Communist elements sabotage the installation of statue of Sree Sankaracharya at the new entrance gate of Sree Sankaracharya University in Kalady
T Satisan, Kochi
The statues are meant for the memory of the great personalities, to make sure that they are not forgotten and their ideologies keep on shining and flaming. But these days installation of statues quite always triggers controversies. If at all they are installed most of them are either torched or demolished or at least damaged. Now, the installation of Jagadgru Sree Adi Sankaracharya’s statue in his birth place is in trouble.
The idea was to install one in Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskarit, launched in 1993, in Kalady. Immediately after the inception of the university a statue was installed, but it was demolished and torched around those days! And, the university installed another statue in the campus immediately. Now, the process of installing a gate and a Sree Sankara statue facing the highway, making the presence of the Sanskrit University felt, is being sabotaged by some elements. It was a government project both for the statue and the mural paintings. Those who come up with the objections were the part of the committees-in-charge of the constructions!
Gate and statue are constructed in connection with the official expenditure of the central endowments like RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan). Pro-communist elements are trying to stop this in some sort of Taliban style. Students of painting and sculpture, under the able-leadership and supervision of their famous professors, make the statue and the mural paintings. But, instead of projecting it as a model harmonious joint venture of both teachers and students, the antagonists condemn the project as idol worship and Brahmin pooja.
A serious complaint from the oppugnants was the possibility of the worshippers putting money into the coin box likely to be placed before the statue! But, the abettors do not agreed to it. They say, hundreds of people visit Sree Sankara Keethisthambham, a tall tower in Kalady; but they do not visit the university. When the opponents highlight the chances of Sabarimala-goers visiting the university, the defenders rule it out.
This university is one of the rare UGC A Grade educational institutions. If the project’s very existence is jeopardised, the artists involved are missing a great exposure of their talents hence their future will be adversely affected. It is significant to note that those who shout against the gate and statue belong to the same school thought who keep on renaming old halls and government institutions after the names of their leaders. They are not reluctant to install the statues of their leaders whenever they are powerful!
The installation of the statue Thunjath Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language, at Thunjath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, is still a non-starter, thanks to the Islamic fundamentalist influence in the area in Malapuram District. Similarly, a few years ago, the statue of the legendary Malayalam writer late OV Vijayan was vandalised in Malappuram District.
Reports from Kalady suggest that the people who draw lakhs of rupees as salaries for teaching Sankara Vedanta and Sanskrit literature, are themselves playing the anti-statue drama behind the curtain. If it is right it is serious and it should be enquired into. There are allegations that some teachers organize CPM party classes even during working hours.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan told that Sree Sankara statue should be installed in Kalady at any cost. He ridiculed the communist stand that it is a religious move. Sankara was very much above the religious perspective. Vishwa Manavikatha (universal humanity) was his philosophy. That is why the Government of Kerala declared Sankara Jayanti as the World Philosophy Day. “Then why this ridiculous opposition to the statue?,” people wonder. The mystery should be revealed.
