Thiruvananthapuram: Writer N.S. Madhavan has joined issue with the RSS activists who have demanded action against online shoe distributors Myntra for selling cow leather shoes and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
In a sharp retort to their Twitter campaign, he asked them to seek a ban on the Kerala temple percussion instrument Idakka whose skin is made from cow’s intestine.
The Sangh Parivar supporters had come down heavily on Myntra as its advertisement claimed that its products were made of cow skin.
The skin of Idakka, which was known as ‘ulloori’ or ‘chavvu,’ is made from the outer wall of the cow's intestine after it is cleaned and purified by members of a community named ‘chakliar.’
Idakka, however, is considered as a divine instrument, and is presented at Sopanam, the holy steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum of temples, during pooja sessions.
Madhavan, a known critic of the Sangh Parivar ideology, is an acclaimed short story writer in Malayalam. His ‘Thiruth’ is highly critical of the Sangha Parivar and chronicles the events that took place in the news room of a daily on the day of the Babri Masjid demolition.
He has backed the cause of authors like M.M. Kulburgi, Narendra Dalbhokar and Govind Pansare allegedly killed by rightwing forces and those who returned their awards or resigned from various posts of Sahitya Akademi.
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