Protest march of the Welfare Party in Kozhikode (Image source: social media)

The centre has betrayed Kashmir which had stood by India at the time of the partition by scrapping the Article 370, accused KPA Majeed, Muslim League state general secretary. The centre has taken a unilateral decision without caring for the opinion of the people of Kashmir or their representatives. He also urged all those who believe in democracy to come up against this unexpected imposition. The party organized protest programmes in panchayat and assembly constituencies raising the slogan ‘Save Kashmir, save Constitution’ in several parts of Kerala on Monday and Tuesday. Different sister organisations of the party led the protest in different places. The Muslim Students Federation organized protest programmes in campuses.

The Modi government has killed the Indian Constitution and democracy by the scrapping of Article 370 that had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir and by erasing the state to form two union territories, accused Welfare Party state president Hameed Vaniyambalam in a statement. The ‘draconian and highly insensitive’ action of the Home Minister has ‘alienated even the moderate sections of Kashmiri leadership’ and sends a message that the people’s democratic rights could be suppressed by the use of military, stated the Social Democratic Party of India in a statement. State Minister of Health PK Sreemathi spoke at the protest organized by the CPI(M) in Kozhikode city, in which state leaders of the party such as Muhammed Riyas, Mohanan Master, former Mayor MK Premajam and former district panchayat president Kanathil Jameela attended. All the parties, along with their students’ and youth organisations, organized protest marches and gatherings in several areas on Monday and Tuesday.

Health Minister PK Sreemathi speaks at the protest gathering of the CPI(M) in Kozhikode (Image source: social media)

Kerala Parliamentarians strongly expressed their protest against the bill presented in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha on August 5, KK Ragesh, CPI(M) MP, termed the bill as ‘unconstitutional’ and expressed his concern that such an emergency-like condition could happen to any state.  Binoy Vishwom, CPI MP, accused the presentation of the bill as ‘conspiratorial’ while taking part in the discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Terming it as ‘the political approach of the BJP and not India’s national approach’, he expressed his wish that ‘the draconian law’ would be changed and the real ethics and essence of India would be brought back to the Constitution one day.

Earlier on August 5, Elamaram Kareem, CPI (M) MP in the Rajya Sabha, had submitted a notice to move a motion requesting to discuss the incidents in Jammu and Kashmir related to the huge deployment of paramilitary forces, cancellation of the Amarnath yatra midway, etc.

In the Lok Sabha, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, accused that the decision was an assault on the Constitution and an attack on democratic values. Scrapping the Article 370 is a political equivalent of demonetization, which also was welcomed by many in the beginning, he added.

Muslim Youth League protest in Malappuram (Image credit: social media)

Muslim League’s PK Kunhalikkutty brought the absence of veteran Farooq Abdullah to the notice of the House and questioned the circumstances which barred him from being present there. He accused that the government was warring against its own citizens, and that it would have serious repercussions. Adv AM Ariff, CPI(M) MP, stated he was not scared if he was branded anti-national or Pakistan supporter for protesting against the division of Kashmir and scrapping of Article 370. He expressed his concern that the UAPA and NIA bills were deliberately passed by the Parliament at this time to silence even a small political protest. He also asked whether the government would do the same to the north eastern states which also have special status as per the Article 371 of the Constitution.

NK Premachandran, RSP MP, questioned how the President could amend the Article 367, in order to make changes in the Article 370. He added that the bill was violating the federal characteristics of the Constitution and that it was a monumental and historic mistake committed by the government.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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Shumais, Ajmal and Azeem

The rap video with English and Hindi lyrics deals with the obsession with the changing of names of places, thus trying to re-write history.  It begins by a quote from William Shakespeare – “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  The video also challenges to ‘build another Taj if there is so much hatred towards the present one’, instead of changing its name.

Ajmal, Azeem, and Shumais Nazer recorded the video while they were on a tour from their college (Azharu lUloom Arabic College, Aluva, in Ernakulam) to various places in the country including Hyderabad, Delhi, Agra, etc.  Shumais wrote and re-wrote the lyrics while in train.  Ajmal shot the scenes, while Shumais and Azeem performed on the screen.  Once they reached Kerala after the trip, Rameesudheen and Mukhtar, their friends and seniors in the college, also associated with the remaining works.  The video was released on YouTube on April 2019 and has been received well.

