A couple named Socialism and Mamta Banerjee tied the knot on June 13 in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district, after their wedding invite recently went viral on social media. The wedding was held in the presence of Communism and Leninism, who were the brothers of the groom. Since the invite went viral on social media on May 8, what was supposed to be a small event, drew a lot of attention from people everywhere and the media. A Mohan (52) is the father of the three brothers, and is currently the Salem district secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI). He had previously contested on a People’s Welfare Alliance ticket from Veerapandi constituency in the 2016 Assembly elections.
According to reports, he made the decision to name his sons after the ideologies he supports, namely, Communism, who is the first son working as a lawyer and Leninism and Socialism who are the second and third sons respectively, and together run a silver anklet manufacturing unit. Though Mamta Banerjee, now married to Socialism, is a distant relative and lived in the same village, the union between the two was unpredictable even for the family as Mamta’s family members are Congress supporters (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee began her political career with the Congress party). Mohan shared with the media that he has been active in politics since he was an 18-year-old. He had worked in CPI alongside his father and grandfather in the party, planned protests and eventually chose to become a full time member of the party.
“I was deeply disturbed when people said Communism is dead after the Soviet Union was divided into many countries. Although at the time, I was unmarried, I decided to name my children to reflect my admiration for the ideologies I hold dear,” said Mohan. Speaking to TNM, he further said, “I am not surprised that my children followed in my footsteps. They have been involved with party work and have admired the political ideologies since an early age. Despite their professions, they continue to be my strong hands in party work – living up to their names.”
When asked about the attention that the family has received from people, Mohan said, “Since the invite went viral, I must have received over 500 calls. Now I get close to 150 calls per day. I get calls from Dubai and other places wishing the couple over their marriage. Although we are still surprised by the turn of events, my daughter-in-law is particularly elated. We are happy for the wishes.”
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