Letters to the Editor — October 1, 2018

The Supreme Court’s verdict in the Sabarimala case is welcome. Now the challenge and task before the Kerala government lies in dealing with the logistics of managing an even larger crowd of pilgrims. Perhaps the temple should be kept open all through the year. Thought has to be given to transportation facilities, sanitation, food and drinking water. Proper arrangements have also to be put in place to ensure foolproof safety and security of women.

Konni, Kerala,

The verdict is a reminder of how valued cultural and religious symbols and institutions can have their narrative changed with just the stroke of the judiciary’s pen. I recall my father’s preparations for his pilgrimage to the temple when he was about 20 (he would have been 103 had he been alive). He went through the extreme rigours of staying away from his home, taking shelter in a shrine nearby, cooking his own meal using raw rice, and subsisting on just one meal a day for 41 days before starting out. This was just to avoid contact with women, who included his mother, grandmother and other senior female members, who in turn felt respected by such action rather than insulted as one would today assume. Of course such rigour is no longer observed. But such practices and memories are what make the Sabarimala experience unique. Things will no longer be the same again.

Thiruvanathapuram

The lone dissenting judge, Justice Indu Malhotra, has rightly said that the court cannot impose its morality or rationality with respect to the form of worship of a deity. Ancient traditions and practices differ from temple to temple in this vast land of unity amidst diversity. Stream-rolling of diverse traditions and cultures is something courts would do well to avoid.

Chennai

I wonder whether judicial thought went into the far-reaching implications of the verdict. It is fine to be talking about equality when it comes to worship, but the Sabarimala temple has its own set of unique issues. It is essentially a temple that shares valuable space with one of India’s premier biosphere reserves. With the number of pilgrims expected to increase manifold now, and safe and secure facilities having to be created for women pilgrims, it stands to reason that this would mean carving out more land from the adjacent and shrinking Periyar tiger reserve, which is already facing numerous pressures and unaddressed environmental concerns. No heed has been paid to detailed reports of the impact of plastic waste on wildlife and the release of untreated human waste in the forest areas and surrounding water bodies, especially during the pilgrimage season. Given this unique problem, the top court should have taken its time before pronouncing its verdict. The ecosystem around Sabarimala should not be given short shrift.

Bengaluru

It is most shocking that four years after Swachh Bharat, there are still sections of society which can get their next meal only if engaged in manual scavenging (Page 1, ‘Sunday Special’ –“Four years after Swachh: cleaning excreta for roti”, September 30). It is clear that data on rural areas being open defecation free appear to be bogus and need to be revisited as one is sure to find many more Santa Devis across India. How many more dark, dehumanising days are there to be in their lives? The judiciary needs to act firmly.

Nalgonda, Telangana

Ever since the advent and introduction of neoliberal policies in industry, terms such as contractual employment, casual labour, employment on daily wages and outsourcing have come to stay and torment the workforce. The workforce also suffers if there is an issue of improving productivity and cost reduction. In the name of “ease of doing business” and “attracting investment”, labour laws have been diluted, obviously in favour of the employer. The labour unrest in Manesar not so long ago is a grim reminder of the unfavourable climate that prevails for a work force already carved out as contractual, daily wage and permanent employees, with varied salaries to often carry out the same work. Trade unions will have to launch a sustained battle against the might of the corporate world in order to address genuine/basic problems of a distressed workforce (Tamil Nadu, “Labour pains”, September 30).

Coimbatore