KOCHI: The Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS) will organise processions and public meetings at 100 centres across the country on Monday to mark the 125th anniversary of Ayyankali’s historic ride in a bullock cart along the streets of Travancore kingdom, challenging the ban on the ‘untouchables’ accessing public road. The protest in 1893 set the ball rolling for a social transformation in Kerala.
“We will bring bullock carts from Coimbatore, Pollachi and Valliyur in Tamil Nadu to organise symbolic bullock cart rides across the state on November 5. The processions will start at 3 pm which will be followed by public meetings. Ministers and prominent leaders will inaugurate the public meetings. The theme of the meetings will be to strengthen the values of reformation and to defend social evils,” general secretary Punnala Sreekumar told reporters here on Thursday.
He said the KPMS will support the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of young women to the Sabarimala temple. Any public place accessible to men should be open to women. The dignity of women is more important than the will of the God. Sreekumar said the protests against the women’s entry to Sabarimala is more political than spiritual. KPMS state president V Sreedharan was also present.