Now, marriages, photo-shoots & xmas festivities turn anti-CAA protest venues in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 23: Not just open streets and college campuses, but even marriages, pre-wedding photo-shoots and Christmas festivities seem to be turning into protest venues against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Kerala.
Cutting across religion, youths from various parts of the state have posted their wedding photos, in which the bride and groom hold placards saying 'No CAA.. No NRC" at the marriage venues, on social media, all of which have gone viral.
In some viral videos, brides and grooms walk to the reception venue holding placards criticising the CAA, while in others, they are initiated into the hall by their friends raising slogans against the Act and expressing solidarity with those protesting against it across the country.
In one video, a beautiful bride, wearing a richly decorated red lehenga, holds an anti-CAA placard in one hand while walking hand-in-hand with the groom through a busy road.
Their friends raise slogans against the CAA and walk behind them.
Huge posters, usually erected by friends to greet the newly-wed couple in villages, have also become a space for anti-CAA slogans.
A poster with photos of a couple appeared in politically volatile Kannur district recently and read "India will not budge...we will not be silent".
In one of the photos, which has gone viral, a Hindu groom wearing a Muslim skull cap walks along with the bride, apparently as a mark of protest against Prime Minister Modi's controversial remarks that those indulging in arson can be identified by their clothes.
Arun Gopi and Asha Shekhar, who recently shot their 'save-the-date' photos, holding placards against CAA and NRC, said they wanted to send a message through the innovative idea.
'Save-the-date' is a practice among youth to announce the wedding date.
The couple, who will tie the knot on January 30, said they decided to make the pre-wedding photos a political statement and so came out with photos with anti-CAA messages.
The photos were an instant hit on the social media.
A group of students of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam recently organised their annual Christmas celebrations on the campus in a different way-with Santa Clauses carrying placards and posters against CAA and holding the photos of national leaders like Gandhiji and Ambedkar.
Kerala wedding couples holding anti NRC / CAA banner @wedding ceremony
— SIRAJ KATTUKULAM (@sirajdolphin) December 22, 2019
If Keralaites decided to protect,
No Samghi can do anything @CMOKerala pic.twitter.com/21EVdnQ9Ii
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French President Macron concludes Mumbai visit
Mumbai (PTI): French President Emmanuel Macron, along with First Lady Brigitte Macron, left Mumbai for New Delhi on Wednesday after concluding his engagements here, including bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They were seen off at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
On Tuesday, Macron held discussions with Modi as part of efforts to further strengthen India-France strategic ties.
During the Mumbai visit, the French president and his wife also met some of India's top filmmakers and actors, and had an animated exchange with them about cinema, culture and collaboration.
President Macron is on an official visit to India from February 17 to 19 at the invitation of PM Modi to participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in the national capital Delhi, besides the bilateral summit in Mumbai.
PM Modi will inaugurate the summit on February 19. As many as 20 heads of states, including French President Macron, will be present at the inaugural session, Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said.
