08-03-2004, 08:01 PM
Friday, 30 July, 2004
A 100 Year old Temple has been Brought Down by Tamil Nadu government
There is this magnificent Chettinad House. The palace of Kumararani Meena Muthiah ji and her brother-in-law, Sri MAM.Ramaswamy ji.
Bang opposite to this lies this government poramboke land.
The Tamil Nadu Government has set up a huge structure designed as the Manimandapam for Ambedkar on this land.
We have no problem.
And there is this Fishermen Training institute of the Government on this land, situated next to the Manimandapam.
We have no problem.
And then there used to be a small Temple dedicated to Angalaparameshwari.
It is no longer there.
Brought down thrice by the government officials.
The first was a shack.
The next two were brick and mortar structures.
Twice these simple devotees withstood the acts of government vandalism.
The nativeâs resilience is broken now, with this third show of stealthy governmental might.
Now, we have a problem.
This Angalaparameshwari vigraha was unearthed from Bhoodeviâs garbha hundred years ago. And the simple folks from far and near worshipped Her with great devotion. People from the fishermen colony of the Foreshore Estate on the beach, simple dalits from the Ayodhya Kuppam, The Dumming Kuppam, The Border Thottam and even from the far away Adyar Kuppam used to trek miles to have Her darshan. And the month of Aadi would spread the aroma of delicious pongal from scores of earthen pots from the Temple site.
I got a call from the Mylapore M.L.A, Sri Lakshmananâs (BJP) office. A specific request was made if I could visit the place and do something !!! This comes under his constituency!
The District Secretary of South Chennai for Hindu Munnani, Sri Sukumar ji called me subsequently. Can I visit the site and could we do something together on this issue?
I told them that I would visit at 5 P.M. on Friday, the 30th July. I did.
I was amazed to see close to fifty women making pongal, an offering to their Angalaparameshwari.
I introduced myself. And sat down to have a chat with the simple women.
1. They have been coming to the Temple each Sunday, since their childhood.
2. Most of them told me that this has been the practice since the times of their grand parents.
3. They identified the problem to the christian lady officer who works in the fishermen training institute, 50 metres from the Temple. I have to check this out in depth.
4. They are all deeply hurt and would not know what to do or whom to approach.
THE PLAN
I suggested that we had three options:
1. Go to court and fight this out legally, though we may not have any proper documents to support our case. This is lengthy, cumbersome and we could lose.
2. Raise a lot of dust through agitation, for which most of the women may not be inclined at this juncture. So we will keep this option open to sometime later.
3. Bring this to the notice of the rulers in a step-by-step manner, a calculated design by which we make this Temple popular, as also make the administration sit up and notice our strength in prayer.
OPERATION TIRUVILAKKU PUJA
I suggested to them that we should instantly commence a Tiruvilakku puja at this site. This should take place unfailingly each Friday evening. I would come to initiate this Puja on 06th August, 2004 at 5 P.M. We should ensure a large participation each week. Women numbering 100 should be around each week and all efforts should be taken by the women to swell these numbers with the passage of every week.
EACH ONE REACH ONE
To start with, it was agreed that each of the 50 women who assembled to hear me would bring another women along with her, so there should be a healthy strength of hundred women on the very first Tiruvilakku puja on 6th Aug.
This has been agreed.
I requested them to make the puja as simple as possible. No elaborate materials as this would be a weekly ritual and there should not be any drop out because of any costs involved that they would find hard to bear.
I assured them that with the passage of time, the Temple would become so popular that we will have more people lining up to have the darshan of Angalaparameshwari. A silent word of mouth publicity on miracles, that should catch like a hungry flame through thatched slums far and wide.
We will put our friendly Press sometime during the course of one such Pujas. So lot more people come to hear of this wonderful Angalaparameshwari.
And when such a hype is created, with more and more women participating in the rituals, the government cannot prevent the construction of a pukka Temple on this site.
That power of prayer would humble even the most arrogant of administrators.
