Temple plan has 2 women jobless

Kozhikode: Two young women devotees of Lord Ayyappa have lost their jobs due to their ardent wish to worship him at Sabarimala.

Reshma Nishanth, 32, of Irinavu in Kannur, who is on a 41-day ‘vrutha,’ has quit her teaching job in an unaided college in Kannur due to the mounting protest against her from various quarters. Soorya Devarchana, another young woman who is on ‘vrutha’ and is staying in Kozhikode now, was fired from her job. She said in her Facebook post that she had been fired apparently due to her decision to go to Sabarimala. She did not reveal where she was working.

Reshma said, “my husband or my relatives cannot provide escort to me all the 41 days on my way to the college and back. Hence I quit the job.” 

A group of people claiming to be Ayyappa devotees had led a torchlight protest march to her house on the night of October 14. 

She was attacked on the social media with charges like “she wants to be popular by maligning the Hindu religion, ” “she is the puppet in the hands of the communist party to abuse Hindu dharma” etc. She has planned to do the ‘Kettum Nira’ (the ritual of preparing the bag to go to Sabarimala) from somewhere else. 

She hopes to climb Sabarimala in the company of a few other women devotees despite the protests.

“I am aware of the protest, blockade and chaos at Nilakkal during the last two days. But I trust that the police will give protection to all the devotees who want to see Lord Ayyappa,” she said.