Jayalalithaa chants joint family mantra

CHENNAI: Hailing the bygon­e joint family system followed in our society, which took care of all elderly persons at home, Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Sunday advis­ed newly-wed couples not to ignore their parents who are increasingly being forced to head to old-age homes due to the money-minded approach of their children.“Six decades ago, there was joint family system and, as such, there was no need for old-age homes then… Now, the government has to run old-age homes to protect the elderly who are abandoned by their children… Money has outmatched love and affection for the dear and near,” the AIADMK supremo said, presiding over the weddings of 64 couples, organised by the party’s Jayalalithaa Peravai, to mark her 64th birthday which falls on February 24.“Children should ponder over the sacrifices made by parents to bring them up and provide quality education...they should treat them with love and affection... Some children go abroad for higher studies and...then settle there itself forcing their parents to move to old-age homes...they not only forget their parents but also their motherland, ” Jayalalithaa said. However, she said her government would do the needful for the welfare of the aged.