesterday.
The event attended by several VIPs was organised by a charity promoted by Saudi Arabia-based Indian businessman Ravi B Pillai.
The couples were offered special wedding attires, a purse of Rs150,000 and employment in Pillai’s business empire spread across many countries, mainly in the Gulf and in India.
Among the VIPs were Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar, federal
ministers Vayalar Ravi, Shashi Tharoor, Kodukkunnil Suresh and K C Venugopal and state ministers P K Kunhalikutty, Adoor Prakash, Shibu Baby John and V S Shivakumar.
Several important leaders, including state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala, Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member M A Baby and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader C Divakaran also attended the entire ceremony held according to the Hindu, Muslim and Christian traditions.
It was the second time that the RP Foundation of Pillai, the managing director of Naseer S al-Hajri Corporation, was conducting the mass wedding ceremony in Kerala. In the first event held in 2010, 107 girls got married.
The beneficiaries were selected from applications the organisers received from poor girls. The selection process was completed in strict accordance with norms prescribed in the guidelines, a spokesman for the organisers said.
The brides and grooms aspiring for jobs were given suitable placements in various establishments of RP Group, both in India and abroad, based on their qualifications and experience.