The DMK’s commitment to its much-publicised Dravidian ideology appears to take a different turn when it comes to weddings within the party’s own leadership families. The latest example is the wedding of DMK General Secretary and senior leader Duraimurugan’s granddaughter, which was solemnised in Chennai on Sunday, November 1, with Vedic rituals and Sanskrit mantras chanted by priests.
Senthamarai, daughter of Vellore Lok Sabha MP Kathir Anand and Sangeetha, married Deepak Ravi, son of prominent film producer Kannan Ravi and Deepa. The couple’s engagement had taken place around two months ago in Katpadi, Vellore district.
On stage : Abue Brahmins and Hindu practices
At home : have fully Hindu wedding with Brahmin Vedic chanting and mantras .Welcome to the hypocritical world of DMK. Duraimurugan grandson wedding 🤷🤷 https://t.co/Rl1vODV81A
— Sid (@nri4thalapathy) November 2, 2026
While the grandeur of the wedding and the jewellery worn by the bride and groom attracted attention, it was the choice of traditional Vedic rituals that triggered a political debate, particularly among supporters of the Dravidian movement.
The controversy stems from the DMK’s longstanding public campaign promoting self-respect marriages, which reject Brahminical rituals and the chanting of Sanskrit mantras. Weddings within the families of prominent DMK leaders have often been presented as examples of this ideological commitment. However, Duraimurugan’s granddaughter’s wedding followed the very Vedic traditions that the party’s ideological campaign has repeatedly criticised.
The wedding also prompted reactions from prominent voices within the Dravidian movement itself.
Suba Veerapandian Expresses Disappointment
Suba Veerapandian, founder of the Dravidar Iyakka Tamilar Peravai, expressed his disappointment over the wedding in a post on X.
He wrote, “At the wedding in the family of my highly respected elder brother Duraimurugan, the General Secretary of the DMK, who has always showered me with great affection, hearing the sound of Sanskrit mantras chanted by Brahmins still makes my heart ache!”
என் பெருமதிப்பிற்குரிய –
என்னிடம் பேரன்பு காட்டும் –
திமுகழகத்தின் பொதுச்செயலாளர், அண்ணன் துரைமுருகன் இல்லத் திருமணத்தில் பார்ப்பனர்களின் சமஸ்கிருத மந்திர ஒலி கேட்டு,
இப்போதும் வலிக்கிறது என் இதயம்! https://t.co/GfCybqC8Ud
— Suba.Veerapandian (@Suba_Vee) November 2, 2026
Former DMK MP Also Objects
Former DMK MP Dr Senthilkumar had also expressed his disagreement after sharing a video of the wedding.
He wrote, “In a party that is deeply committed to its ideology and proclaims self-respect marriages from every public platform, I personally disagree with the missed opportunity to practise the same in this instance.”
மேடைகள் தோறும் சுயமரியாதை திருமணங்களை பிரகடனப்படுத்திய கொள்கை பிடிப்புள்ள கழகத்தில்
அதனை கடைபிடிக்க கூடிய வாய்ப்பினை தவறவிட்டதில் தனிபட்ட முறையில் உடன்படவில்லை.
— Dr.Senthilkumar.S (@DrSenthil_MDRD) November 1, 2026
The remarks from both Suba Veerapandian and Senthilkumar have brought the contradiction into sharper focus: while the DMK routinely promotes self-respect marriages as an expression of its ideological identity, the same principles were not followed at a wedding within the family of one of its most senior leaders.
Duraimurugan Had Called Sanskrit A ‘Dead Language’
The wedding controversy is particularly striking given Duraimurugan’s own past remarks about Sanskrit.
On 20 August 2024, Duraimurugan participated in a programme in the Saveur area near Katpadi in Vellore district, where house construction orders, housing plots and government welfare assistance were distributed to 300 beneficiaries under the ‘Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam’ scheme.
When questioned about Sanskrit during the programme, the senior DMK leader dismissed it by calling it a “dead language”.
View this post on Instagram
The contrast is difficult to miss. A leader who publicly described Sanskrit as a dead language has now presided over a wedding in his own family where Sanskrit mantras were chanted as part of Vedic marriage rituals.
For a party that has consistently made opposition to Sanskrit, Brahminical customs and Vedic rituals a cornerstone of its political messaging, the episode raises an uncomfortable question about whether the ideological standards it expects others to follow apply equally within its own leadership families.
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