Bangalore, November 6: The Karnataka Rajya Hindulida Vargagala Jagruta Vedike has threatened a mega Kukke Subrahmanya Chalo on December 18, Champa Shashti Day, if the government does not ban the made snana ritual at the Subrahmanya temple immediately.
Vedike general secretary A.H. Krishne Gowda told presspersons here on Monday that hundreds of progressive thinkers and swamis will participate in the Subrahmanya chalo programme. He said it is the duty of the government to educate people to shun such practices, and if it fails in doing its duty, the progressive thinkers will have to educate the people instead. In the meantime, the vedike plans to hold hunger protests at Mangalore, Mysore and Bangalore before Champa Shashti day to create awareness about archaic practices such as made snana and pankti bheda (serving food separately on caste-lines). The protest in Mangalore will be held on November 10 in front of the deputy commissioners' office. In Mysore, it will be held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on November 20, and at Freedom Park on December 5 in Bangalore.
Mr. Gowda said the vedike had been fighting for a ban on made snana from 2010. The Puttur Assistant Commissioner had in November last year issued a circular banning the ritual. But, the ritual was allowed to be performed on Champa Shashti last year. Now attempts are being made to continue the ritual in a different form — serving food on plantain leaves, allowing cows to consume the food and then facilitating made snana by the people from lower 'classes', he alleged. Mr. Gowda urged all those opposing the ritual to lend support to the vedike by sending SMS to 9448342670.
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