Express News Service
It has been three days because the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple reopened for its annual 10-day celebration of Uthram mahotsavam, however the highway from Vadasserikkara to Pampa — normally bustling with devotees — wears a abandoned look. Though the federal government had relaxed Covid curbs allowed 10,000 folks to go to the temple in a day, the variety of devotees who arrive on the temple on daily basis stays fewer than 1,000 — a majority of them from different states.
“People need to get an RT-PCR test spending Rs 1,750 to enter the temple, which deters many from visiting,” says Anoop, proprietor of the Sree Sabari Hotel at Madamon close to Vadasserikkara. “But political parties can conduct huge rallies without following any Covid protocol,” he provides, irked.
As we drive by the winding roads from Vadasserikkara to Nilakkal by quite a few plantations and the Periyar Tiger Reserve, it’s laborious to overlook the struggles and worries of the locals. Hundreds of lodges, which as soon as catered to lakhs of devotees through the pilgrimage season, have been shut down.
“Till 2017, the temple was the backbone of our economy. But after the women’s entry protests and the Covid lockdown, our lives have taken a turn for the worse. We used to earn enough money to survive for a year during the two months of pilgrimage season. But now, we have suddenly been reduced to penury. Hotel owners and workers, farmers, taxi drivers and even workshops have been affected,” says Kannan, a pickup van driver from Madathum Moozhi.
It has been greater than two years because the Supreme Court overturned the ban on ladies of menstruating age from coming into the shrine, sparking violent protests. The problem nonetheless continues to dominate the political discourse right here.“Parties including the BJP was using Sabarimala for their vested interests. The protests were launched by devotees,” factors out Ranni native Prasad Kuzhikala, who was instrumental in organising the prayer rally at Pandalam on October 2. The protest was organised by the Temple Practices Protection Committee shaped by Pandalam royal household in coordination with Nair Service Society (NSS).
As the Chithira competition approached, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi had obtained data that the federal government had determined to assist ladies enter the temple. “We mobilised around 2,000 workers and stayed in the forest for three days and four nights. BJP leaders K Surendran and V V Rajesh came to the temple with us through a secret forest route. It was the tribal people who showed us the way,” remembers Vinod, an RSS functionary.
Santhosh, a resident of Naranamthodu, says he can always remember these days. “They beat up elderly women who were conducting a prayer protest and escorted women to the temple to break tradition,” he says.“There was an unprecedented unity in the prayer rally we organised from the Chengannur NSS union office to the Mahadeva temple. Members of SNDP Yogam, Christians and Muslims also participated,” says NSS Lakkassery Karayogam chief Sasi S Pillai.
According to auto driver Suresh, neighborhood equations will determine the winner in Chengannur. “It is definitely a three-cornered fight. But in my opinion, CPM’s Saji Cheriyan has the edge,” he says. In Pandalam, the place the BJP gained the municipality within the current native physique polls, the occasion has excessive hopes. “It was here that the seeds of protests were sown. While we expected up to 5,000 people, around 60,000 turned up voluntarily for the prayer rally. The entire town was chock a block,” says Pritvipal, convener of Temple Practices Protection Committee.
The arrival of Ok Surendran has made the competition unpredictable in Konni, the place the Sabarimala problem had helped BJP make inroads. “Though the Ezhava community has traditionally been CPM supporters, there has been a shift after the Sabarimala protest. Congress candidate Robin Peter has the advantage of Christian support,” opines Sreenath, an auto driver at Eliyarackal in Konni.
In Ranni, the denial of ticket to five-time MLA Raju Abraham and the transfer handy over the seat to Kerala Congress (M) have disenchanted the CPM cadre. With this, the Congress has sensed an opportunity for its candidate Ringoo Cherian. In Aranmula, the competition is between CPM’s Veena George and Congress’ Sivadasan Nair. The struggle is moderately unpredictable, as a result of each have vital affect within the phase.
