Protest is brewing against the decision of the Karivellur Kuniyan Parambath Bhagwati Temple Committee near Payyanur in Kannur district to replace a prominent Poorakkali artiste and banning him from performing at the temple festival as his son married a woman belonging to the Muslim community.
Vinod Panicker has been performing Poorakkali, a traditional dance ritual by men during the Pooram festival at Bhagavathy temples in north Malabar, for the past 38 years. Though his son married four years ago, he still has been performing the artform in several temples.
However, this was the first time two temples in Karivellur denied him the opportunity to perform. Last year, the Karivellur Sree Vaniyillam Someswari Temple authorities refused to let him perform.
“The temple committee members informed me that I cannot perform the ritualistic dance citing that my daughter-in-law, a non-Hindu, stays in my house. They told to me either shift to another house or move my daughter-in-law to a different place. But I cannot accept these proposals, “ Mr. Panicker told The Hindu.
However, temple committee member V. Sasidharan said the issue was blown out of proportion with a communal angle. “This is a community temple. The decision to replace Mr. Vinod was taken by the previous committee members. And that too after Mr. Vinod refused to accept the invitation to performance, “ he added.
Previously, Mr. Panicker had raised the issue before various forums, including the local office of the CPI(M). However, nothing happened, he said.
Reacting to the issue, CPI(M) Kannur district secretary M.V. Jayarajan told the media on Tuesday that society would not accept the restrictions imposed by some temple committees on the Poorakkali exponent. Art should not be used as a tool to divide people, he said , adding that the managements that invited Mr. Panicker to perform at their temples should be appreciated.
DYFI activists also staged a protest at Karivellur even as the issue went viral on social media.
Taking up cudgels on behalf of the artiste, K. V. Prashanth Kumar, secretary of Progressive Art and Literary Society in Payyanur, demanded that the temple committee reconsider its decision to remove him from the festival.
