Bangalore: No Proposal to Ban 'Made Snana' - Dr Acharya
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Dec 13: Amidst the esclating pressure and raging controversy over the continuance of the ritual of Made Made Snana' prevalent in Lord Subrahmanyeshwara Temple in Subrahmanya during the annual car festival, state muzrai minister Dr V S Acharya said that there is no immediate proposal to ban this ritual. He made this announcement at the legislative council session on Monday December 12.
“This is a very sensitive and delicate issue. No hurried decision can be taken on this age-old practice. At the same time, I do not support the ritual. The government will try to find a solution after holding discussions with scholars and leaders from the region,” he stated.
The minister dubbed as improper the terming of the performance of this ritual by people by certain sections as stupidity. “It would be wrong to say that. Some persons may find this tradition, which has been handed down since centuries, as inhuman. But we cannot hurt the sentiments of the devotees,” he clarified. He pointed out that the ritual of Made Made Snana had not been started after the BJP government came to power, and that records reveal that the ritual was prevalent even before 1532. The minister said that he is feeling harassed at having to face criticisms relating to the issue, although he had done nothing wrong in this connection.
Opposition leader, Motamma, who termed Made Made Snana ritual as bad and indecent, asked the government not to allow this practice to continue in the guise of faith. She demanded placing a ban on the ritual like the earlier bans brought on the inhuman traditions of ‘Sati’, ‘Bettale Seve’, ‘Devadasi’ and others.
BJP MLC, Kota Srinivas Poojary, said that none of the members are supporting the system, but that the people have been performing this ritual as a service to the deity out of devotion.
In the meanwhile, president of Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum, K S Shivaramu, in a press conference held at Mysore on Monday, warned of organizing a protest Padayatra from Bangalore to Udupi in the first week of January 2012, if the government does not place a ban on this ritual by December 31. He said that Nidumamidi Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swamiji will lead this Padayatra.