THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Gandhian struggle by a group of Chattambi Swami devotees demanding the construction of a memorial for the Swami at Kannammoola entered the second year last week. The prayer strike, initiated by the Chattambi Swami Janmasthana Samrakshana Samithy, is now supported by the NSS, BJP and Congress.
Every evening, since January 28, 2008, around 50 activists of the Samithy have been staging a prayer strike in front of the property at Kannammoola, where Chattambi Swami was born. The great saint, who lived between 1854 and 1923, was born in a small house at Kannammoola. But, unfortunately, the city doesn’t have a memorial for the Swami.
The ‘Prayer Satyagraha’ was launched when Traffic IG B. Sandhya, who is the owner of the 17-cent plot where the Swami was born, began construction activities there. What irked the locals was the attempt to remove the soil in the plot to level it. The soil from the same plot was taken by Kumbalathu Sankupillai to be kept at the Chattambi Swami Memorial at Panmana and the devotees believe that the soil is sacred. Though the Samithy had approached the court for an injunction, it was not granted.
``We will continue the patient struggle till the Government delivers an order in our favour,’’ said Krishnakumar, general convener of the Samithy, on the first anniversary of the struggle. He had told 'Expresso' the same when the strike was launched last year. In the past one year, the Samithy had complained to the Chief Minister and all the Ministers demanding that a memorial be built at the birthplace of the Swami.
There was positive response from Ministers M.A. Baby, N.K. Premachandran and M. Vijayakumar. ``But, action is getting delayed,’’ said Krishnakumar. The Government had tried negotiations between the landlord and protestors, but both were adamant that they wouldn’t change their stand.
A proposal mooted by the NSS to settle the issue was turned down by the owner of the plot. It had asked the owner to dispense with 5 cents out of the 17 cents to build a memorial for the Swami. The NSS had taken the issue as a main agenda in the Taluk Nair Meets organised across the State. The State Nair conference, later this month, will also raise the issue.
The first anniversary of the struggle was observed with a mass prayer at Kannammoola. Former Union Ministers O. Rajagopal and S. Krishnakumar and Swami Gangesananda of Panmana Ashramam were among the guests who attended the bhajans.