“We wanted to do something creative on the issues facing us,” said Shumais to TwoCircles.net.  Why rap? “We are very interested in rap music and can do well too.  It gets good public attention and is easier than others like short films.”  He added that they were also influenced by the 2013 hip-hop video ‘Native Bappa’ having a strong political message.

the logo of the group Osapraka

The friends formed a group called OSaPraKa (short form for ‘OruSanghamPracheenaKalakar’ meaning ‘a bunch of ancient artists’) for their new endeavour.  Before forming this group, they used to blog which is titled ‘Ezhuthachan Media’; under the same banner, they did the video on demonetization and Donald Trump too.

“The team is launching its next video, which will also have some political content, in August”, informed Shumais, who is now a postgraduate student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
 
Courtesy: Two Circle

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Muhsin Parari and Zakariya – the lead actors (Pic from Indian Express Malayalam)

The film released in March 2018 has bagged several awards earlier too, including the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award for the best Malayalam film at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2018.  Director Zakariya Muhammed got the prestigious Mohan Raghavan Award 2017-18 for the best debut director and the award for the best director at the first Fez International Film Festival held in Morocco in February 2019.  The film won five awards at the Cinema Paradiso Club Awards 2019 for the movie, script, cinematography (Shyju Khalid), editing (Noufal Abdullah) and best actress in a character role (Savithri Sreedharan).  The film was screened at the Indian Panorama section at the 49^th International Film Festival of India held in Goa and at the Cinema of the World Section at the 17^th Dhaka International Film Festival.  Shyju Khalid and Sameer Thahir produced the film while music was composed by Rex Vijayan and Shahabaz Aman.

Malappuram has not been painted well in the Malayalam film arena so far.  Malappuram which is a Muslim-majority district was always referred to as ‘Malappuram kathi (dagger)’, ‘bomb’, a place where women are oppressed etc. in the mainstream cinema.

But ‘Sudani from Nigeria’ released in 2018 has changed the negative definition of Malappuram and Muslims in Malayalam cinema.  The film tells the story of a local football team manager and his player from Nigeria.  The film received critical applause as well as good box office performance.

‘Sudani from Nigeria’ poster – from www.fridaymatinee.in

The hero of the film is Majeed, a Sevens football (played by seven members in a team, common in Malabar with its own tournaments) team manager played by actor-director Soubin Shahir.  He has a few African players (commonly called as Sudanis) in his team and one of the players – Samuel Abiola Robinson from Nigeria- has to take rest for a month after an accident.  And he is taken to the house of Majeed, the team Manager, who is already struggling to make both ends meet.

Majeed’s mother and a neighbour take care of the foreign player despite not knowing each other’s language.  The story revolves around the problems and situations they face  like Majeed’s step-father who rarely visits the family because he knows Majeed doesn’t like him; Samuel (fondly called ‘Sudu’ short for Sudani) whose family lives in a UN refugee camp in Ghana after fleeing the civil war in Nigeria;  the educated girl who refuses to marry Majeed who is not that learned; the care that each character gives to the ailing Samuel; the police interrogation when they come to know via a newspaper article about the foreigner living in the village etc.

One most heart-touching scene is the way the two women (Majeed’s mother and the neighbour) react to the news of the death of Samuel’s grandmother – they say ‘Inna lillah’(the Muslim way of invoking Allah during a calamity), arrange a prayer session with the clerics recite the Qur’an and visit the mosque at Mampuram to pray for the deceased.

Another is the neighbour Beeyumma waiting for her son to come back home, which is drawn from real life where a mother of the same name (at Parappanangadi) is awaiting the release of her son Zakariya who is an under-trail for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Bengaluru blast case from prison. The film truly portrays the real Malabar – be it the love and care, passion for football, involvement in social affairs etc.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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Ilayidom explained the various contributions of Vakkom Moulavi in the fields of journalism, popularising the Malayalam language, empowering women and women’s education, religious reformation within the Muslim community etc. He also cited the examples of reform leaders from the Muslim and Christian communities such as Hamadani Thangal, Sanaullah Makthi Thangal, Chalilakath Kunjahammed Haji, Chavarayachan etc to strengthen his view that reforms unrelated to Hinduism have been ignored in the state.

