Kerala techie-turned-priest goes to Sabarimala after relinquishing Church licence

When Manoj decided to undertake the pilgrimage by undergoing the mandatory penance, the Anglican Church of South India, to which he was attached, had sought an explanation.

“No institutionalised Church can accept this. They have their norms. I decided to give back the licences that the Church had given me to perform the duties of a priest, such as officiating marriages and so on. In fact, I had never performed any such duties,” he said.

An engineering graduate, Manoj had worked for many years as a software professional before deciding in 2010 to explore spiritual life. In 2015, he became a priest under the Chennai-diocese of the Anglican Church.

“Although I am a priest, I had never actually worked as a priest, performing the duties assigned to me. I don’t believe in that kind of priesthood. I was following what Jesus has taught. I know that several Christian priests, belonging to various denominations, had visited the Sabarimala temple in the past. But they never revealed it in public. For me, it has been a long-cherished dream,” he said.

Manoj calls himself a spiritual scientist and runs “life rejuvenation programmes” online. “I would continue with my work, conducting classes and addressing seminars. I have not taken anything from the Church or used its premises for a living,” he said.