BUKIT MERTAJAM: It’s a melting pot of cultures in retired nurse S. Selva Rani’s family.
Five years in the past, her son T. Ashwin Thiren @ Muhammad Ashwin Thiren married Anis Syahirah Abd Rahman, each 35, and simply final week, her daughter, T. Laxmie Niranjana, 32, tied the knot with Lui Wooi Kit, 33, full with a tea ceremony and a conventional Hindu marriage ceremony.
“Now, we have the best excuse to celebrate all the major festivals!” Selva Rani stated with a smile.
At house, she added that her two Indian-Malay grandchildren name her “patti”, which suggests granny in Tamil.
Since her son’s marriage, she had been going to Balik Pulau to rejoice Hari Raya with him and the in-laws, in addition to giving out “duit Raya”.
Selva Rani, who lives in Taman Kota Permai, Bukit Mertajam, together with her elder son T. Gaejendran, 36, who continues to be single, stated she has no qualms about permitting her youngsters to marry whoever they need so long as they lived fortunately.
“I love my family and I raised my children to get along with other races as well,” she stated.
When Muhammad Ashwin Thiren first needed to get married to Anis Syahirah, Selva Rani was fearful as she was not satisfied if the interracial marriage would work.
However, the couple, who’ve a son Zayn Aariz Muhammad Ashwin Thiren, 4, and daughter Camelia Amara Muhammad Ashwin Thiren, two, realized to tolerate each other and their marriage is a success.
“An interracial family is about understanding each other’s culture and religion well enough to be able to function as a family.
“My daughter-in-law and my family share a very good relationship,” stated the widow, whose late husband S. Thangarajoo, a trainer, handed away in 2006.
Selva Rani stated her son’s conversion and marriage by no means stopped him from being a filial son to his family.
“Nothing much has changed, except for his dietary habits and worshipping ways. He comes over for Deepavali and attends family functions as usual,” she stated.
As for Liu and Laxmie, who speaks fluent Mandarin, they had been in a five-year relationship earlier than they determined to tie the knot.
“In our Asian culture, marriage is about two families coming together and not only about two individuals.
“Interracial marriages are bound to face hardships in the beginning but in the end, it is real love that prevails,” stated Selvi Rani.