Sunil P Ilayidom delivers the commemorative talk

The 4th Vakkom Moulavi Memorial Awards were presented to writer Sara Joseph and Justice PK Shamsudheen. Writer Anand presented the awards comprising of memento and cash prize, organized by the Vakkom Moulavi Centre for Studies and Research, based in Kozhikode.
The unexpected arrival of Swami Agnivesh at the venue was received with much awe by the audience and speakers alike. Agnivesh, who had been in Kozhikode, expressed his solidarity with the function and sat on the stage for some time before leaving. Presenting the awards, writer Anand shared his concern as to why the reforms that took place in the Muslim community in Kerala have not materialized into laws, while the Hindu community has something boast of in the matter. Justice Shamsudheen, Sara Joseph, Mujeeb Rahman Kinalur and Noora Vallil also spoke among others.

Justice Shamsudheen retired as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in 1993. During his service and after, he was active in the progressive movements in the Muslim community in Kerala, and has been in the forefront to organize and promote seminars and programmes promoting progressive thoughts. He currently is a patron of the World Fellowship of Inter-religious Council, which he had helped found in 1981. Sara Joseph is an eminent writer and critic in the Malayalam literature arena. She has won several awards including the prestigious Kendra Sahitya Academy Award, which she returned in 2015 along with several others protesting against the intolerance and lack of freedom under the Modi Government.

Anand presents the award to Js Shamsudheen

Vakkom Muhammed Abdulqader Moulavi (1873-1932), popularly known as Vakkom Moulavi, was a renowned social reformer, scholar, teacher, writer, journalist and newspaper proprietor in the state of Travancore in British India. He started the newspaper ‘Swadeshabhimani’ in 1905, with Ramakrishna Pilla as editor, and wrote without any qualms against the rule of the then Diwan. The newspaper was confiscated and editor exiled in 1910.  He also ran a journal named ‘Al Islam’ in Arabi-Malayalam script, and ‘Islam’ and ‘Deepika’ in Malayalam. He was instrumental in the establishment of the ‘Kerala Muslim Aikya Sangham’, a united forum for the Muslims of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar, in 1922.

Courtesy: Two Circles

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Shajila covering the Women’s Wall ( Pic from facebook)
 

Shajila, cameraperson of the ‘Kairali People’ channel in Thiruvananthapuram, went to the protest site (samarapandal) of the BJP to get the reaction of its leaders at the entry of two women at the Sabarimala temple. BJP state leader MT Ramesh came there and she, along with the other media persons, covered his reaction too. They were about to leave the place when they saw a protest procession coming towards the site.

“The march was aggressive when it was approaching,” said Shajila.  “They were destroying all flex boards other than the BJP’s on the way of the procession. When we began to capture those visuals, they began to take on us. I evaded them and moved forward with the procession and shot the visuals of the protestors destroying flex boards. Then they turned towards me and began to abuse and threaten me using very bad language. As I had already captured the visuals, I did not mind them and instead moved forward. When I was capturing them beating up my fellow media persons, somebody tried to pull my camera from behind. As my grip on the camera was hard, they couldn’t take it off and they pushed me off to the ground. The camera was on my shoulder and during the struggle, I sprained my neck,” she added.

Shajila getting abused and threatened by the protestors ( pic from the scroll)

Other media persons nearby came in to help and console the lone female cameraperson at the site. Shajila’s camera’s alignment had changed. She changed the battery and restarted it, and got back to work. “And then I felt sad and my eyes welled up”, said Shajila, “I felt bad because of my camera as I couldn’t take any visuals at that time, for my camera assistant who was also attacked, for all those who came to help me and were beaten up. All the frustration that we couldn’t do anything when many people closed in and beat us up…  And I moved closer to my camera so that nobody else sees my tears. That was when Unnikrishnan of ‘Mathrubhumi’ captured it,” she added.

Shajila came to the field of camera around five years ago.  After doing a degree in philosophy from the Government Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram, and PGDCA, she joined Kairali TV as DTP operator. After working at the news desk for seven years, channel MD John Brittas asked her to join the camera team knowing her interest in news. Though confused at first, she took up the new opening with the blessings and advice of her father Abdul Rahim (who passed away last year). Ever since, she has covered several programmes, elections, protests etc but this one was different.  “Normally we shoot all sorts of visuals of protests – people protesting, beating or getting beaten up by police etc. Usually, protestors do their job, police theirs and we ours. But this protest and attack against us look well planned,” she added.

