Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (EP)

Mangalore, Dec 5: “Made Snana” ritual is still being followed in Kukke Subrahmanya temple and other local temples in the name of tradition and faith despite protests against it for the last two years.  It is surprising that it has not been stopped yet. The Karnataka state backward class awareness forum has decided to hold a hunger strike in front of the office of the dakshina kannada district commissioner on December 7, 2013 urging the government to put an end to the practice and uphold the values in the constitution.

The ritual is being performed in front of temples in the name of culture and tradition and the temple priests and others are trying to justify the custom and oppose the anti superstition law.  The government should bring about the anti superstition law in order to stop insulting customs of human exploitation.  Though the proposed law mentioned ‘Made snana”, the government should not wait until the law is passed and stop the practice forthwith.
 
When a forum of backward classes had gone for research on Made snana to the temples on the day of Champa Shasti in December, 2011, the temple priests together with goondas had assaulted the group.  This made the Made snana a subject of discussion all over the country.  Though there are claims that the devotees perform Made snana out of their own free will, it is debated that the devotees were holding nude worship too of their own will.  The custom was stopped when the government cleared its stand on the subject.
 
The discussions on Made snana after 2011 were used by the Congress party to attack BJP.  Made snana in fact is a political subject.  It is the responsibility of the government to maintain the aspirations in the constitution at any cost.  The state backward class awareness forum had welcomed the Congress demand to stop Made snana when the then home minister and his cabinet colleagues had spoken against it.  The then opposition leader at the legislative assembly, Siddaramaiah and legislative council opposition leader Motamma had then gone ahead to collect people’s opinion on BJP with regard to Made snana.
 
Now the Congress party is in power and Siddaramaih who had raised his voice against the ritual is the chief minister, but the ritual is still being followed.  The forum urges him to stop the practice immediately.
 
The forum will hold a day’s hunger strike in front of the office of deputy commissioner on December 7 to urge the government to act on it.  Jnana Prakash Swamiji of Urilinga Peddi Mahasamstana Mut, Basavaraja Devaru of Revanasiddeshwara Mahamata, Siddaramananda Swamiji of Muduputhore Mut, Nayakarahatti Thipperudraswamiji of Chitradurga, Sri Mallappa swamiji of Belakavadi mut in Mandya, Basavaraja devaru of Alaganchi Gurulinga Jangama Mut and Sri Shabra Rachoti Shivacharya Swamiji of Bettadapura Mut will be participating in the hunger strike against Made snana and Pankti Bheda and urge the government to stop it.
 
Samata Sainika Dala, Dalita Sangharsha Samithi and DYFI have promised their support in the agitation.