Two days from now is the first of the Malayalam month of Thulam. Armed with the Supreme Court order, many young ladies have announced that they would make the hike, have a 'darshan' and return. It's gonna be a momentous day because it takes place against the backdrop of a long brought up value system where a woman is considered 'not pure' during her menstruation cycle!
This evening, there were women activists, at Nilackal - the so-called-base-camp to the shrine - who had sent back women pilgrims coming to the shrine. More police women were being deployed, the press communique said. Even lady journalists were not permitted to enter. The area at Pamba - the foot hill of the shrine - has not seen any great restoration work, post floods just going to show as to how much the devaswom board really cares about the welfare of the pilgrims. Okay one can take it for granted the arrangements would be in place over the next one month.
The stalls and buildings at the Pamba were smashed to smithereens during the deluge. Apart from removing the debris, nothing else has been done and the pilgrimage period is knocking at our doors. Sad!
Meanwhile, the discussions between various stakeholders turned to naught as talk after talk failed. The government had cobbled up an 'explanation' yatra to define their side of the story! The theme was, "Look, it's the government's responsibility to implement the Court order and we've always been saying that we're for the right to equality for everyone to pray". The chief minister was made to deliver the explanation and he's gonna do so, through a series of such yatra-cum-lectures. It's the CPM's way of retrieving lost ground on the issue from the BJP and the Congress - the massive exercise that they can go through to play vote bank politics!
And to highlight the dichotomy of the case, Arnab Goswami, this evening on the Republic News announces that, "this is our chance or never". One almost wondered as to whether it was a clarion call for a war? The coming days are gonna witness a lot of events and scenes, connected with the issue. A matter that could have been sorted out through discussions between the various stakeholders.
Tailpiece.
Saw a headline in the newspaper saying that the advisory committee of the Vadakkunnatha Sivakshetram at Thrissur has been taken over by the CPM. It was being tomtommed as a major victory.....one can only laugh at the churlishness and pettiness!
This evening, there were women activists, at Nilackal - the so-called-base-camp to the shrine - who had sent back women pilgrims coming to the shrine. More police women were being deployed, the press communique said. Even lady journalists were not permitted to enter. The area at Pamba - the foot hill of the shrine - has not seen any great restoration work, post floods just going to show as to how much the devaswom board really cares about the welfare of the pilgrims. Okay one can take it for granted the arrangements would be in place over the next one month.
The stalls and buildings at the Pamba were smashed to smithereens during the deluge. Apart from removing the debris, nothing else has been done and the pilgrimage period is knocking at our doors. Sad!
Meanwhile, the discussions between various stakeholders turned to naught as talk after talk failed. The government had cobbled up an 'explanation' yatra to define their side of the story! The theme was, "Look, it's the government's responsibility to implement the Court order and we've always been saying that we're for the right to equality for everyone to pray". The chief minister was made to deliver the explanation and he's gonna do so, through a series of such yatra-cum-lectures. It's the CPM's way of retrieving lost ground on the issue from the BJP and the Congress - the massive exercise that they can go through to play vote bank politics!
And to highlight the dichotomy of the case, Arnab Goswami, this evening on the Republic News announces that, "this is our chance or never". One almost wondered as to whether it was a clarion call for a war? The coming days are gonna witness a lot of events and scenes, connected with the issue. A matter that could have been sorted out through discussions between the various stakeholders.
Tailpiece.
Saw a headline in the newspaper saying that the advisory committee of the Vadakkunnatha Sivakshetram at Thrissur has been taken over by the CPM. It was being tomtommed as a major victory.....one can only laugh at the churlishness and pettiness!
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