When asked about the future, the 34-year old was all hopeful and confident. “I will continue with Kairali TV. The doctor has prescribed me rest for five days. After that, I will get back to work.  I will cover the programmes of these same people if required.” She also shared her concern about the present situation in Kerala.

pic published in Mathrubhumi daily ( Pic from facebook)

Courtesy: Two Circles

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Photo: Bansree AS

Raising the slogan ‘Sabarimala for Adivasis, let Thanthris get off’, several ‘villuvandis’ (motor vehicles called villuvandi) started from different parts of the state and all joined together at Erumeli in Pathanamthitta district on December 16. The convention at Erumeli was organised by the Sabarimala Adivasi Rights Restoration Committee, led by activists Sunny M Kapikad, P Geethanandan and Santhosh among others. The first ‘yatra’ started from the Ayyankali Smrithi Mandapam at Venganoor in Thiruvananthapuram on December 13 and was led by Dalit rights activist Sunny M Kapikad. Women, Adivasis and Dalits will enter not only the Sabarimala but rather all places that they are forbidden, proclaimed Dr Rekha Raj, academician and Dalit activist, while inaugurating the ‘villuvandi yatra’ in Thrissur district on December 15.  Teams from Kozhikode and Vaikom also joined the others at Erumeli.

Bindu thankam kalyani, dalit feminist ( Photo: Bansree AS)

The ‘women’s villuvandi’ was inaugurated at the Vanchi Square (named as Dakshayani Velayudhan Square for this programme) at Ernakulam on December 15, when Meera Velayudhan handed over a copy of the Indian Constitution to Adv Jessin, captain of the yatra.  Meera Velayudhan is the daughter of Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first and only Dalit woman to be elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946 and signed the Constitution. The women’s villuvandi was organized by Dalit women alone, though other men and women also participated, and the ‘yatra’ started to Erumeli the next day.

“We see the issues related to the women’s entry to Sabarimala as a reflection of the Brahmanical caste system”, Dalit activist Bindu Thankam Kalyani told TwoCircles.net. “The Devaswom Board is a government body with employees taking government salary. They are concerned whether the avarna people would come up into lucrative posts like that of the chief priest in the Board. And they are trying to establish the right of the Thanthri family and the Panthalam palace over the temple, thus others could be left out. Fear of losing the lucrative positions with government salary is the base of their tensions,” she added. She also pointed out to the fight of the Sangh against the communist regime as another factor.

Photo: Bansree AS

However, referring to the large number of women who participated in the ‘Namajapa’ processions organised by those opposing women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple, Bindu expressed her doubt whether it was modernisation or reformation that took place in Kerala. “Modernisation has taken place – in dressing, houses, way of living etc. But there has not been any change in the caste-based structure and attitude towards it,” she said.

The historic Villuvandi Yatra was organised by the reformist leader Mahatma Ayyankali in 1893 against the various forms of oppression suffered by the lower castes. The castewalls had forbidden the lower castes from even walking through public roads, dressing themselves up properly, getting educated etc. Ayyankali protested against the inhuman practices by travelling in a ‘villuvandi’ or a belled bullock cart owned by him, at a time when the lower castes were not allowed even to own a bullock cart and the higher castes used the bullock cart as a show of pride and strength. He walked well-dressed, with an overcoat and a turban at an age when Dalits were not allowed to dress themselves up properly. Even Dalit women were not allowed to cover their upper body with any type of clothing, but rather could wear only a chain with stones (‘kallumala’). Ayyankali became a member of the Sreemoolam Prajasabha (the then legislative assembly) in 1911 and held the position for 25 years, adding the Assembly too to the list of stages for his struggle.

Photo: Bansree AS

Courtesy: Two Circles

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Picture from Facebook Zirva Business solutions

In these ‘Halal’ offers,  even more attractive than the Halal factor was the ridiculously-high returns they promised to their investors. This, coupled with religious scholars who were too happy to promote such companies, meant that Muslim investors came in hundreds. Such smart marketing embedded with lies and deceit meant that these companies were easily able to fool people.

In this five-part series, TwoCircles.net will look at how companies like Heera Gold, now at the centre of a confirmed Ponzi scheme, used a combination of religious symbolism, Ulemas, fake propaganda and political tools to attract investors in Hyderabad.  
So far, we have looked at how investors fell for schemes that were too good to be true in Bangalore and Hyderabad. However, in the fourth of the five-part series, Najiya O looks how Muslims of Kerala have largely escaped such fraudulent companies and why they are unlikely to suffer the same in the coming days too.

