After 8 yrs, Dalits get to pull Shiva’s chariot in TN

Dalits had been barred from the festival in recent years after the upper-cast Thevars and local nattars (descendants of the royal family) objected to their participation, leading to caste clashes in the region.

With Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa not wanting to antagonise the dominant Thevars or risk a caste clash in this Sivaganga district village, about 400 km from Chennai, district authorities and state police ensured that the court directive was followed only in letter. They did so by handpicking 25 Dalits, mostly Kandadevi local body staff and owing allegiance to the AIADMK, to drag the chariot.

District Collector Anand Rao Vishnu Patil says “the festival went off peacefully and harmoniously” but the CPI(M), which petitioned the high court over the issue, termed the incident a “mockery of the Dalit participation”.

With Dalit leaders like K Krishnasamy and T Thirumavalavan who were taken into preventive custody ahead of the festival likely to retaliate, there seems to be trouble ahead.

Anxious to prevent trouble, superintendents of police from seven surrounding districts and over 2,500 policemen had thrown a security cordon around the village before the festival began.

Police quietly sneaked in 25 Dalits who were acceptable to the upper castes before the procession began. When the festival began 15 minutes before schedule, policemen in plainclothes ushered the Dalits through the crowd that had gathered to the chariot. After the chariot began to roll after crushing a goat under its wooden wheels and went around the village, the Dalits were taken back to the temple.

They were led out furtively after the village had emptied out.

“Everything went off peacefully,” said K Kesavamani, who was “allowed” to participate. “They (the thevars) allowed us to drag the chariot,” he said.

However, it was totally a Thevar show. Sporting fierce moustaches, the Thevars exchanged smiles as slogans of “Long live Jayalalithaa” and “Are you challenging our procession? (a reference to the Dalit activists)” rent the air.

Although district authorities had distributed handbills and put up posters asking everyone to participate there were no men and youth to be found in the hamlet’s Dalit colonies yesterday morning. Dalits from surrounding villages were prevented from entering the village while their leaders were taken into custody.

Legend has it that Ram received news about Sita from Hanuman at Kandadevi after she had been kidnapped by Ravana.