The temple tragedy at Paravur in
the Kollam district of Kerala, which left over 110 people dead and around 400
injured, raises some serious questions beyond the massive tragedy itself. Right
now, the feelings of loss and the sorrow of the bereaved families hang heavy in
the air but this will be forgotten soon. An array of festivals awaits Kerala in
the months of April and May, before the arrival of the monsoon in June. There
are indications that the insane and incomprehensible ‘sound and fury’ of the
fireworks will be repeated in mega festivals like the iconic Thrissur Pooram,
unless the authorities do some serious thinking and impose restrictions of some
sort. The Devaswom Board authorities in Thrissur spoke in terms of the security
measures that had talked of ensuring a safe fireworks display on April 17, and
it did pass off quietly. There was however not a word about cutting down on the
fireworks display. When a tragedy of such intensity, as the one at Paravur,
strikes, politicians — national and state level — compete with each other to
visit the victims and even the public will discuss it for some time to come.
However, in Kerala, temple festivities and other large-scale religious events
should be seen in a different light.
This issue should be placed in the broader context of religious
revivalism in Kerala; a strong tendency being perceptible in the last few
decades which is contrary to the so-called Kerala Model of development.
Indulging in reminiscences has become a norm and as a part of this exercise,
defunct rituals and rites have been ‘reinvented’ and revived. The new trend is
the revival of the religious institutions of all sorts — from the nonexistent
Tharavdu temples to dilapidated structures. Unfortunately, there are many
takers for this in Kerala society. The festivals, which include all the
religious communities, are the platform to display respective strengths and a
sense of solidarity. One of the major factors responsible for revivalism is the
prominent role of caste and religious organisations in the social and political
realms. Caste-based organisations are not new to Kerala polity. Historically,
they emerged as organisations of reformation in the early 20th century.
However, in the present day context, their role is mostly reactionary and thus
their contribution to revivalism is enormous. The political parties, including
the Left, have not only failed to curb the growth of communal organisations,
but they also succumb to the pressure of these organisations.
Yet another factor is that temple
festivals are no longer confined to a village or a locality as it was in the
past. Back then the households of the village shared the expenses of the
festivities through cash and kind. For instance, a measure (para) of paddy or
some money, proportionate to the capacity of the household, was collected by
the temple authority in person. In contrast, temple festivals are mega affairs
today with corporate houses stepping forward to sponsor the event. The huge
hoardings of jewellery, textile and other large business chains displayed
prominently at temple premises during festivals announce their indomitable
presence in these festivals. Along with these, the
expatriate-remittance-contributed wealth has also added to the scale of an extravaganza.
They bring an element of competition among the village festivals. Year after
year, the competition gets fiercer, with the display of fireworks becoming an
integral component of this competitive fervour.
There is no check on the amount of
money spent on these extravagant events. There were “stringent” orders from the
administration on the stipulated amount of the pyrotechnic materials that could
be used by the temple authority during the festivals. But it is common
knowledge that the orders are blatantly violated. In the Puttingal temple, the
reports say that the fireworks began around midnight and it continued till
3:30am, when the explosion happened. Despite four hours of fireworks, 30 per
cent of the material was still unused and stored in the shed, which caused the
devastating explosion and the massive fire. According to some newspaper
reports, the temple authorities claimed that the fireworks amounting to only
Rs10 lakh was used in Puttingal. Even individual households celebrating Diwali
know the forbidding expenditure of bursting even a few minutes of firecrackers.
Considering the duration that the
fireworks display went on before the mishap occurred, this clearly indicates
that the amount quoted by the temple authorities is just a fraction of the
actual amount spent. Hopefully, the inquiry will bring monetary aspects of
festivals to public knowledge.
With religious groups becoming a
vote-bank, political parties from the Right to the Left fear that the proposal
for a total ban of fireworks will affect their vote-gathering power. In Kerala,
with elections around the corner, no party would consider such steps. Hence,
the discourse is on security measures or on the reduction in the use of
explosive materials. The authorities’ talk reflected this attitude in their
discussions in the arrangements they made at the Thrissur Pooram. The cordoning
off of the venue of the fireworks display to keep devotees at a safe distance
is the main concern now. Lost in this collective complicity are the voices of sane
individuals. In the case of the Paravur fireworks, the sole voice of protest
came from an 80-year-old local woman, Pankajakshi Amma, whose house, in the
vicinity of the temple, suffered damages every year during the temple festival.
There were also oral complaints that the high-decibel noise pollution disturbed
the aged and the children immensely. Apparently, Pankajakshi’s family stays
away from home during the festival. She registered a complaint with the
district authority against the massive use of fireworks during the festival but
was threatened by the organisers for complaining. The district administration,
after a discussion with the concerned authorities, acted upon her complaint and
the Additional District Magistrate denied permission to the competitive
fireworks. The rational minds were silenced and the fireworks display was
allowed to take place at the last minute and an avoidable tragedy took away so
many lives. With religious fervour rising to a crescendo, it will be difficult
to avert such tragedies unless the voices of rationality are heard.
