Jottings - slice of life - 261 ( Few thoughts on what is happening in Sabarimala)

Jottings - slice of life - 261 ( Few thoughts on what is happening in Sabarimala)

What is happening in Sabarimala is a sad reflection of our understanding of what equality means, and where and how should it be applied. As a boy growing up in south India, the melodious renditions of Yesudas and Jayachandran have filled my ears and mind with an image of the resplendent Boy god, and the annual pilgrimage that millions make to the hallowed mountain bearing the strains and tugs of an ascetic life for 40 days, walking barefoot crushed between hordes of men jostling for space, and then the final emancipatory climb over the narrow eighteen steps leading to the sanctorum, where the lord sits sculpted in squatting position with hands raised in benign grace, has been eulogized with passion over countless songs and poems to varying tempos and beats. This journey to the feet of Iyappa reverberates in hearts of millions as an inner symbol of a private journey into ones self , amidst the distractions and travails of modern civilized life. Yes, it is a journey symbolically meant only for men, and women who do not fall within the menstruating age. There is a reason for it.

The temple of Iyappa has over the centuries been regarded as a guardian of an esoteric faith, with a firm tradition and belief that personifies him as a bachelor, with a divine origin, and his presence on the mountain-top indicates a state of spiritual realization that goes beyond the cycle of birth and death, hence beyond creation as in the world of forms and shapes. The pure life principle he represents cannot be associated with anything that leads to form, though he himself is represented as male form. Like a finger pointing to the moon, his masculine presence is only a hint, an indication of the formless. In hindu tradition, principle of Shiva is often the steady state, and Sakti the dynamic energy that moves the universe. Ironically, in many temples across India, the formless is represented in the form of female too. We have both variants in the subcontinent. In a land of Gods, there is no dearth of diverse beliefs and faiths, each with its own story and stigma attached to it. In the case of Sabarimala, men folk are bound to celibacy during the period of pilgrimage, and women who are biologically ready for conception are consciously kept out in strict adherence to the untouched spirit of its deity. These are merely ritualistic dictates of a religious faith formulated centuries ago, duly transmitted from generation to generations, and both men and women have lived those traditions without the need to question them. Skeptics today may question: if celibacy is the point of contention, what prevents a man from masturbating in private, and thinking impure thoughts. Why only should women be subject to explicit prohibition, and Man can walk free because of a biological expediency. Well , there are no answers to such questions. It is the code of the place, and it has worked for centuries without a blemish or dissatisfaction.

What then is the dispute all about now. The supreme court's decision is absolutely spot on. Nothing wrong in their judgement. The constitution accords equal status to men and women, and from that legalistic standpoint women are free to enter public places of worship. If the matter is disputed under social rights, then women have won that battle. But having won the battle, is it necessary to explicitly break taboos, illicitly enter the sanctum covered in men's clothes with police protection to defy the code set over centuries. Winning a battle for equality is one thing, but respecting the traditions of a faith is something different. By violating the rules, nothing is gained, but everything sacred and austere about the temple seems to be lost. That is the tragedy when we confuse equality across different personas in our public life. In a democracy it is important to know when and where to assert our equality, and where to acknowledge and respect rules that may seem to contradict our sense of equality; otherwise we will end up breaking many cherished institutions and land ourselves in chaos. If breaking the injunctions of Sabarimala and entering the temple is the only way of asserting gender, then I have nothing more to say. I wish those ladies spiritual success.

To conclude, Religious faith is a separate space, and quite different from the political or social equality. That is why democratic constitutions, along with other equalities provisioned by law, provide independent rights to practice different faiths, allowing no one to impinge on the other. Gender equality is a great blessing of the modern age; but at the same time, there is a growing movement that speaks of such equality in more mature terms than merely thinking of it as Boy versus girl, and "I can do what you can do" terms. I hope it dawns upon all soon enough.

God bless...

yours in mortality,

Bala