MAYILADUTHURAI: Everyone has the right to offer worship at a temple. A 'diktat' sent from the blue by a fisherfolk panchayat should not prevent them from participating in an annual festival, women members of a joint family have said.
The spouses of a family of six brothers from Keezhamovarkarai village near Sirkazhi have been running from pillar to post for the past few days, hoping that the 'diktat' will be removed so that they can exist peacefully with all villagers and offer worship at the Shri Seethala Parameshwari Temple festival scheduled for Friday. They claimed that the reason the fisherfolk panchayat ostracised them was for carving out the names of two family members on a step donated to the temple by the family.
With the male members -- Jayakumar, Karnan, Nilavan, Raja, Murali and Madhavan -- gone for long-distance fishing, their spouses -- Santhi, Panimalar, Devaki, Uma, Swetha and Madhiyarasi -- are trying their best to ensure their participation in the festival.
"The fisherfolk panchayat has made an open announcement about the diktat. We want to participate in the festival being held in the temple for which we contributed. We want to offer worship, participate in rituals like carrying milk pots and walk on burning charcoal," says Santhi, wife of the eldest of the brothers, Jayakumar.
Nilavan had made a 'threshold step' ('Nilai Padi') out of bronze at the cost of Rs 1.5 lakh at the entrance of the temple three years ago and also carved out his and his wife's name on the sides. "There were no issues during two annual festivals after my husband made the step. The fisherfolk panchayat suddenly asked us to remove the names three months ago. When we refused, they ostracised us," says Nilavan's wife, Devaki.
The women said their husbands, who work from Karaikal fishing harbour (Karaikal) and Jegathapattinam fishing harbour (Pudukottai district), also face harassment in their profession.
"As the fisherfolk panchayat is not providing us with essential goods in our village, we are going to places like Sirkazhi to buy them. Our children are okay as they are studying online and in other villages. But, what hurt us the most was telling our children not to socialise with other people," says Panimalar, wife of Karnan.
Ostracism and ex-communication are still punishments in practice in fishing hamlets in the coastal delta. The word of fisherfolk panchayats is often considered final in important issues, sometimes above the district administration or the fisheries department.
The women have been frantically trying to get the 'diktat' lifted as they were under the assumption that they would be allowed to take part in the festival.
Sirkazhi DSP TAJ Lamech says, "We learnt that the brothers had a physical altercation with the panchayat members about the 'step controversy' a few months ago. That should not deprive anyone of their right to offer worship. We are in talks with the village representatives about sorting out their differences."