The arrest of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on the night of the 10 November, on charges of murder was truly dramatic, in a Dravidian style with the masses and the political elites being equally befuddled. Rightly so, one of the most revered heads of a religious institution, which has been in the forefront of spreading the message of Adi Shankara and insulating itself from worldly affairs, including the temptation to manipulate the political space, had remained above the fray till the arrival of his holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswati.
While there is unequivocal consensus about the issue of equality before law when it comes to the common people and includes godmen, which is vindicated by the unsullied state of law and order in the state, some questions and issues do arise given the volatile nature (anti-Brahmanism) of Dravidian politics and the sagging credibility of the State's commitment to social justice. Later filing of cases against the Seer have sought to implicate him with sexual impropriety, mysterious deaths of some inmates and so on, followed by a series of articles in the print media with elements of sleaze, outpourings of indignation, and suggestions to take over the institution, generating quite sweeping conclusions about the state of affairs in the Kanchi Peetam. This projects a sorry picture of a chaotic democracy corresponding with the colonial notions of anIndia
The political expedition (controversial mediation on Ayodhya issue) of Sri Jayendra is not peculiar to Indian politics as there have been many cases of other seers emerging as extra constitutional authorities. What marks a radical shift is that this is the first instance of the Kanchi Mutt taking up controversial and non-religious issues. There has also been a vehement campaign in favour and against the Institution (Mutt) drawing large sections of the public and political class into the controversy. So, given the gravity of the crime and the charges, there is also an urgency to check issues which could deflect attention from the trial - the attempts to politicize the case against the Pontiff and the move to invoke faith-based assertions of innocence in his defense to decide the course of the judiciary.
Such attempts have the potential of trivializing issues that lie at the core of democracy, like equality before the law and religious freedom. A vibrant democracy cannot afford to get enmeshed in rhetoric about the pontiff's extraordinary role in deciding 'cultural correctness and safeguarding puritanical faiths', as claimed by some political groups. Currently, two contradictory positions have surfaced in the public debates. Firstly that the institution has so far had an impeccable record of being involved in social and philanthropic ventures and has attempted to address the issue of amelioration of caste prejudices. Second, an institutionalized cynicism against a particular community, displayed by both the major political parties in their attempts to consolidate their electoral base.
Moreover, the political somersault by opposition parties in Tamilnadu is something that afflicts the Indian polity in general and could unduly affect the credibility of the trial. The DMK supremo, Karunanidhi, first welcomed the arrest and backtracked later blaming the Chief Minister of launching a personal vendetta against the Seer. This was followed by a mild intervention by the Prime Minister through his letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, calling for due regard for the Seer's health and social standing! The attempt to politicize the case comes at a time when stakes are high for the political parties in the forthcoming assembly elections, with the ruling AIADMK gaining the lead after its dramatic elimination of the forest Brigand Veerappan. Secondly, there is a desire to woo smaller groups of the backward classes; by invoking caste and religious sentiments since the electoral arithmetic has placed AIADMK and DMK in an even position.
Finally, with the case being sub-judice, adequate restraint needs being exercised given the nature of divisive politics practiced by the political elites, which had led to the politicization of caste. Mishandling this issue by the state or media-based trial and sensationalization could generate national communal sentiments which might become difficult to control given the quest of some political groups to invoke the paranoia of 'Hinduism' being under siege.
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While there is unequivocal consensus about the issue of equality before law when it comes to the common people and includes godmen, which is vindicated by the unsullied state of law and order in the state, some questions and issues do arise given the volatile nature (anti-Brahmanism) of Dravidian politics and the sagging credibility of the State's commitment to social justice. Later filing of cases against the Seer have sought to implicate him with sexual impropriety, mysterious deaths of some inmates and so on, followed by a series of articles in the print media with elements of sleaze, outpourings of indignation, and suggestions to take over the institution, generating quite sweeping conclusions about the state of affairs in the Kanchi Peetam. This projects a sorry picture of a chaotic democracy corresponding with the colonial notions of an
The political expedition (controversial mediation on Ayodhya issue) of Sri Jayendra is not peculiar to Indian politics as there have been many cases of other seers emerging as extra constitutional authorities. What marks a radical shift is that this is the first instance of the Kanchi Mutt taking up controversial and non-religious issues. There has also been a vehement campaign in favour and against the Institution (Mutt) drawing large sections of the public and political class into the controversy. So, given the gravity of the crime and the charges, there is also an urgency to check issues which could deflect attention from the trial - the attempts to politicize the case against the Pontiff and the move to invoke faith-based assertions of innocence in his defense to decide the course of the judiciary.
Such attempts have the potential of trivializing issues that lie at the core of democracy, like equality before the law and religious freedom. A vibrant democracy cannot afford to get enmeshed in rhetoric about the pontiff's extraordinary role in deciding 'cultural correctness and safeguarding puritanical faiths', as claimed by some political groups. Currently, two contradictory positions have surfaced in the public debates. Firstly that the institution has so far had an impeccable record of being involved in social and philanthropic ventures and has attempted to address the issue of amelioration of caste prejudices. Second, an institutionalized cynicism against a particular community, displayed by both the major political parties in their attempts to consolidate their electoral base.
Moreover, the political somersault by opposition parties in Tamilnadu is something that afflicts the Indian polity in general and could unduly affect the credibility of the trial. The DMK supremo, Karunanidhi, first welcomed the arrest and backtracked later blaming the Chief Minister of launching a personal vendetta against the Seer. This was followed by a mild intervention by the Prime Minister through his letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, calling for due regard for the Seer's health and social standing! The attempt to politicize the case comes at a time when stakes are high for the political parties in the forthcoming assembly elections, with the ruling AIADMK gaining the lead after its dramatic elimination of the forest Brigand Veerappan. Secondly, there is a desire to woo smaller groups of the backward classes; by invoking caste and religious sentiments since the electoral arithmetic has placed AIADMK and DMK in an even position.
Finally, with the case being sub-judice, adequate restraint needs being exercised given the nature of divisive politics practiced by the political elites, which had led to the politicization of caste. Mishandling this issue by the state or media-based trial and sensationalization could generate national communal sentiments which might become difficult to control given the quest of some political groups to invoke the paranoia of 'Hinduism' being under siege.
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