Even as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka Muslims reel from financial scams of thousands of crore over the past year, Muslims of one southern state seems to have avoided this trend. The Muslims of Kerala have managed to invest in Shariah-compliant companies even as other state’s Muslims have floundered.

To begin with, one reason for this is that unlike, say, Kerala and Telangana, there are just a few halal and/or shariah-compliant investment institutions in Kerala. This is also because Muslims who refrain from investing in mainstream institutions prefer to invest their money in various businesses or in land or gold. Kerala’s love for gold is well-known, but few are aware as to exactly how much Malayalis love the yellow metal: this 2014 ToI report shows that three Kerala gold companies have more gold than Sweden, Singapore and Australia. This Mint report from 2017 notes that “not only does rural Kerala top the rankings for spending on gold ornaments, its per capita spending is six times higher than the state that ranks number 2—Goa. Indeed, rural Kerala’s per capita spending on gold ornaments is far ahead of the total per capita spending of all the other six top states by gold consumption.” Add real estate and India’s general love for the land, and the fact that Shariah allows for investment in both gold and land and the truth is that even the Malayali Muslims have little appetite for other investments.

picture from google

However, for Muslims who do wish to invest in Shariah-compliant companies, there are a few options available. The Zirva Business Solutions based in Perinthalmanna in Malappuram was begun in 2011, with stock brokering, a course in Islamic finance and consultation services. Later they stopped the course and began to focus on stock brokering and selective consultation. The company is going well, with around 200 clients in share-trading and assets worth Rs 2.5 crore under our management, said Mr Shameem Sajjad, CEO of the company which has been registered as a limited liability partnership. “The returns that clients get depends on the stocks that they have selected, the time they entered the market, the general trend of the market etc. We cannot say that clients get this much returns uniformly. But on an average they get 10-15% returns per annum,” Sajjad said in a conversation with TwoCircles.net.

An investor at the Alternate Investments and Credits Limited (AICL) opined that companies which are Shariah-compliant cannot make big profits.  A well-established businessman who refused to be named said he invested Rs 1 lakh in AICL when it began back in 2001 in Kochi. “I invested in it in the name of his close relationship with those running it and support a novel venture”, he said while talking to TwoCircles.net. He added that he got only nominal returns annually as he had expected and that the company too never claimed to deliver big returns.

AICL registered as a Non-Banking Financial Company in 2002.  It was the first interest-free venture of this kind in the country.  The company has been working well since the beginning, providing loans for small business ventures etc but has suffered some setbacks after its NBFC license was cancelled by the Reserve Bank of India in 2012. The license was cancelled because it couldn’t present ‘its documents related to interest’, according to reports.  The company then questioned the RBI move in the Bombay High Court and is waiting for the proceedings. The AICL is studying what it can do as a public limited company without the NBFC license, said PM Salih, director-cum-CEO of the company. But more importantly, the company has no investor complaints against it.

pic used for representational purposes only

Apart from these companies, there have been several local ventures, which provide interest-free loans for persons and small start-ups, based on halal and shariah-compliance.  They have been started in association with local masjids, various Muslim organisations in the state or interested individuals coming together.

“Many Muslims in Kerala invest their money in banks, but write to the banks their preference not to receive any interest,” informed Dr AI Rahmatullah who is associated with the Indian Centre for Islamic Finance. But that interest amount could be collected and used to help those who have to pay back interest to banks, or can even be used for helping the poor and needy, he added.

The Sanghamam Multi-State Cooperative Credit Society Limited is a novel venture working on interest-free microfinance principle. The Society is currently running in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.  It aims to mobilise the savings of its members through ‘Ayalkoottams’ (grouping of people in neighbourhoods) and the capital is then redistributed among the members as interest-free micro-credits which can be used for self-employment ventures and social enterprises. It works on a participatory profit-loss sharing basis. As of June 30, 2016, it had over 5,100 members with a share capital of Rs 2,23 crore.

In 2017, Kerala also the launch of Halal Fayidah, the first of its kind interest-free cooperative bank modelled on the lines of the Islamic banking system. Halal Fayidah hopes to attract investments from Muslims who had kept away from the formal interest-based banking system as it went against their religious laws.

