Why to link Kerala Floods with superstition and religion?
As Kerala continues to suffer the worst flood of the century in the state leaving hundreds of people died and the property worth thousands of crore destroyed, some people have attributed the flood in the state to divine punishment. According to them, the deluge and destruction in Kerala is the result of nature’s wrath who is displeased and annoyed with the recent judgment of Supreme Court which allowed the entry of women to Sabarimala temple. Some people have even called the consumption of beef in the state as the responsible factor for such an unprecedented devastation.
What is even more staggering is the fact that such posts aimed at creating the communal tension and divide in the society are being shared people in social networking sites on a big scale. By giving a communal and religious angle to this calamity, some people are not only propagating superstition but also trying to overlook the actual human activities which contribute to the outburst of a disaster of such severity.
At a time when the entire nation prays for the victims of the Kerala flood with crores of people helping the people in trouble and distress in some way or other, it’s very disheartening and unfortunate to see a few people seeking the ways to further their agendas. Instead of helping the flood victims to rescue and rehabilitate, they have nothing to do but provoke the people attaching the religious angle to this disaster.
What these people don’t seem to understand is the far-reaching but negative implications of their statements which not only digress the attention of the people from the core problem at hand but also instil the suspicions in the minds of those easily prone to be affected the claims as bizarre as such. To say that the God is taking revenge inundating Kerala is the biggest disservice to God.
And to put the blame upon women rather than the poor drainage system and the other lapses in the planning which make the flood cause even more problematic is the worst. Even if we assume for a while that whatever is happening in Kerala is because the god is angry. But the reason being stated behind the God’s anger—that is allowing the entry of women in the temple—is utterly appalling.
There are many temples in India where women are denied the entry to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, as a part of the tradition being practised since time immemorial.
The popular pervasive belief behind the existence of this practice is the falsely held notion that women are impure because they menstruate, therefore they shouldn’t be allowed to enter the temples as it may desecrate the sanctity of the place of worship. This practice became so ingrained in the society that everybody took it as a traditional norm that must be abide everyone.
For thousands of years, women never questioned this practice as they themselves were made to believe that being denied the entry to temples was perfectly right and justified. On the top of that, the prevalent patriarchal setup curbed the voices of women, even if they tried to defy.
But, over the years with the scientific advancement, people started questioning the prevalent social norms and practices. They demanded and sought for the rationale behind the practices and norms which they deemed inherently discriminatory and misogynist in nature. Women started demanding for the equal right to worship, intrinsically enshrined in the Constitution of India, as per their male counterparts.
They argued that such regressive practice is not the actual will of the God but a mere reflection of the patriarchal setup that subjects women to the status lower than men, and deprives them of exercising few rights to legitimize the male superiority.
As the women and those supporting the removal of a ban on the women’s entry to temple agitated in the streets and protested against this discriminatory practice, it attracted mixed reactions and sparked intense debate across the nation.
Many people supported it as a movement for change and egalitarian social order, and others denounced it for being violative of the old Hindu tradition and an attempt to destroy the Hindu culture. Later on, when the matter was taken to the Supreme court, women were finally allowed the entry of women to temples.
Currently, I am pursuing B.A(H) Political science from Satyawati College, Delhi University.
I like public speaking, writing and reading in my leisure.
