Taken aback by the massive public protest by the Hindus in Kerala over the move to disrupt the Thrissur Pooram festival scheduled for April 2024, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retracted the government’s decision to hike the rental of the venue from `40 lakh `Rs 2.2 crore for holding the Pooram, the festival of festivals.
“Thrissur Pooram is an iconic event, and it should not be disturbed. There will not be any hasty decision to increase the rent of the venue,” the CM, who prefers to be addressed as Kerala’s ‘Karana Bhoothan,’ told the office bearers of the Thiruvampadi and Paramekkavu Devaswams, the temple administrators entrusted with the holding of Pooram.
The CM had a late evening online meeting with the office bearers of the Devaswams on Friday. The decision to hike the rentals had caused widespread resentment across the State, and Hindu organisations accused the CPM-led government was selectively targeting their festivals.
The Kerala government is already in the dock for the poor mismanagement of crowd control at the Sabarimala shrine during the November-December festival, as pilgrims had to wait 20 hours in the queue for their turn to worship at the temple. It is reported that eight persons died while waiting in the queue, and the medical arrangements were of poor quality.
“The blessing of Sakthan Thampuran was saved by the blessings of God’s Gift,” said Nandakishor, an ace humorist, in a post on his social media page. Thrissur Pooram owes its existence to Sakthan Thampuran (1751-1805), who ruled the princely State of Kochi. It has been chronicled that Sakthan Thampuran ordered holding the Pooram in Thrissur when the team of temple artists from his state were denied participation in Aarattupuzha Pooram. Later on, Thrissur Pooram stole a march over the Aarattupuzha Pooram. Nandakishor’s reference to God’s Gift is seen as an innuendo to Kerala Minister for Cooperation V N Vasavan, who, in an act of sycophancy, described Pinarayi Vijayan as God’s Gift to Kerala.
The Pioneer had carried a report on the growing concern among the Hindus of the State over the CPI-M government to wrest control of Pooram. Though the Pooram festival is for just one day, the preparation for the festival is a round the year process as hundreds of units across Central Kerala are engaged in manufacturing dazzling parasols, colorful umbrellas, aalavattam and venchamarams which are to be displayed from atop the elephants numbering around 100.
“All is well that ends well. But we are keeping our fingers crossed because it is almost certain that there are forces at work to disrupt the Pooram,” said Raju Raphel, documentary film maker and writer.
