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‘Kerala a religion-dominated society'

Historian K.N. Panikkar says political parties are exploiting religious divisions in Kerala.

CHERAYI (ERNAKULAM DT.): The venue was apt for the topic and the topic was apt for the contemporary Kerala society where politics shadow-played religion.

The organisers of a seminar on ‘religion and politics,' the Library Council of Ernakulam district, had consciously picked the Sahodaran Ayyappan Memorial, located at the rationalist and social reformer's ancient home at Cherayi, to send out their message: ‘religion, keep out of politics.' It was at this home that Sahodaran Ayyappan launched his Misra Bhojanam (inter-dining of upper castes and outcastes), the Brotherhood Association (Sahodara Sangham) and the rationalist movement. It was here that Ayyappan issued the famous rejoinder to Narayana Guru: “Jaathi Venda, Matham Venda, Daivam Venda Manushyanu” (humans need no religion, caste or god).

Noted historian K.N. Panikkar, who was the lead speaker, was blunt with his observations about Kerala's current social realities—particularly, the invasion of politics and the public domain by religion. In spite of the socio-cultural renaissance initiated by the likes of Sahodaran Ayyappan a century ago, Kerala has now become a religion-dominated society, he said. Society was now divided on religious lines. Political parties, all of which had religious underpinnings, skilfully exploited this division.

“If you ask a friend who his neighbour is,” Dr. Panikkar said, “the answer will be: ‘A Muslim, a Christian or a Hindu.' You will not hear that the neighbour is an engineer or a teacher.” This was the true indicator of the kind of religion-dominated society that Kerala had turned out to be. Politics, instead of standing up to the religions, had succumbed to them and made use of them.

Religion was now a highly commercialised commodity and was being marketed by shrewd organisational structures.

These structures forced the individuals to act in a sectarian way in the public space. They wanted the individuals to assert only their religious or caste identities.

In the past, religion was confined to home and places of worship. But now it was on the street. Religious identities were being displayed and celebrated on the street. There were more religious processions on the street than political rallies.

Male chauvinism

Dr. Panikkar said despite better education and the renaissance movement, Kerala's was the most conservative society in India. And this was best displayed in the man-woman relationship. Male chauvinism was ruling the roost with the backing of religions.

He pointed out that the enormously large middle-class society was facing a cultural crisis. In fact, Kerala's middle class was not middle-class per se.

It had only donned the middle-class exterior by adopting modern lifestyle. “Kerala's middle-class mind is very conservative,” he remarked. Places of worship and godmen were where the middle class sought solace. The flocking of the middle class to Sabarimala and Attukal Pongala signalled the surrender of the middle class to religion. The shrewd clergy and the priests exploited this phenomenon.

Dr. Panikkar said it was high time Kerala rethought about itself. There was no point in going back to the renaissance values. What was needed was to move forward from where leaders such as Sahodran Ayyappan began a process of renaissance in Kerala society.

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