Four decades back on this day I was trudging on the slanting hills of Sabarimala with thousands of black clad pilgrims .
It was evening
We had reached the previous day .
I was in a troupe of more than 50 pilgrims from Madras led by a venerant Guruswami .
For 40 days I had woken up at pre dawn , had my bath twice a day ,avoided non veg food visited temples .
Then I had just completed my second MBBS and just got into my third year MBBS where we enter hospitals ,and start our clinical foray when we sort of experience being virgin doctors.
On January first I had gone to Royapettah hospital straight from a bajan mandal in Perambur ,where the whole night of 31 dec I had been with my Sabarimala group fervently singing bhajans .
This was a vow I had made to Lord Ayappa that I would climb the hills if I get medical admission
For someone born in the so called FORWARD caste ,who are treated as backward but , by a strange stupid system , and ,a fatherless boy who could ill afford capitation to finance a medical seat in a private medical college ,though they were far and few those days it was a literal miracle I got a seat by merit .
Yes that year, Emergency was declared in Tamilnadu ,and Karunanidhis DMK was dismissed .
As medical admissions were fully corrupt it was decided that year the criterion would only be merit ,and for someone who got university first in physics ,in the 3 subjects physics, chemistry ,and biology I had 84 % aggregrate percentage more than the 80 kept as cut off that year .
So it was a miracle I still believe Lord Ayyappa made me a doctor .
My first trip was a long one lasting 2 weeks ,
We went rough by train ,public buses ,to many temples in Tamilnadu reaching Trivandrum ,later Chengannur, and in Erumeli ,as first time pilgrims we all adorned ourselves in colourful ribbons baloons and danced our way into Vavars mosque .
It was the practice to pray to Vavar the muslim bosom friend of Lord Ayyappa before we trekked the hills ,later after a nice bath we started trekking the hills by the long route .
Later I had gone to Sabarimala four more times by the shorter route from Pamba river .
It would take hard climbing for almost 3 days barefoot when we stayed on the banks of flowing Azhudha river on first day ,and climbed the very tough Karimala on second day .
We climbed down into Pamba ,stayed there for 2 days ,later we climbed up the steep Neeli mala and reached sannidhaanam .
The climbing of the 18 steps was emotional as we were literally supported by police men on sides .
The crowds were mamoth ,but everything was in order as the policemen too were devout ,helpful , and everyone were Ayappas , women of prescribed age ,men ,children ,all
no caste , no religion ,no rich ,no poor ,no state ,no nation ,it was humans meeting the divine ,in the greatest pilgrimage in the world .
And today to hear insults heaped on this temple of discrimination !!
by idiots who know nothing of its sanctity.
who have no belief in its deity ,who by force and convoluted mindset are bent on destroying such a sacred place ,by bringing in issues ,which the same holier than thou wouldnt dare mentioning in other religions 😡
As a sincere devotee like thousands of men and women,yes ,
women like my daughter and mother both I had taken to sabarimala , later women like my wife ,women in my family, my friends ,thousands of them sincere, faithful ,devotees of Lord Ayyappa , not only feel not discriminated ,but are willing to wait for the time to go .
Are we Sanghis ,RSS ,saffron terrorists ?
which is the label given to all sabarimala pilgrims by the cunning devils .
Its our faith .
Its our belief.
Who the hell are you to interfere ?
What right has the supreme court to insult us ?
Who is that man sitting as keralas honcho , to turn his police force on pilgrims hosing water , hitting them with lathis ,tear gassing the pilgrims ,arresting them as common criminals !😡😡😡😡
What kind of a state is this which discriminates tortures one community to carry on its agenda while looting temples ?
Its ministers ridicule our thantri ,or chief priest calls him an employer ,who should be kicked out ,this when they cosy up on terror accused mullahs ,and rapist Bishops !!
The hurt on sabarimala pilgrims is deep and permanent .
It has turned a silent ,soft ,civil ,law abiding spiritual group of humans , into angry men and women.
Angry and frustrated , that this could happen in the country they call it their own.
This is true intolerance ,Nasserudhin shah ,Aamir khan ,we feel we want to quit this state ,this nation , no not because we dont love it like you , not because we think as Hindus ,but because we have monsters bent on hurting us only ,because we dont react ,because we need to be exploited for those parasites to live here .
Today at 6.30 pm just like that day 4 decades back ,thousands would be sitting on the cold mountain waiting for the call from lord Ayappa ,praying to him as we had for aeons ,that he will destroy the evil and help us in doing that .
Swamiye saranam Ayappa
