SOUTH AFRICA, June 4, 2011 (timeslive.co.za): Eleven couples, some of whom have been living together for as long as 17 years, tied the knot last Sunday at the Shree Veeraboga Emperumal Temple in Tongaat, north of Durban.
The idea was initiated by Swami Saradaprabhananda of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, who found that there were many couples living together and who had children but were not married – because they could not afford it.
The Veeraboga Ramakrishna wedding fund was set up to help couples get married by providing everything from the thali to prayer goods, garlands, meals and clothing.
Yogan Naidoo, one of the members involved in the house visits, selection and interviews, said marriage was an important institution that contributed towards building a society. “It places the couples within a framework of guidelines to ensure that they treat each other with respect and dignity and bring up their children with character, which results in a positive contribution to the community,” said Naidoo.