Was this a cover-up or blind omission? [ must read ]
This is another (truly shocking) example of a “blind” media…
I first read about this shortly after RC put it on his blog last December, “A statue story from the south” (must read)
As he wrote (at that time), “Due to the absence of coverage in the mainstream english media (CNN-IBN is running yet another headline about who is greater King Khan or Big Bee). Here is a compilation from the vernacular print media about the recent events in the state of Tamilnadu. This time it has nothing to do with Dalits like in Maharashtra. You can see the difference between violence born of oppression and that born of hatred.”
I was reminded of RC’s post when I came across this today: Temples desecrated in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu – whats going on?
The “Statue Story” is shocking, worrying, deeply disturbing and raises fundamental questions to which there are no easy answers…
As with any great post (and this is one of the best I have ever read), the *real* action is in the 111 comments…
Please read and think – how have things come to such a pass?
Unless we do something about the division(s) within ourselves, all this talk about building a great nation, a proud “Bharat” and a great model for world peace will remain just that – empty talk and meaningless words…
I am coming around to the view that bridging the deep chasms amongst ourselves should now be a priority – probably on par with national security.
Thoughts?
Can some reader who can read Tamil (or is from TN) please verify this report for me?
http://tinyurl.com/3jh82o
Full URL: http://mnachiappan.indiainteracts.com/2008/09/23/…
-dsecrated-human-excreta-on-the-vinayaka-idol-chappal-garlan
d-in-the-sanctum-santorum-of-amman/
***
Last year in Feb, TN police had “…arrested two persons on the charge of damaging a Vinayaka idol at Rameswaram…”
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/04/stories/2007020406640400.htm
dear shantanu,
1. as a tamilian who is competent in tamil, i can vouch that the blogger has done a very very competent job on transliteration of the article that appeared in “Dinamalar” a middle of the road vernacular news paper.
2. as an hindu who has lived in tamilnadu most of my life i can attest that this is not something new for us.
3. as a brahmin all i can say is “How do you retaliate? by stooping to the level of the people who did this ? Or like Arudathi Roy writing an article titled a “Republic of One” or ” India needs Azaadi from Psuedo Secularists”. You learn to live with them and laugh at them. after we are the nation of “Chaltha Hai” or “No Problem”
) In a civilised country, permission is required to erect statues in public spaces. Permission is granted/not granted as per law. On what basis did “Activists” put up Periyar’s statue in front of the Srirangam temple? If they had done this illegally, the statue should have been brought down by the state. If done legally, then what was the provocation for damaging the statue? If Periyar’s acolytes couldn’t view the temple even as a historical (not religious) site, then why couldn’t the fans of the temple view the statue as that of yet another Tamil leader? Shows how unthinkingly polarised, at every level, the country really is.
ii) Periyar’s statue was damaged by some miscreants. Again, in a civilised country the law would’ve been involved & the guilty brought to book
iii) As violence erupts across the state against Hindu temples and Brahmins, the state and police are their usual emasculated self. The media is least interested.
Such is medieval India where the rule of law and justice have been discarded into the dustbins. There’s no confidence in the “justice” system and hence there’s tit-for-tat retaliation in a steady downward spiral towards nationwide medievalism! Unless the justice system is reformed, I don’t see any deceleration in our spiral.
Jai Ho?
Sanjay