KOLLAM: Biju Muthathi, a television journalist with Kairali TV channel faces death threat from Hindu extremists for his documentary on Oachira Parabrahma temple. The programme telecasted under the series ‘Kerala Express’ was titled Thendikalude Daivam or “The God of Beggars” that attracted the ire of extremists who allege the title has “insulted” their God. The Oachira Parabrahma temple is an abode to hundreds of people including beggars and the abandoned. The temple is also famous for its secular face without having an idol based on the concept of Parabrahma or the omnipotent God under Hindu religious concept.
The documentary was intended to project the virtue of the temple that is home to the destitute and its secular nature. “The temple gives shelter to several people who are abandoned and also the mentally unstable. Moreover, the temple is managed by a secular group of people under janakeeya samiti. The Sangh Parivar is aiming at intruding into the governing body to destroy its secular nature. This is not an attack against the programme alone,” Biju Muthathi told this newspaper.
The title of the programme was inspired from Mohanlal starrer movie Padamudra that was based on the Oachira temple. The character hints about the benevolent God or the parabrahmam, that there exists a God even for the beggars. “The temple is not in a traditional style. Here, all of the devotees congregate around a banyan tree as there exists no idol. The janakeeya samithi is a barrier for such extremists to intervene. All sort of religious believers assemble there which is against the liking of these extremists,” Mr Biju added.
“They attacked me on social media and over phone threatening to kill me.” Biju Muthathi has filed a petition with the State Police Chief regarding the death threat he received from Hindu extremists for airing the programme. However, in a secular republic, the channel had to re-telecast the programme on its 350th episode, without a title. “This is a failure of the precious democracy we believe in.”
