“It isn’t the beginning of a year, but of an era,” wrote writer Sethu on social media, as reports of two women of menstruating age, Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga, seeking darshan at the Sabarimala temple trickled in.
While the Supreme Court had upheld the right of women of all age groups to worship at the temple in September last year, resistance from Sangh Parivar had prevented that till the other day.
Several writers equated the entry to great human accomplishments. N.S. Madhavan likened it to the maiden Mount Everest summit in 1953. Poet P.N. Gopikrishnan marked the moment as similar to the first conquest of Mt. Everest by a woman, Junko Tabei, in 1975.
But, as word spread about the temple being shut for ‘purification’ rites, there was anger in equal measure. “ #Sabarimala closed for purification? Is this Kerala or some place in cow land? Women are new Dalits? Bindu and Kanakadurga only followed the SC ruling. #RemoveSabarimalaThantri for misogyny and serious contempt of court,” Mr. Madhavan tweeted.
Dalit reaction
Similar sentiments were echoed by Dalit activists, including academic Rekha Raj, who urged the government to invoke action under Article 17 of the Constitution and under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the Tantri for “practising untouchability against the two women.” Dalit and tribal rights activists gathered at Vanchi Square near the High Court to distribute sweets to celebrate the temple entry, hailing it as a watershed in gender equality struggles. While three women tried to disrupt the meeting with Ayyappa chants, they were removed by the police.