The Kerala state government has time and again tried to begin a banking institution based on Islamic banking which could be used for infrastructure development in the state.  The plan was to collect capital from the NRIs in the Gulf countries and invest it in the construction of roads, for which toll can be levied. However, the plan did not work as Islamic banking was not approved in the country.  Now there is another plan for ‘halal chit funds’ under the Kerala State Financial Enterprises Limited. This also plans to collect funds from NRIs and use it for infrastructure development and would function based on Shariah-compliance, according to reports.

pic used for representational purposes( courtsey- social media)

While the above-mentioned ideas are likely to take time, it shows that a sound understanding of investments combined with honest expectations and returns have meant that while Kerala moves forward albeit slowly on the path to Islamic banking, Muslim investors in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana remain in lurch over when and if they will get their money.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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Nasrullah Vazhakkad in his solo performance

The programme was inaugurated by artist Prem Kumar who had done a painting of the Wagon Massacre on the wall of the Tirur Railway Station, which was erased by the authorities on November 5 reportedly following protests from the Sangh teams. “If one painting is erased, it will be remembered in the minds of lakhs of people at least a hundred times,” said Prem Kumar to the great applause of the audience. He inaugurated the programme by drawing a picture commemorating the brutal massacre, along with artist Harsha.

Anoop VR talking while Prem Kumar is drawing

Activists Anoop V.R, Shakkir Changaramkulam (Welfare Party of India), Sudeep Ben, Nasar Malik, Raees Hidaya, Asma Nasreen Melethil, Dr. Jowhar Lal, Adv. Faisal Babu, Dr. V. Hikmatullah, Najeeb Kuttippuram, K.K. Baburaj and others  spoke at the programme. Nasar Malik sang a song, and Hafsath Annara (teacher) recited a poem. The programme ended by the solo performance of Nasrullah Vazhakkad.

Prem Kumar had painted a picture of the Wagon Massacre on a wall in the Tirur Railway Station on November 4, as part of the countrywide process of beautification of railway stations. Four people spent six days to complete the painting of the historical incident. But it was erased on the next day itself, reportedly because of complaints from the Sangh groups, on the pretext that the painting was “frightening”. The artist was entrusted to do the painting by the railway authorities themselves, but the Palakkad Railway Division authorities later ordered to remove the painting following complaints.

The completed picture of the Wagon Massacre drawn by Prem Kumar and Harsha

It has been 97 years since the brutal massacre.  Around 100 people were forced into a freight wagon, without any ventilation, from the Tirur Railway Station at 7 pm on November 17, 1921. They were to be transported to the jail in Bellary in that wagon which could hardly contain 50 people. The people began to cry and scream without getting even air to breathe, but the British army refused to open the bogey until reaching Pothanur near Coimbatore. When the wagon was opened, they saw the horrible sight of people lying dead or unconscious, having suffocated thus and attacked each other for want of air and water. It is said that the station master at Pothanur fainted seeing the deadly sight. Those alive were shifted to a hospital nearby and the dead bodies were sent back to Tirur.  64 people were found dead in the wagon – `60 Muslims and four Hindus from the “lower” caste of Thiyya.  6 people who were hospitalized also died, bringing the toll to 70, as quoted in the book ‘Anglo-Mappila Yuddham’ (Anglo-Mappila war) by AK Kodoor.

The brutal massacre in the wagon, named ‘Wagon Tragedy’ in history, took place during the Malabar Struggle in 1921.  The people of Malabar began to fight against the British as part of the Congress-Khilafat Movement, but soon it began to move in its own way against the brutalities of the British. The suffering people of Malabar rose up in arms against the Empire and ousted the British rule in several parts.  The rule of the British Empire, said to be the empire where the sun never set, was suspended for about six months in Malabar. It was the first ever defeat of the British anywhere in the colonial world. The Empire decided to teach Malabar a lesson. Martial Law was imposed in Malabar in August of 1921, and several regiments of the British armed forces began their brutal rule, violating all human rights. Those who opposed the British, who were mostly Mappila Muslims and “lower” caste people, were killed, jailed or exiled to the Andaman Islands. Even women and children were not spared of the cruelties. Finally, the leaders of the Struggle were arrested and sentenced to death. While Ali Musliyar is said to have died just before he was to be hanged to death in Coimbatore prison, Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji was shot to death in Malappuram prison in January 1922.

