On the contrary: Women shouldn't give up their fight to enter temples'

Swami Vivekananda once said, ‘There is no greater sin than calling another human a sinner. For, he alone is a sinner who sees a sinner in another man.’ There cannot be a more apt time to recall this remarkable statement as the country has seen high drama over women forcefully entering the prohibited inner sanctum of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra under the umbrella of the Ranragini Bhumata Brigade.

Having followed the incident closely for weeks, I have to ask why no one has thought of amending the 3000-year-old Hindu ‘shasanas’ when our 65-year-old Indian Constitution has been amended 105 times to catch up with the times. The caste system decided that all Shudras, Vaishayas and women were sinners and not to be allowed inside temples or perform poojas. The fact that women have a menstruation cycle also barred them from entry to the temples. But how can something so natural be called impure? A woman can never become a mother without this natural process. In a way, those who talk about ‘purity’ would have never been born but for this natural phenomenon.

We must remember that age-old mandates are a reflection of ancient perceptions that are contrary to modern science. Traditional practices must change in accordance with the Constitution and only legal reforms can make this happen. We all know in a country like India people will not change easily. Even Mahatma Gandhi could not get people to allow women to perform poojas. So it’s not something that will happen overnight. But it's important that the women don’t give up and find their way into temples to offer poojas.