KOCHI: Legendary singer K.J Yesudas, who has not been allowed to enter the famous Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur said that he could have succeeded if he was born as an insect or a housefly. While attending an award ceremony at Tripunithura the other day, Yesudas who always voiced his wish to enter the Guruvayur temple expressed his grief and displeasure at being denied, despite the fact that he has been singing devotional songs in praise of Hindu deities for decades.
Despite his strong wishes, Yesudas was not allowed to enter the temple for being a non-Hindu. He added that he was proud to be the son of Augustine Joseph, his father who encouraged him to study music when there was nothing to be achieved in that field. However, the singer, born to a Roman Catholic family, was given permission to enter Sri Padmana-bhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram last year. Yesudas has been offering prayers every year during Navratri festival at Mookambika temple at Kollur in Karnataka. He is a regular visitor to the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala. ‘Harivarasanam’, a lullaby for Lord Ayyappa, sung by Yesudas and is one of the biggest devotional hits.
It was not the first time that the singer with a voice often hailed as ‘touched by God’ expressed his anguish over denial of entry to Guruvayur temple. Earlier, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, guru of Yesudas had conducted a concert before the Parthasarathy temple in Guruvayoor protest against the stance of Guruvayur temple authorities. The Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple authorities in Thiruvananthapuram has recently said they are ready to permit a concert by the singer inside the temple premises. Although Yesudas has welcomed the gesture he is yet to perform the concert.
