Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the teachings of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru remained the strongest bulwark against superstition, misogyny, and pseudoscience that threatened to upend modern society and rational thought.
Unveiling the statue of the seer here, Mr. Vijayan said people built walls to segregate castes in neighbouring States. Some sections still considered rolling over leftover food discarded by Brahmins auspicious.
The seer’s teachings had largely insulated Kerala from such ill practices. They had helped preserve the historic dividends of religious reformation and social renaissance. His thought and writings have kept the dark ages at bay.
Mr Vijayan said the teachings of Sree Narayana were universal and not particular to any one caste. The seer had prepared the ground for progressive Left movements by exhorting downtrodden sections of society to marshal themselves to gain organisational strength. He also taught them to value education above all else and generate wealth through honest industry.
“Guru's enduring teachings are a powerful testament to his memory. However, the government wanted a tangible monument for the seer to manifest as a moral beacon for future generations,” he said.
The government would also honour other social reformers with similar monuments, including Chattamby Swamy and Ayyankali.
Mr Vijayan said the social reformer’s philosophy had guided the LDF government. The momentous decision to ordain trained persons from non-Brahmin castes as priests in the Devaswom Board temples was in unity with the Guru’s life and message. The government opened the doors of the sanctum sanctorum to the so-called lower castes. It was a milestone in social reformation like the temple entry proclamation, he said.
Mayor K. Sreekumar, Law Minister A. K. Balan, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, V. S. Sivakumar, MLA and V. K. Prasanth, MLA, were present.