Courtesy: Two Circles

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Bindu Thankam Kalyanai, Courtesy: Wokejournal.com

Bindu Thankam Kalyani attempted to enter the shrine on October 22, but couldn’t. And there changed her life totally, with fresh attacks every day in whichever way possible. Bindu, who was working as a teacher of English at the Government Higher Secondary School in the Government Medical College campus in Kozhikode, was prevented from entering the school and evicted from her rented house in Kozhikode, according to reports. She was then transferred to a school at Agali near Attappady in Palakkad district on October 29, where also protests came up. She was received by ‘Ayyappa sharanam’ slogans and abuses outside the gates of the school, which she had to enter with police protection. She had to face protest by her own students even inside the classroom, however the school and principal stood by her right to use the SC order. On November 12, some protestors in Attappady organized a ‘namajapa yatra’ (procession chanting Ayyappa slogans organised in different parts of Kerala protesting against women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple) from a local Ayyappa temple to Bindu’s school. They tried to include students from the school also in the protest but the attempt was prevented by the police who locked down the school gates and the principal warned that he would not let any student protestor to attend exams.  The attackers then marched to her house at night, hurled stones from the gate and threatened her. In addition to all this, she also faced harsh cyber attacks against which she has reportedly filed a police complaint.

While speaking to TwoCircles.net, Bindu said that she has been eagerly waiting for the court verdict to go to the temple in a healthy young age. “I am a believer not of the recent types of worships in the temple, but of the tribal beliefs that have been in practice in Sabarimala for a long time,” she clarified. She said that they had been attacked as they talked out loud about the politics and history of Sabarimala, which is predominantly tribal and matriarchal. “Even the name ‘Sabarimala’ came from the name of the tribal woman ‘Sabari’ who ruled the hill. Now these people are saying women should not enter there, after stopping the matriarchal power structure in practice there and ousting that community altogether. They have in a way stolen our things to seize our customs, to force servitude on us. The temples on hilltops were actually of the tribals or the lower castes. Others began to take them over after money began to flow in. They have the most difficulty when we question that,” she added.

The tribal community of Malayaraya has now come out in the open claiming their right to the temple. The community had controlled the temple following its own customs such as the 41-day fasting, commemorating the fast that the parents of Manikandan (the deity) observed to conceive the child. The names of important priests have been inscribed on the 18 steps leading to the main sanctum, and the first three among them are said to be those of the chiefs from the Malayaraya community. Bindu also said that the original idol is still with the Malayaraya community, the one in the temple now was installed later by the priests.

Another Dalit rights activist S.P. Manju who tried to enter the Sabarimala temple last month but couldn’t is now facing fresh threats from the Sangh for her upcoming second attempt. Soon after she reached home after filing the online application to enter the temple, the Sangh team came to her house and threatened that ‘she would be killed if she went.’ Manju had her house vandalized after her first attempt to enter the temple. Even the doors and windows of her house were broken and all home equipments destroyed. A television set and a gas cylinder used for cooking were missing. And her pet dog was killed. She has received some police protection since returning from the hilltop shrine. However, while talking to the TwoCircles.net, Manju expressed her concern that ‘this prevention of women from the temple might lead to the denial of entry for the lower castes as before’.

“All the women who went to Sabarimala have been tortured in one way or the other, but even in that matter, more caste-based pain is inflicted upon Manju and Bindu”, opined Dalit activist Mrudula Devi Sasidharan while talking to TwoCircles.net.  Other women below 50 years of age who tried to enter the temple – Rehana Fathima from Ernakulam, activist Liby from Thrissur and Mary Sweetie from Thiruvananthapuram – also faced protests and are under police protection.

On November 11, a group of women activists organised a programme in Ernakulam in which several well-known activists and feminists attended, and upheld their support to the Supreme Court order. However, even in feminist circles, Dalit women seem to have a hard time finding full solidarity. Bindu herself stated that the programme did not give the expected space and coverage to Dalit women. However, organisers denied these charges.

“The people from the Sangh said they would burn me. I am from the Dalit community. Hundreds and thousands in my community have been burnt in independent India. None of them (were killed) for voicing their opinion. Even a three-year-old child has been burnt in my community; what opinion did she voice? Since it is sure that one would be burnt for having been born a Dalit, I decide to get burnt only after strongly voicing what I have to say,” said Dalit rights activist Sunny M Kapicaud while speaking at a programme organised in support of Bindu on November 22 at Agali.

