Yet another incident of forcing Periyar ideologies on young minds and banning the use of wrist thread, religious symbols have come to open in Tamil Nadu.
‘Today’s students are tomorrow’s kings,’ goes a saying in Tamil. Young minds are fertile land and clay that can be moulded the way we want to shape. The Dravidian and left parties have been following these in an optimum in the country to force-feed the young minds in a sweet coated way. Some take a harsh blatant way. In Tamil Nadu convent schools, girls are not allowed to wear bangles, ear and rings, vermillion on the forehead, wearing a talisman or sacred thread, flowers on their hair and other religious symbols are completely prohibited. For boys, they should not wear sacred thread on their wrists and neck, no sacred or vermillion, sandal paste or Namam on their forehead. Dhotis are not allowed even on festival days.
Organiser Weekly on December 10, 2019, carried an article that shows how a student was targeted and punished for not wearing slippers who was observing a 41 day of penance. Till they complete the pilgrimage to Sabrimala, the devotees on a vow should wear sacred Mala with a pendant with the image of Lord Ayyappa, should avoid shaving, slippers. They normally wear black or saffron colour dhoti, shirt and towels that they are easily identified that they are on a Sabarimala pilgrimage. Promoth Bala (12), son of Deiva Kumar, studying in government-aided TDTA Good Shepherd High School at Edairkaadu in Tuticorin district. On seeing the boy coming in a black dress with mala on his neck, his class teacher wanted to punish him. In an obvious move to demean the Deeksha dress he was wearing and the sanctity attached to it, the teacher asked him to clean the toilets in the same attire. The toilet was to be cleaned with acid. While cleaning the acid fell on his forehand and burnt a large part of his hand. Unable to bear the pain, he was rushed to the hospital where he was treated. His parents and relatives protested against the school and urged the authorities to arrest the Head Master of the school and the class teacher responsible for this. Some alleged that the teacher only poured the acid on his hands. The issue was hushed up.
In 2018, Cluny Matriculation school, near Arani, punished two girls for wearing sacred ashes, Chandan. The teacher grabbed her hair forcefully to remove the flowers which made the plaits come undone. They were advised to follow the school’s religious principles. The students were canned and made to kneel for two hours. In 2017, Tiruchirappalli, Servit Matriculation School at Keezhapudur, students were punished for having burst crackers for Diwali.
Now in a recent incident which took place in a government higher secondary school in Perumal Palayam in Thuraiyur, Trichy district. The mathematics teacher, an ardent follower of Periyar, comes to school wearing a Black shirt. All Periyar followers wear only a black shirt and white dhoti to indicate their ideologies. The issue came to the fore when some girl students reported what was happening in the school; molestation attempts. Shanmugam, according to students, force students not to wear bangles, flowers, sacred thread, sacred ash and vermillion (Kumkum). It is learnt that the teacher would wipe the religious symbols from their forehead and cut the threads on their wrists and neck. He also allegedly used obscene and double entendre while scolding them besides touching inappropriately in the pretext of guiding them of removing threads on neck and wrist.
Shanmugam often degraded Hindu religious and spiritual beliefs. He used to teach them a lesson on atheism. The maths teacher can be always seen at the entrance of the school building with a pair of scissors in his hand to cut sacred threads and flowers as they come to padasala. He broke the bangles with the scissors and touch them appropriately on the pretext of removing them. Infuriated with his high handedness and forcing his ideologies on young minds, parents of some students brought it to the notice of district education department as well to the police. On investigation, Shanmugam was found guilty. They heard the views of the students and Shanmugam before coming to this decision. The report has now been sent to higher officials for necessary action. Parents have been urging him to be booked under POSCO.
This incident just the tip of an iceberg. Most incidents were not reported or made public as the students fear their future and the stigma attached to it. They fear for their life and public exposure. Such elements take this in their favour as a blessing. Under the constitution, people have a right to practice their faith and religion. None can force their faith on others. But in Bharat Abrahamic and evangelical forces are freedom by the political dispensation in line with their minority appeasement. Thanks to the intolerance of Hindus, this kind of things will go on unchecked till they raise their voice loudly or form a Hindu vote bank.
Journalist Nambi Narayanan said, “all those who follow rationalism are behaving obscenely. Seeman, Thol Thirumavalavan and all DMK leaders are examples. With the perverted mind full of obscene thinking, they do not have a liking for spiritualism. To justify their obscene, they talk rationalism. They call themselves liberals. They do not have any morals and restrictions like us. Rationalism is a license to carry such things and force their ideologies on others. The case in hand, Shanmugam molested girl students. Both the Dravidiar Kazhagam and DMK appointed teachers who follow Periyarism. The JACTO and Federation of teachers can always be seen with the DMK government. The Dravidian leader has corrupted the minds of teachers who are from tribal communities.”
“Shanmugam is a Maths teacher and he is expected to teach his subject only not to preach Periyar Ideologies. What was his concern about how the girl students wear on the wrist, on head-on the forehead? It is none of his business. Those who speak rationalists have zero tolerance for other faiths and beliefs. He has no right to teach his beliefs on students. Can Shanmugam and others will dare to remove Hijab or burka from Muslim students or remove cross pendant on Christian students? Why stop their objection only with Hindus? These gutless Dravidians will show their valour only with Hindus not with other minorities and they know what will happen if they do such things. They are cowards. Ramananthapuram District collector Nandakumar while chairing a meeting with school heads asked them to ensure no religious symbols, identities in schools. I know how he conducted Muslims and ill-treated Hindus. The same district collector did not object to Muslims wearing burka or hijab or Christians wearing a cross in a mala,” he added.
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