‘Swayamvaram’ organised for senior citizens in Hyderabad
Elderly persons from across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were among 120 participants who attended the event
Hyderabad: For senior citizens, particularly those above 70, life without a partner could be traumatic. To ease their pain and loneliness, the Elders Club International Foundation, a Hyderabad-based organisation catering to the needs of the elderly, organised a ‘Swayamvaram’ exclusively for senior citizens in the city on Sunday, and 10 of them, all males including an octogenarian, chose their partners whose age ranged between 50 and 60.
For Satyanarayana (name changed), a retired government employee and one of the 120 participants in the Swayamvaram, life had become difficult due to loneliness after the death of his wife. Another elderly person was also going through the pain of losing his wife, and leading a lonely life.
Similarly, an 82-year-old retired employee from Vijayawada who came down to attend the Swayamvaram, lost his wife 15 years ago, and was staying with his daughter. But after performing her marriage, he has been living alone in his house which he found torturous.
He explained in detail about the problems being faced by him due to loneliness and assured that he would be give the pension amount to whoever agrees to marry him. Three other elderly persons who came were in the 60 to 70 age group. While a couple of the senior citizens were keen on knowing the caste before selecting a partner, most were even willing for inter-faith marriage.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Club Founder and Managing Trustee Mandadi Krishna Reddy said: “We have initiated the process and the marriage will probably take place in a couple of months after going through the formalities.”
Elderly persons from Hyderabad, Nizamabad and Warangal in Telangana and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh attended the Swayamvaram. “We introduced those willing to marry again during today’s event and most of them gave their consent to marry again,” Reddy said.
He said the club has been organising Swayamvaram for elders for the past three years with the objective of extending moral support to them. The response was overwhelming when a similar event was organised before the lockdown in March 2020. “There might be some resistance from the children of these elderly persons but the club will try to convince them and explain the problems faced by the elders due to loneliness,” he added.
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