Sabarimala Is Of Upper Castes. Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

‘Presence of fertile women would offend
Lord Ayyappa's celibate character.'
They argue and defy the court's judgment
That permits women of all ages,
Ignoring that it is customary
For allMalayallee women to visit
Other Ayyappa temples all over,
Where He's not offended by their presence.

‘Menstruation disrupts the purity
Of the 40 day period of abstinence.'
They argue and obscure the reality
That the temple bars any kind of visits
By the fertile women unlike men folks,
Who can visit the temple with a few days
Abstinence or without abstinence at all
Where climbing the 18 steps is skipped.

‘All religious customs are exclusionary. ‘
They argue, ignoring that not all of them
Infringe on the freedom of the devout.
‘Security of female cannot be guaranteed.'
They argue and if it is to be true
Then Sabarimala must not be safe
For all the old women and little girls
That throng in thousands all the years.

They are the upper caste Malayalees,
Who are the custodian of the deity.
The temple has been thrown to lower castes.
Non Malayalees of all sorts make congestion.
The elite nurture resentment at having to share
With them, who are seen as interlopers.
Arguably, it is the expansion of rights
To this demographic that prompt them
To oppose the Sabrimala judgement.

(Thanks to Supriya Nayar's article)
26.11.2018