The Bridge Connecting Tamil Nadu And Kerala Become The Wedding Venue During The Pandemic

The river Chinnar separates Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but a bridge that spans it has become a popular wedding location in the wake of the pandemic, due to the extreme restrictions on gatherings of people and interstate travel imposed by Covid-19, the bridge between the two states has become a popular location for interstate weddings. Eleven weddings were held there during the last shutdown. One thing that all of the marriages had in common was that one of the parties was from Kerala and the other was from Tamil Nadu.

On Monday, the 'wedding season' began again, with Unnikrishnan, a local of Marayoor Idukki in Kerala, marrying Thangamayil, a local of Batlagundu in Dindigul Tamil Nadu.

Kerala has made it mandatory for all visitors to have a Covid negative certificate. However, many people have found the examinations to be too costly and time-consuming.

The bride's family members were expected to pay Rs 2600 per individual for testing in Udumalpettai, as per reports. The ten-member Tamil Nadu group would have to pay Rs 26000 to obtain certifications for the entire group. It will take longer for the groom's side to conduct the test in private labs in Kerala or to travel to Tamil Nadu. As a result, Unnikrishnan chose to marry on the bridge.

There was no priest at the wedding, so it was a modest affair. The function was overseen by officials from both states' police, health, forest, and excise departments. The bride produced her covid negative certificate and stepped across the bridge to begin the process. After giving his diploma, the groom then followed her. Some of the couple's relatives joined them.

The groom married the bride, the bride's and groom's families stood on either side of the bridge, watching and blessing the happy occasion.