VSK TN
April 6, 2012
Hindu Munnani Leader Ramagopalan hospitalised
On April 5, 2012 the 85 year old Hindu Munnani Founder Leader Ramagopalan, senior RSS pracharak, suffered a crack on his shoulder and an injury on his face when he slipped and fell in a bathroom. Immediately, he was admitted in a private nursing home in Erode. Doctors attending on him say that his condition is stable. He was in Erode on that day to participate in a massive Deepa Pooja in nearby Bhavani town. Anxious Hindu Munnani workers called on him.
Humble Carpenters Serve Devotees Through 11 Generations Non-stop
The 63 great Shiva bhakthas who are worshipped in Tamilnadu are known as ‘Nayanmars’. Major shiva temples across the state celebrate the ‘utsav of 63’ during March-April every year. For centuries the Kapaleeshwara temple in Chennai, Tamilnadu celebrates the ‘utsav of 63’ in a grand manner. Huge gathering of devotees walk for miles to participate in the utsav. Two families residing near the temple treat the devotees with food and buttermilk. This humanitarian service is performed by them through 11 generations non-stop. One family started the service in 1860 and the other family started the same in 1875. S Srinivasan who is now 78, says “We have had one son every generation for 11 generations and he has continued this practice”. Srinivasan’s son Venkatesan hopes that his own son and grandson will carry forward the tradition. The food items they serve are cooked by the family members themselves. The other family member Pitchandi who is 93 says, “We have never skipped a single year since 1875”. Both the families are of traditional carpenters. “For us this is a form of worship. We will never stops” says Baalu son of Pitchandi.
Hindu-Dominated Local Body Ensures Good Festival Ambience
Thousands of devotees throng every year during the famous “kodai festival” at Bhagawathy Amman Temple, Mandaikaadu, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu. Before Darshan of the Amman, it is customary for the devotees to have a holy bath in the sea and return with a pot of holy water to the temple. As lakhs of devotees take bath at the sea, the sea-shore is filled with shops for purchase. These shops are given on tenders to the participants. All these years the shops run along the coast during festivals are dominated by the Catholic dominated Church people giving no chance for Hindus. This annoyed the Hindus there. This has resulted in a historic victory for BJP in all 10 wards during the civic polls for Mandaikaadu Development Block held last year. Maheswari Murugesan, the Chairman of the Mandaikaadu Development Block, informs that a unanimous resolution was passed to the effect that the shop lease should be allowed to all sections of society. Repeated threats, pressure from Christians and officials do not deter the firmness of the councilors. That resulted in victory for Hindus to run shops at the sea coast. As a result, Kodai festival at Bhagawathy Amman Temple was celebrated in a grand manner without any exploitation by Church backed shop keepers this year.