Photo credit: Bindu Thankam Kalyani

Socio-cultural and human rights activists such as Dr. P. Geetha and Sainaba and others spoke at this programme organised with the involvement of local people. The programme also expressed solidarity with others facing protests and threats from the Sangh forces for their support to the Supreme Court order.

Meanwhile, the Pathanamthitta district Collector clamped prohibitory orders in Sabarimala during the ‘Mandala-Makaravilakku’ season from November 16 to 22. The Hindu Aikya Vedi leader Sasikala was arrested at Sabarimala for violating the prohibitory orders and then released, and a hartal called by the organisation was observed in Kerala on November 17, 2018. The BJP state general secretary K. Surendran was also arrested on November 17 for the same reason and he is still in prison. There is strong police presence in Sabarimala and nearby places currently.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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A student of final-year BDS (Bachelor of Dental Science), Bhanu recognised that her passion lay in power sports a few years ago and since then, she has been contesting in competitions and winning medals. The 24-year old has won several state, national and international medals in just two years.

An ardent lover of sports, Bhanu was an athlete during her school days. She was highly interested in power sports back then too. However, there were no training facilities or encouragement in her hometown where even frequenting the gym was not an option for girls. Dreams grew and the right opportunity knocked her door when she joined the Mahe Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital in Mahe. When her group of friends decided to take up an extra course in their free time, Bhanu opted for boxing. She joined a boxing training course offered in Kozhikode. Her trainer Ramesh Kumar saw her strength and diverted her to the field of powerlifting.

She started training for powerlifting at a gym in Kozhikode and just two weeks later, the district powerlifting championship was held in the city. She bagged the gold medal in her maiden championship in the 52 kg senior women’s category, and there began her journey. She bagged gold in the state championship and silver in the national championship. She also won silver at the Asian Powerlifting Championship in Indonesia and at the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship held in 2017.

Though basically a powerlifter, Majiziya Bhanu tried her luck in the fitness and bodybuilding field when she heard of a contest in Kochi in February 2018. After some training in the field, she contested in the Model and Fitness Basic category. She was crowned the Miss Kerala with a gold medal. Wearing hijab in a field known for its body exposure brought Bhanu to the attention of the media. She entered the field of arm wrestling too and has participated in the national level, and is now attending her first international championship.

“Earlier, when I came into this field, I didn’t have a clear aim or goal. I was only following my passion. But now that I am seriously into this field, I have professional coaches in the respective fields, with a clear aim in life,” said Bhanu in a conversation with Twocircles.net. Jayadas is her coach in powerlifting. Shammas Abdul Latheef of the Hamstring Fitness Centre in Vatakara coaches her in the fitness and bodybuilding field while Saleesh EV of the Popeye Fitness, Kozhikode, coaches her in arm wrestling.

Bhanu has been a hijabi all her life, but choosing to be so in the field saw mixed responses. While some supported her for keeping her Muslim identity through hijab even in the field, others opposed her for the same reason. She received harsh criticism on the social media too. However, Majiziya Bhanu has decided to stay strong and move forward, whatever obstacles come her way, with strong support from her family. Her mother, who was very active in her childhood but could not pursue her interests due to social constraints, supports Bhanu in her struggle. Her father who is abroad and her younger brother currently in his first-year degree are staunchly behind the power girl.

Earlier, Bhanu used to collect cloth materials and make her own sportswear looking up at models on the internet as there was no hijabi sportswear available. But now that she has gained some popularity, some hijabi/modesty sportswear companies are sending her their models, Bhanu told TwoCircles.net.

However, the power girl continues to find it difficult to arrange for funds to attend the championships. As the field is not fully sponsored by the government, the participants have to find funds on their own. She has been trying to get a sponsor, but could not. “But if you are fully determined, you will somehow get the funds arranged,” said Bhanu who was helped by many individuals and groups to find the funds to attend the championship in Turkey.

And what does she have to tell the world? “Religion, finances or dressing – nothing is an obstacle when it comes to pursuing your dream. If you are able, your religion or hijab is never an obstacle. And they should never be an excuse for you to keep away from the field you love,” said Bhanu.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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