In a noble initiative, residents of Gundupala village in Golugonda mandal in Visakhapatnam district have come together and collected funds to the tune of over ₹ 2 lakh to perform the wedding ceremony of a 21-year old orphan girl, M. Amaravathi, here in Visakhapatnam district. The wedding will be performed on Sunday.
As per the locals, parents of the girl had died when she was around eight years of age, due to health issues. Since then she was being taken care of by some relatives. About eight years ago, when the relatives abandoned her over some issues, it was then the residents of Padmasali Veedhi in the village had come forward to adopt the girl and take care of her.
They then asked Pandiri Divya, Amaravathi’s neighbour, to take care of the girl’s daily needs. The residents of the street and the village started to contribute money on a regular basis to fund her needs, including her daily needs, health and education. They also funded her medical expenses for the last couple of years, as she had some health issues.
Recently, the villagers have decided to perform her marriage, as she had turned 22. They searched for a bridegroom, and picked B. Suresh, from Lingampeta village of Golugonda mandal. Suresh works as a driver in a private company in Visakhapatnam. After getting Amaravathi’s consent, the wedding was fixed.
With the wedding round the corner, the locals raised funds to perform the marriage as well as to give necessary items for the bride. While a few weaver women from the street knitted a few sarees, some purchased gold ornaments, a ceiling fan, kitchen utensils. S. Kalyani who works as a Mahila Police in the village contributed a wardrobe. The Sachivalayam staff have collected money and bought a cot for the couple.
“We have decided to perform the marriage in such a way that she would never feel the absence of her parents. An elderly couple from our street M. Sanyasi Rao and his wife Raju will perform the ‘Kanyadanam’ of Amaravathi. We have also decided that everyone should be involved in the marriage works on Sunday without fail,” said Ch. Ramu, a resident of Gundupala, who works as a teacher at D. Yerravaram High School, Nathavaram.
Mr. Ramu said that every local is attached to Amaravathi and they feel like they are performing the wedding of their own family member.
On Saturday, the bridal ceremony was held in the village, where the locals actively participated. They organised a function in the street, prepared lunch and celebrated the event.
Speaking to The Hindu, the bride said that she feels very fortunate to receive so much love and affection from the villagers. “I have never imagined that my marriage will be performed in such a grand scale and have never felt the absence of my parents also. I would definitely miss all these people, after I leave this village post my wedding,” she said.