Thiruvananthapuram: All Hail Constitution

Thiruvananthapuram: The Central stadium behind secretariat turned pink on Tuesday with hundreds of people wearing badges, T shirts, caps and headbands declaring loudly “We the people”  #with the constitution. It was a celebration of the constitution in every sense. People cutting across age, gender came together to sing, shake a leg and be part of the lively atmosphere.

The organisers interspersed speeches of prominent persons with performance of Oorali band, Gravity Band, Baul songs, drama and programmes of Manaveeyam Theruvidam Cultural creative. Oorali group members presented a mix of folk, reggae and rock, interacted with the audience on contemporary political and cultural topics in their inimitable style. There was constant flow of people into the stadium through the day. Organisers had arranged Kanji, payar and achar  for just '20 which people relished using jackfruit leaf spoon. To make the programme environment friendly, organisers dropped the earlier plan to let go balloons up in the air. Volunteers collected the balloons.

Earlier, the programme began with organisers administering the pledge enshrined in the Constitution. “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens, justice, social, economic and political; liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation; in our constituent assembly this  26th day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution,’’ reads the preamble to the Constitution.

The charade of street protests against the top court verdict, granting the right to darshan at Ayyappa sannidhanam to all women, irrespective of age, is at the root of We the people. The organisers termed the protests and the propaganda as political opportunism, which questions the very premise of the constitutional assurance.

The organisers described the event as a magenta revolution in the making. They have chosen magenta as the theme colour of the event. People from any part of the country can emulate this model and organize similar events in different parts of the country.

Social activist Shabnam Hashmi pointed out that Kerala was one of the few places in the country where such meetings could happen. If the programme were organised at Gujarat, from where she comes, the organisers would have to give a prior explanation on the need for such a programme. Even if a hall is allotted, the organisers would have to give an undertaking that you would not utter a single word against the government. If you do not resist, such a situation is likely to occur in Kerala also, said Ms Hashmi.

Mr P. K. Sajeev of Mala Araya community, the erstwhile caretakers of the Sabariamala temple, reiterated the ownership over the temple. “The temple belonged to us. We are moving the court claiming the ownership of the temple. The civil society should support our claim”, said Mr Sajeev.

Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha general secretary Punnala Sreekumar said the entry of women of all ages to Sabarimala temple should be welcomed as it was the continuation of Renaissance ethos.

“The current situation is alarming as a set of goons who did not even respect the verdict of the court even showed the guts to abuse the Chief Minister and the officers of the police force by their caste and religion”, said Mr Sreekumar.

Adivasi Gotra Maha Sabha leader C. K. Janu said the Supreme Court verdict is in keeping the idea of gender equality, guaranteed by the Constitution. This idea of the Constitution is being challenged on the streets. Challenging the Constitution on the streets would lead to anarchy, said Ms Janu.

Jayachandran Kadambanad and team, PETS OF ANARCHY, drama by Sam and team, the saga of Renaissance a programme by Manaveeyam Theruvidam Culture Collective, performance of the Gravity Band, Baul songs by Deb Chaudhury and performance of artists from Manaveeyam streets were the major programmes of the event.

‘We the people with the Constitution,’ was the clamour made by hundreds of people who assembled at the Central stadium in the capital city on Tuesday. A celebration of constitution in every sense, the event, described as ‘magenta revolution in making,’ was organised by a collective of over 50 organisations.