Namaste,
S.V.Badri
+91 98840 49517
to view photos, click:
http://uk.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/setlur...badri/my_photos
A 100 Year old Temple has been Brought Down by Tamil Nadu government
There is this magnificent Chettinad House. The palace of Kumararani Meena Muthiah ji and her brother-in-law, Sri MAM.Ramaswamy ji.
Bang opposite to this lies this government poramboke land.
The Tamil Nadu Government has set up a huge structure designed as the Manimandapam for Ambedkar on this land.
We have no problem.
And there is this Fishermen Training institute of the Government on this land, situated next to the Manimandapam.
We have no problem.
And then there used to be a small Temple dedicated to Angalaparameshwari.
It is no longer there.
Brought down thrice by the government officials.
The first was a shack.
The next two were brick and mortar structures.
Twice these simple devotees withstood the acts of government vandalism.
The nativeâs resilience is broken now, with this third show of stealthy governmental might.
Now, we have a problem.
This Angalaparameshwari vigraha was unearthed from Bhoodeviâs garbha hundred years ago. And the simple folks from far and near worshipped Her with great devotion. People from the fishermen colony of the Foreshore Estate on the beach, simple dalits from the Ayodhya Kuppam, The Dumming Kuppam, The Border Thottam and even from the far away Adyar Kuppam used to trek miles to have Her darshan. And the month of Aadi would spread the aroma of delicious pongal from scores of earthen pots from the Temple site.
I got a call from the Mylapore M.L.A, Sri Lakshmananâs (BJP) office. A specific request was made if I could visit the place and do something !!! This comes under his constituency!
The District Secretary of South Chennai for Hindu Munnani, Sri Sukumar ji called me subsequently. Can I visit the site and could we do something together on this issue?
I told them that I would visit at 5 P.M. on Friday, the 30th July. I did.
I was amazed to see close to fifty women making pongal, an offering to their Angalaparameshwari.
I introduced myself. And sat down to have a chat with the simple women.
1. They have been coming to the Temple each Sunday, since their childhood.
2. Most of them told me that this has been the practice since the times of their grand parents.
3. They identified the problem to the christian lady officer who works in the fishermen training institute, 50 metres from the Temple. I have to check this out in depth.
4. They are all deeply hurt and would not know what to do or whom to approach.
THE PLAN
I suggested that we had three options:
1. Go to court and fight this out legally, though we may not have any proper documents to support our case. This is lengthy, cumbersome and we could lose.
2. Raise a lot of dust through agitation, for which most of the women may not be inclined at this juncture. So we will keep this option open to sometime later.
3. Bring this to the notice of the rulers in a step-by-step manner, a calculated design by which we make this Temple popular, as also make the administration sit up and notice our strength in prayer.
OPERATION TIRUVILAKKU PUJA
I suggested to them that we should instantly commence a Tiruvilakku puja at this site. This should take place unfailingly each Friday evening. I would come to initiate this Puja on 06th August, 2004 at 5 P.M. We should ensure a large participation each week. Women numbering 100 should be around each week and all efforts should be taken by the women to swell these numbers with the passage of every week.
EACH ONE REACH ONE
To start with, it was agreed that each of the 50 women who assembled to hear me would bring another women along with her, so there should be a healthy strength of hundred women on the very first Tiruvilakku puja on 6th Aug.
This has been agreed.
I requested them to make the puja as simple as possible. No elaborate materials as this would be a weekly ritual and there should not be any drop out because of any costs involved that they would find hard to bear.
I assured them that with the passage of time, the Temple would become so popular that we will have more people lining up to have the darshan of Angalaparameshwari. A silent word of mouth publicity on miracles, that should catch like a hungry flame through thatched slums far and wide.
We will put our friendly Press sometime during the course of one such Pujas. So lot more people come to hear of this wonderful Angalaparameshwari.
And when such a hype is created, with more and more women participating in the rituals, the government cannot prevent the construction of a pukka Temple on this site.
That power of prayer would humble even the most arrogant of administrators.
Namaste,
S.V.Badri
+91 98840 49517
to view photos, click:
http://uk.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/setlur...badri/my_photos