Prioritise family, newly-weds told

CHENNAI: Giving a word of advice to newly-wed couples at a mass marriage ceremony on Sunday, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa impressed on them the importance of family ties over money matters. “We certainly need money for our routine life, but money can’t surpass everything...you should understand this,” she said, looking at the newly-wed couples who were seated on the dais. She was speaking at mass marriage ceremony organised by the AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa Peravai on Sunday to commemorate their party chief’s 64th birthday that falls on February 24. Sixty-four couples wed on Sunday at the function.Quoting Tamil savant Thiruvalluvar on the duty of a householder, Jayalalithaa said, “The success of married life lies in the single point-‘Understan ding each other and accommodating the interests of each other’- and all couples should keep this in mind.”  Jayalalithaa presented the ‘thaali’ to the grooms and they tied the nuptial knots, after which the couples exchanged garlands amid ‘mangala vaadhyam’ (accompanying wedding-ritual music). She blessed the couples saying ‘manamakkal vazhga’ (long live the couple) thrice, and the gathering repeated it.  All the couples were given 64 items of household utensils, apart from a thaali made of four-grammes of gold.