This Janmashtami Kerala witnessed dual celebrations. On one hand common people preferred to participate in the processions with unprecedented religious and cultural fervour, on the other Communists yet again showed their perverted mindset to demonise Hindu culture
T Satisan from Kochi
Balagokulam, the largest children’s movement in Asia, celebrated Janmashtami aka Sree Krishna Jayanti, on August 24, with all its elegance, pageantry and beauty throughout the state. Hundreds of thousands of children wearing the costumes of Sree Krishna and other puranic heroes and heroines thronged the streets in metro cities, towns and remote villages. More than 8,000 shobhayatras were conducted in the state. All shobhayatras were accompanied by the parents and well wishers of the children and young, enthusiastic workers of RSS and Sangh-oriented organisations. This time shobhayatras were larger in strength than yesteryears, thanks to the threats and venomous propaganda unleashed by CPM and their goons. Number of children in the shobhayatras swelled in geometrical progression. More floats and tableaus hiked the splendors of the shobahyatras.
Largest shobhayatras have been reported from Panoor, Thalassery, Kathiroor and Koothuparambu, all in Kannur District, the places CPM has converted into killing fields for the last four decades.
Even though the weekly gokulam, the classes for children in their localities on Bharathiya epics, culture and values, is the style of Balagokulam’s functioning, its exposure is through the shobhayatras, the part and parcel of the movement. People, cutting across political lines, participated in them. When large number of children from the CPM fold came forward to participate in Balagokulam shobhayatras the party bosses thought of an alternative mechanism to prevent their younger generation and women from inching towards Hindutwa movements. Last year they declared to observe “Secular Janmashtami” shobhayatras. But, it nosedived due to its own contradictions.
This year CPM observed Chattambi Swamiji’s birth-day on Janmashtami day. Swamiji was a Hindu sage of 19th century and was active in social
reformation along with Sree Narayana Guru, his contemporary and close associate. Both worked to save the caste-ridden Hindu society from the orthodox rituals. Both cited the sources of Vedas in their renaissance activities. Chattambi Swamiji opposed the conversion attempts of Christian missionaries
hammer and tongs. His book Christhumathachedanam (fight against Christian Church’s sinister moves) was a powerful tool for Hindu activists to foil the conversion tricks of the Church those days. This being the case, the Hindus belonging to all castes and political colours scoffed at the cheap politics and pseudo secular gimmicks of CPM. Their dream was for more than 200 shobhayatras in Kannur District, but it remained a mere dream.
Significantly Muslim families took interest in Janmashtami celebrations in their own styles. In Kozhikkode, Shihaz, an affluent businessman belonging to PK Group, an aristocratic family, sent his son Kumar Mohammed Maqtoum, in the costume of Sree Krishna, to participate in the Janmashtami celebrations in the school. Shihaz told Organiser that he was so happy about his son’s venture.
One Facebook post from Alappuzha is equally encouraging. Shafi Muhammed Rawther from Charummoodu posted a picture of himself and his little daughter Ameena in the costume of Sree Krishna. He used the FB post to wish Janmashtami greetings to ‘his brothers.’ It has already turned viral in the social media with 2600 plus shares and 1600 plus likes. All are lauding his endeavour for the social harmony. His post reads: “Sree Krishna Jayanti to all brothers. I am aware of the consequences of this post. Those who condemn me in my box as the protectors of Islam should realise that your intolerance paints Islam, a religion of peace, in extremist colour. Lot of Hindu brothers had posted greetings on Prophet’s Day. Did you not see them? I do not have any misconception that my post will bring secularism in Kerala overnight. Sree Krishna Jayanti greetings once again.”
In Thamarassery of Kozhikode and in couple of places belonging to Panoor like Chooralpuzha, the workers of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) received the shobhayatra and distributed sweets to the participants. KMCC is very close to Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
This year CPM planned to celebrate Janmashtami and shobhayatras under a new banner, Nammalonnu, meaning ‘We are one’. Some newspapers say that number of processions organised by CPM was more than 200. But, the local people maintain that they were hardly 190! But, the concept of tableaus and floats were worse than last year. They all epitomised violence and murder as an attempt to defame Sangh. Adding insult to the injury they deployed little boys for picturising murder! People wonder what sort of message they are conveying to the young generation by displaying these floats! Their very insistence on the date, time and place of shobhayatras coinciding with those of Balagokulam itself sounded their intention for physical violence.
At last they proved it true. The same evening CPM goons attacked the house of Bharatheeya Janatha Yuva Morcha zilla secretary Lasitha’s house in Pachapoika. Lasitha, her daughter Niya, sister, mother Leela and mother’s sister Nalini were injured in the attack and glass windows of the house were broken. In fact Lasitha, her daughter and mother had shifted to the sister’s house due to continuous attacks and harassment by the CPM men in their native village of Malal. Her house in Malal was attacked during the post-assembly election violence and the water in the well was polluted. Lasitha has filed more than ten complaints to the police station against CPM goons when she underwent several attacks and harassments. At last they moved to sister’s house; but still they are not safe.
CPM’s Janmashtmai experiment in Kannur District has not brought them good harvest. CPM’s processions could not attract good number of participants, let alone the viewers. But, the Balagokulam shobhayatras were stronger than last year with respect to the attendance, especially in Panoor, Kathiroor, Koothuparambu and Thalassery, the killing fields of CPM where maximum numbers of Sangh and BJP workers sacrificed their life for the ideology they keep close to their hearts. A total number of 300 elegant shobhayatras were organised in the district. Several thousands of viewers watched them from either side of the roads.
In Kannur District CPM continued their violence against Sangh workers even on August 25. Four Sangh workers were attacked and hospitalised. They are Sujesh, Santosh, Arun and Deepesh. Even though they were taken to the local hospitals immediately after the attacks, they had to be shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. In Kakkayangodu of Iritti near Thalassery, Kannur district, CPM men attacked a shobhayatra. Umesh, BJP councilor in the panchayat, Lipin and Arun were injured and hopitalised. Police and the leaders of both Balagokulam and CPM had agreed on time, place, etc. to avoid clashes. Balagokulam stuck on to the decision but CPM violated it and paved the way for collision hence clash. In fact CPM men infiltrated into the Balagokulam shobhayatra and attacked Umesh. Muzhakkunnu Panchayat observed hartal to protest against the attack. In Payyannur, CPM men attacked six Balagokulam workers in their attempt to foil the shobhayatras.
CPM’s processions once again exposed their intellectual bankruptcy. One of the pictures they were displaying was of Mannath Padmanabhan, the founder of Nair Service Society and the prominent leader of the Liberation Struggle which resulted in the dismissal of the first EMS ministry in 1959. Seeing the picture of Mannam in the processions, people wondered if CPM now justifies the dismissal of the first communist ministry in the country!
