Bengaluru: Sujatha Gidla, author of Ants Among Elephants, stirred up a debate when she complained about the lighting of the traditional lamp at the Times Litfest Bangalore - 2018.
"The hindu-looking tall brass thing with wick on the top lit at the TOI Bangalore lit fest was something like this. How are Chrsitians, Muslims supposed to feel at this!!" she tweeted on her official handle.The hindu-looking tall brass thing with wick on the top lit at the TOI Bangalore lit fest was something like this. How are Chrsitians, Muslims supposed to feel at this!! pic.twitter.com/9dMxrC3xVd
— Sujatha Gidla (@gidla_sujatha) February 4, 2018 Many Twitter users took objection to the author's statements, with some pointing out that the 'hindu-looking tall brass thin' is called a Nilavilakku and is liberally used by members of other religious traditions as well.Please spare 'nilavilakku'.
— Vivek S Nambiar (@ivivek_nambiar) February 5, 2018
For South Indians, it is not a 'Hindu-looking tall brass thing', all communities use it alike. I just attended a Christian wedding, the bride was welcomed home with this 'brass thing'. https://t.co/uVwLYQZdd5This is an unjustified comment. 'Nilavilakku' is very much part of the South Indian cultural landscape and to see divisiveness in it is unwarranted. In my opinion. https://t.co/A65SKlBIA3
— Tony Joseph (@tjoseph0010) February 5, 2018This tall brass thing is Nilavilakku, the traditional South Indian lamp. In Kerala you will find it in churches too. I don't think anyone feels offended by it. https://t.co/9hfclsbgVJ
— SamSays (@samjawed65) February 5, 2018True, have had many shapes and sizes of the nilavilakku at home since I was a kid. Let's not divide over this now. https://t.co/wUVyoKpzGL
— Suresh Mathew (@Suresh_Mathew_) February 5, 2018The lamp, known as Nilavilakku in Kerala, is popular across households of various religions in southern India. But it frequently pops up as a bone of contention among politicians. In 2015, Malayalam superstar Mammootty found himself on stage with the then Kerala Education Minister and Muslim League leader PK Abdu Rabb, who refused to light the lamp saying it was against his religious beliefs. Mammootty, a practising Muslim, reportedly told the Minister that lighting a lamp was neither for or against any religion. The incident led to an internal tiff in the Indian Union Muslim League when some in the the party wanted to pass a resolution against its ministers lighting the Nilavilakku at Government programmes. Popular leaders like K M Shaji and K M Muneer argued against such a resolution, saying the decision to light a lamp should be left to the individual leaders. In 2016, Left Democratic Front leader G Sudhakaran said the practice of lighting the traditional lamp at government functions should be discontinued. But Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shot the idea down. “Our stand is that religious symbols should be avoided during official functions. However, we don’t consider 'nilavilakku' in same category,” he said.Harvest festivals are not #Brahminism Hinduism.
— #IamGauri (@BeeGorgeous3) February 5, 2018
But regional. Sadly they have become associated with religion.
Syrian Christians and Muslims have their version of Nilavilakku...too.
As long as these remain as GENERIC regional symbols of prayer n not a #Brahminism Appropriation! pic.twitter.com/nMdrSer2UB
