by

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman known as Jeevan Thondaman and Jeevan tied the traditional “Thali” (mangala sutra) around the neck of Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran amidst the reverberating crescendo of the “Kettimelam” wedding drum roll on 23rd Nov 2025. The marriage ceremony took place during the auspicious hour from 10.15 to 11.15 am at the Arumugam Pillai Seethaiammaal College campus of Thiruppathur in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state in India.

Among the large number of dignitaries who attended the wedding at Thiruppathur were former Sri Lankan President Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prof.Maithree Wickremesinghe, India’s Sivagangai MP Karthi Chidambaram,Thoothukudi MP ms.Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and DMDK leader Ms.Premalatha Vijayakanth. A reception cum banquet will be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Colombo Hilton Hotel on 28th November . Another reception would be held in Kotagala also.

As is well known Jeevan is the son of the late Arumugan Thondaman and Rajalakshmi Thondaman.Jeevan Thondaman was first elected to Parliament from the Nuwara -Eliya district in August 2020. He served as a state minister and later as cabinet minister. Jeevan was re-elected to Parliament in 2024. The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Gen -Secy who was born on 9th November 1994 has for long been regarded as a most eligible bachelor. This Sunday (Nov 23)recorded the end of Jeevan’s eligible bachelr status.

Jeevan’s bride Seethai Srii Naachiar or Seet is a 4th year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland(RCSI) medical university in Dublin. She is the daughter of N.Rameswaran and Priya Rameswaran. The families of the groom and bride are well known to each other and the marriage was an “arranged” union initiated by Jeevan’s mother Rajalakshmi Thondaman. Incidently Jeevan’s father Arumugan and Seethai’s father Rameswaran are alumni of the Montfort Boys School at Yercaud in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu.

The association between both families goes back a long way and is due to the friendship between the groom’s great grandfather Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman and the bride’s great grandfather NTS Arumugam Pillai. Both Thondaman and Arumugam Pillai hail from Sivagangai district in the Tamil Nadu state of India.

Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman’s ancestral village Munapudur is about 6 km away from Arumugam Pillai’s village Thiruppathur. Both great grandfathers are no more but the links between both families remain strong and have resulted in the marriage between both great grand children. This is manifested clearly in the invitations which give pride of place to both great grandfathers.

Interestingly enough both Jeevan and Seethai were born in the same hospital St Johns Medical Center in Karaikudi in different years. Both had the same Obstetrician helping in their delivery. Also both babies and their mothers were warded in the same room at the hospital.

This column extends its congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman and Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com

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