Both Gowindra and her husband's family lost relatives, their homes and livelihoods in last year's tsunami.

In Tamil Nadu, the government began to promote the phenomenon of 'Tsunami marriages'.

As people were languishing in temporary shelters without basic amenities in post-disaster trauma, the government announced that it would provide financial assistance to survivors who had planned their marriages before the tsunami.

While some marriages planned before the tsunami did get the benefit, the announcement was followed by a spate of 'unplanned' marriages.

Women of the house ready Gowindra in fine silk and flowers.

Also See: Despair,Anguish and Hope