Leaving little room for any controversy, the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar has decided to avoid evening sessions at the Maramon Convention from this year onwards.
The rescheduling of different sessions has been done by Mar Thoma Metropolitan Joseph Mar Thoma against the backdrop of the ongoing clamour for gender justice. The week-long Maramon Convention used to have three sessions and entry for women was not allowed to the evening session from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Certain progressive women’s movements and activists had termed it a ‘gross gender injustice.’
Moved court
Certain quarters have even moved court protesting against the denial of permission for women to the evening sessions of the convention. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan, through a circular to all parishes, has informed the Church members that various sessions of the century-old annual religious convention have been rescheduled so as to avoid the meetings in the evening, from this year onwards.
As per the revised schedule, the forenoon session will be concluded by 12 p.m. and the afternoon session will be held from 2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. The evening session has been advanced to 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
The 124th Maramon Convention will be held at its traditional venue of Pampa riverbed from February 10 to 17. The Metropolitan says the decision has been taken in consultation with the members of the Episcopal Synod.
“The Mar Thoma Church has always stood for gender equality and the restrictions or rather a sort of control imposed by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association on women during the evening sessions was to ensure their safety and security. I appreciate the decision to advance the timings of the third session so that women too can attend the same,” says Stella Thomas, former Elanthoor block panchayat president.
Safety aspects
K.K. Royson, former MTEA managing committee member, told The Hindu that the earlier decision not to permit women to the evening sessions was taken in view of transport and safety aspects.
Sam Eapen, district panchayat member, and Kurien Oommen, Susannamma Kurien, Thomas P. Thomas, Church members, are all praise for the Metropolitan’s decision.
Moreover, the decision, of the Metropolitian’s has once again, established the firm stand of the Church on women’s empowerment and gender justice, they said.