Chennai: Hindu scholars and several faithful, including many women, held demonstrations here and elsewhere in the state on Thursday protesting against noted poet Vairamuthu's comment on Andal being a devadasi, notwithstanding his expression of regret. The award-winning poet's photographs were burnt and slogans were raised condemning him at the demonstrations held near the Triplicane Parthasarathy temple and at the famous Andal temple in Srivilliputhur.
Social media was flooded with angry posts attacking Vairamuthu for his Andal comment and also the DMK Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi for her comment made at a recent Dravidar Kazhagam conference in Trichy that Lord Venkateswara is powerless and helpless since he needed a guard wielding machine gun to look after his hundi in Tirumala temple.
Hindu Munnani founder-organiser Rama Gopalan has issued a strongly worded statement against both Vairamuthu and Kanimozhi, while demanding public apology from both. Some Hindu outfits have threatened legal action, which prompted DK leader K. Veeramani to issue a statement saying such cases would be faced boldly in the appropriate forums.
“It has become fashionable for these so-called rationalists and Dravidian leaders to say all kinds of obnoxious things to hurt Hindu sentiments. Can they say anything even mildly annoying about the other communities? They dare not”, said BJP national secretary H. Raja.
Terming Kanimozhi’s Balaji comment as “frivolous and highly objectionable”, noted writer Malan said, “If God is powerless, what makes Kanimozhi’s family members to visit temple after temple seeking divine intervention whenever they are mired neck-deep in problems? I would suggest that Kanimozhi check with her mother about God’s power instead of speaking recklessly just because she was on a DK platform”.
However, it is not as though Kanimozhi and Vairamuthu are friendless among the literati and glitterati even amid all this cannon fire. “I am sure it is perfectly right a rationalist to take such positions”, said senior journalist Gnani Sankaran referring to the Kanimozhi comment. He added, “If a devotee or a believer has the right to believe in miracles, then a rationalist has an equal right to debunk the miracles”.
Noted actor-director-activist Lakshmi Ramakrishnan regretted that in the controversy over Vairamuthu’s Andal comment, the context appeared lost.
Faithful gather near Parthasarathy Swamy temple in Triplicane to protest against Vairamuthu’s remarks on Andal. (Photo: DC)
“People should have the freedom to express and we must not object to that. At the same time, people should speak without hurting religious sentiments. Having said that, debates and discussions are very healthy, very important. If someone has a genuine quest or search, they have a debate on something, we should encourage that, If we shut them up, it would be pure hypocrisy”, she said.
Complaint against Vairamuthu
Hindu religious outfit, Hindu Munnani on Wednesday filed a complaint against DMK MP Kanimozhi and poet Vairamuthu for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in a speech and a newspaper column recently. According to the complaint, Kanimozhi had made derogatory complaints against Lord Balaji and his temple during an atheist conference at Tiruchy.
The complaint also said that poet Vairamuthu, in his column in a Tamil daily on December 8, had written about Andal, again hurting religious sentiments. The complainant sought police action against the MP and the poet.
