On the warpath: Activists under the aegis of Sabarimala Karma Samithi staging a blockade at Palayam Juction in Kozhikode on Wednesday against the Supreme Court judgment permitting the entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala temple. more-in The recent Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups to the Sabarimala temple continues to evoke mixed response from cross sections of society. While liberal and Left-leaning activists are organising events here in the coming days to drum up support in its favour, self-styled Hindu organisations are planning to implead in the review petition against the verdict in the apex court. K.N. Ajoy Kumar, academic, told the media on Wednesday that the State was now witnessing a paradoxical situation where women themselves were questioning a judicial intervention that ensured them gender justice. “Communal forces are utilising superstitions and orthodoxy to polarise society and increase their influence. Attempts are on to revive the feudal values that we had thrown out,” he said. Social consequences Mr. Kumar pointed out that the protests revealed the similarity of cultural values shared by Malayalis despite their political differences. “The scenario also shows the failure of the established Left politics in politically intervening in the cultural space. This will have long-term social consequences as it will weaken the democratically evolved public sphere. Regressive religious values may jostle for hegemony,” he said. A convention involving various liberal and Left-leaning activists, scholars, and academics would be held in Kozhikode at 3 p.m. on Thursday to discuss the importance of upholding constitutional morality over religious values. Historian M.G.S. Narayanan, academic M.N. Karassery, and K. Ajitha, activist, among others, would attend the convention, he added. Kozhikode-based CPI(M) think tank Keluettan Centre for Study and Research is also organising a workshop on ‘Rituals, belief and gender justice’ on October 21. Hindu seers Sandeepananda Giri and Viswabhadranandasakthibodhi, and historian K.N. Ganesh, among others, would attend the event. Meanwhile, Federation of Hindu Organisations, an umbrella body involving outfits such as Munnokka Samudaya Samrakshana Munnani and Sreenarayanaguru Dharmasevasanghom, demanded that the Centre bring in an ordinance to conserve the tradition and rituals of the hill shrine. A.A. Bhakthavalsalan, chairman of the federation, also demanded that a special session of the Legislative Assembly be convened to solve the stalemate. He alleged that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were trying to score a political point by exploiting devotees’ sentiments. A protest event has been planned in Kozhikode on Thursday evening. The federation would also take out a Parliament march on November 2.

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