It is time to stop the Makaravilakku charade

The Supreme Court has asked a simple question: Why can’t women visit Sabarimala? While the Pandora’s box has been opened and arguments and counter arguments are being flung in all directions, another question begs to be asked. Isn’t it time we informed all believers that the divine light is not divine?

Rationalists have been screaming themselves hoarse for years trying to convince the gullible public that there is nothing miraculous about the makara jyothi that appears on a single day in mid January every year. Millions of devotees congregate to witness the so-called divine manifestation. It was only a few years ago that the local press reported that the light was man-made. For decades the Devaswom Board, KSEB, Forest deptartment, tantris, mantris, traders, adivasis and others conspired to create this phenomenon by igniting heaps of camphor on a platform at Ponnambalamedu, a place virtually unreachable without help from government officials. The silence of the believers who were aware of this trickery from inception helped to keep alive the myth of Sabarimala that was a key factor in its marketing success. A study in contrast would be the immense popularity of the Attukkal Pongala that has proved beyond doubt that marketing campaigns can be just as successful without hoodwinking the public.

So why did the Make-in-India mandarins of yesteryears plan this grand deception in the first place? Let's try to understand the economics.  If Rs 5 crore pilgrims visit Sabarimala every year and each gives a one rupee coin to the tantri as kanikkai, what would be his annual income? I wonder if the man files tax returns. If I was his sister I would envy his job - and go to the Supreme Court seeking equal opportunity (forget about equal worshipping rights!). This gives us glimpse of the enormous benefits to the government and the tradespeople.  

The truth is that the government, the tantris and the traders (of all religions) have a vested interest in keeping alive the divine light fallacy. When G Sudhakaran, atheist, communist and former Devaswom minister, remarked that some men consume alcohol and climb the sacred steps, there was a vicious backlash. When the truth of the light-generation was finally revealed, there was a ridiculous attempt to distinguish between the makara jyothi and the makara vilakku, describing one as a star and the other as a flame. The truth is that neither is divine or miraculous.

It's time to stop the charade. Why not put up visible boards at all points en route to the hilltop with a message akin to ‘cigarette smoking is injurious to health’? For example: Behold the 10-million candle-power Made-in-Kerala light! Sorry, we can do this only once a year, the process is too difficult!

A confession is long overdue. If the Catholic Church can apologize for the transgressions of its clerics why can't the government of Kerala do likewise? Or will everyone wait until another PIL reaches the Supreme Court?