MALAPPURAM: A festive air prevailed at the Thirunavaya residence of AK Sudhir Nampoothiri, who has been chosen the new Sabarimala melsanthi, with sweets being offered to visitors. Relatives, friends and neighbours thronged the residence to get the blessings of Sudhir Nampoothiri after the news broke.
The family members were besides themselves with joy at Sudhir’s new assignment. According to him, the blessings of his ancestors, who had served the principal deity - Navamukundan (Lord Vishnu) - of the Thirunavaya temple for the past 750 years and the prayers of his mother Bhadra ensured his selection.
“Serving Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala is the dream of every priest. I feel very happy right now. The blessings of my forefathers and the prayers of my family members, especially my mother Bhadra worked to my advantage,” he says.
His friends and relatives say Sudhir was committed to become the head priest of Sabarimala and applied for the post numerous times.
“Over the past seven years, my four friends - Rajeev Nampoothiri, Renjth Nampoothiri, Raman Nampoothiri and Manoj Nampoothiri and myself - had applied for the post. In the seventh try, one among us got the opportunity to serve Lord Ayyappa. I think Lord Ayyappa blessed me by granting the opportunity to serve him,” he says.
Sudhir Nampoothiri is not particularly concerned about the recent controversies related to women’s entry at Sabarimala.
“I’ll focus on serving Lord Ayyappa. It’s a big task and it is my dream. I will not divert my attention to anything else. There are many others around to take care of the controversies,” he said. The 43-year-old will assume charge on November 17.