'Swayamvaram' looks for beauty that isn't skin deep

COIMBATORE: Beauty is often equated with fairness of skin but ironically not for these men and women affected with Leucoderma, a medical condition that leaves skin with white patches, often referred to as 'Venpullikal' in common parlance.
But they were in for a surprise when on Sunday all of them were invited to a special Swayamvaram function that was exclusively for those with Leucoderma or Vitilago to choose their prospective life partners.
The event organized by Leucoderma awareness movement similar to the previous rounds of matchmaking conducted in Tirunelveli and Trichy had nine couples deciding to settle down with each other at the end of the day.
" I work as an accountant with a private firm in Udumalpet, but since I have this condition it has been hard for my family to find a match for me. Now, I can marry a girl with vitialgo so there will be no problem," said R Badrinathan, a 29-year-old youth with Vitilago from Udumalpet. A Bhagyanathan, a trader from Vandavasi in Tiruvananamalai district who came with his 31 year old daughter Gracy, a B.Ed graduate with leucoderma condition, was hopeful that his daughter would find a life partner at the Swayamvaram.
"It is not easy if one comes from a slightly remote or semi urban area. In such places this condition is seen in a totally different light rather than as just a medical condition," said Bhagyanathan.
Leucoderma is a condition when abnormally large portion of the skin depigment leading to pale white patches on the skin. It is often seen as an abnormality and people also tend to mistake it for other forms of communicable skin diseases which it is not.
The sawayamvaram was held at a private auditorium in RS Puram for the first time in the Coimbatore. As many as 10 couples decided to tie the knot at Tirunelveli and another 18 at Trichy where similar Swayamvarams were conducted last year.
The couples are asked to talk about themselves and fill in a registration form with personal details including profession, age, life preferences and other details. Many meet and take the next step to get their parents to discuss and finalise the alliance.