Nilgiris bride braves flooded river to rush for her wedding

Erode (Tamil Nadu), August 18

Undeterred by a flooded Moyar river, a 24-year old bride from a hilly hamlet on the slopes of the Nilgiris has undertaken a daunting ride on a coracle to reach the venue of her marriage.

A resident of Thengumarahada village, on the fringes of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris district, Rasathi undertook a coracle ride along with her family braving the flooded river, a tributary of the Bhavani, district officials said.

Since coracle rides are banned in view of the floods, they obtained special permission of forest authorities in view of their urgency.

Rasathi’s wedding is scheduled for August 20, and she, along with several of her family, decided to undertake the ride in two coracles on Friday to reach the venue of her marriage.

After crossing the river, she reached the venue.

As there is no bridge to cross the river, the marriage party said they had to undertake the coracle ride. They urged the government to build a bridge.

Commenting on the risky commute, Revenue Minister RB Udhaya Kumar advised against it saying it is risky and appealed to people to avoid visiting swollen river banks too.

By using tom-tom and loudspeakers, people are being advised to take precaution and avoid rivers in spate and swollen banks, he told reporters in Chennai.

The hilly village’s main access is through Bhavanisagar in this district. PTI