KOCHI: The centenary celebrations of Panthibhojanam have turned out to be an occasion to criticise the Union government for its decision to control the food habits of the people by imposing restrictions on the cattle trade for slaughter. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that the radical act of inter-dining for breaking the barriers of the inhuman restrictions of caste system was still relevant in Kerala as well as in the rest of the country. He was inaugurating the centenary celebration marking the Panthibhojanam initiated by Sahodaran Ayyppan at his ancestral home in Cherai. "The circumstances that led Sahodaran Ayyappan to organise such an event prevail in other forms today. It is a shame that these remain even after 100 years," he said.
"The atrocities against human beings are increasing," he said pointing out the recent visuals of Dalits being subjected to assault by the upper caste people. "In another visual in a village, thousands of people are seen looting the houses of people belonging to a different community," he added. Although the inter-dining organised by Sahodaran was not the first such event in the state, it had its distinct relevance as it helped radicalise a large section of society against the evils of caste oppression, he added. The commemoration of Panthibhojanam and Sahodaran will help in enabling Kerala to move forward with the ideals of renaissance, said Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala.
"We are passing through a critical phase as the government is trying to determine the eating habits of the people. We should say in one voice that food and dress are matters of individual choice and that the government should not interfere in such matters," he said. The chief minister also inaugurated the year-long celebration of the Panthibhojanam by Sreenarayana Sahodara Sangham at Town Hall in Kochi. A community feast attended by a large number prominent individuals was also held. Francois Grosjean and Lalititia Pereira of the Alliance Francaise, Thiruvananthapuram, attended the function.
