(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Irom Sharmila, a civil rights activist from the northeastern state of Manipur, married her British partner Desmond Anthony Bellarnine Countinho in a simple ceremony at the Kodaikanal hill resort in Dindigul district on August 17.
The ceremony was witnessed by some government officers and Divya Bharathi, a documentary filmmaker.
Sharmila, 46 said: 'People in Tamil Nadu are very kind and good. But I did not have freedom for some time recently. All the protests against me were for publicity. But I am grateful to the people who supported me.
Sharmila went on a 500- week hunger strike on November 2, 2000 seeking repeal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act of 1958. She survived with a nasal feeding tube.
She finally broke her fast in 2016. She has also won many prizes for her dedication.
Veteran characterShamughasundaramdies aged 79
Veteran character actor Shanmughasundaram died of a cardiac arrest at his home in Mylapore in Chennai on August 15. He was 79 and survived by wife and three children.
A native of Thanjavur district, Shamughasundaram completed college in Chennai and began his career as a drama artiste.
He debuted in the 1963 Tamil film Ratha Thilagam and went on to act in character roles in about 400 movies. He acted with several generations of stars like M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajnikanth, Kamalhaasan and current heroes.
Disabled womangets KalpanaChawla award
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswam awarded Preethi Srinivsan the Kalpana Chawla Award for bravery on August 15, when India celebrated its Independence Day.
Preethi, 36, was a state-level swimmer and cricketer but became wheelchair-bound due an accident that damaged her spinal cord at the age of 19. However she overcame her disability to open Soulfree, an organisation for the uplift of disabled people, at Puducherry.
Her trust arranges emergency medical care for those with spinal cord injuries and works for their empowerment, rehabilitation and productive employment.
Rajinikanth'sschool shut overrent dispute
A school run by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and his wife Latha in Guindy was shut down after the building's landlord filed a case for non-payment of rent of Rs20mn.
The landlord Venkateshwarulu confirmed the news.
Meanwhile about 400 children studying in the school Ashram have been shifted to other schools. The school management retaliated saying that the school 'has been functioning for more than a decade but the landlord has been harassing us due to some personal family dispute. He is demanding exorbitant rents and interest on accumulated arrears. We are planning to file a defamation suit against Venkateshwarulu.
Govt approvesNEET ordinance
The federal Law Ministry has accepted Tamil Nadu's ordinance bill for one year's exemption from NEET exams for medical admissions in the state.
However the ministry stipulated that the exemption will apply only to government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu and will be effective before August 30.
NEET or National Entrance and Eligibility Test is a common qualifying exam for medical admissions introduced by the CBSE that became mandatory in all states in 2016.
Last updated: August 20 2017 11:56 PM
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