Nattars slam book on Kandadevi car festival; calls it factually wrong
SIVAGANGA: A section of people from the Nattar community has opposed the English translation of a book on the Kandadevi car festival authored by Siva Kalaimani, scheduled to be released by Governor RN Ravi on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a group of people from the caste Hindu community submitted a petition to the district administration seeking steps to stop the event, saying the book contains factually incorrect information and would create division among communities.
The book — 'Harmony Through Spiritually' — would be released by the governor in Devakottai on Thursday. The original Tamil version of the book was released in 2024.
Former president of Kandadevi panchayat Murugan said the contents of the book may create differences between the four Nattars (who play a role in the festival). 'The author's statement that the latest temple car was made using donation made by an individual is wrong. The car was made using HR and CE department funds.'
Author Siva Kalaimani refuted the charge, saying all the issues he has dealt with in the book have been verified. 'The current opposition may be due to political reasons,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
J&K LG Manoj Sinha performs ‘pratham puja' at Amarnath cave shrine
Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday paid obeisance to Baba Barfani and performed the 'pratham puja' at the holy cave, marking the ceremonial beginning of the annual Amarnath Yatra. 'Har Har Mahadev! Paid my obeisance to Baba Barfani and performed the 'pratham puja' at the holy cave, marking the ceremonial beginning of the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. May Baba Amarnathji keep showering his divine blessings on all of us,' Sinha posted on X. He urged devotees to turn out in large numbers and come to offer prayers at the holy shrine during the Amarnath Yatra that is scheduled from July 3 to August 9. 'I would request all devotees of Baba Barfani to visit in large numbers for the holy yatra and pray to Mahadev for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir and the nation. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and the administration have improved the pilgrims' facilities. Jammu and Kashmir Police, the army, CRPF and paramilitary forces have made foolproof security arrangements,' Sinha said after his visit. Earlier in the day, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) performed the first puja for the Amarnath Yatra at the Tawi riverfront. The puja was organised in Jammu on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima, days ahead of the Amarnath Yatra. On Tuesday, a high-level security meeting chaired by Udhampur SSP Amod Ashok Nagpure was held to review preparations. The discussions centred on security arrangements, intelligence sharing, traffic management, medical aid, emergency response, and logistical support. Emphasis was laid on anti-narcotics operations. SSP Nagpure directed officers to conduct proactive drives to dismantle narcotic networks in the region. The Amarnath Yatra is an annual Hindu pilgrimage to the sacred cave shrine, dedicated to Lord Shiva, at an altitude of 3,888 metres in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir. The cave houses a naturally formed ice Shivling and draws lakhs of devotees every year. The Yatra is typically held during the Shravan month (July to August) according to the Hindu calendar, under the supervision of the SASB and with coordinated support from security and civil administration.
Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
SC grants bail to Uttarakhand man jailed for interfaith marriage, says ‘state can't object…they married as per wishes of parents'
Granting bail to a man booked under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, the Supreme Court last month held that the state cannot have any objection to the man's interfaith marriage as the couple married 'as per the wishes to their respective parents'. The Supreme Court relief by a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma, in an order on May 19, comes after the man, Aman Siddiqui, spent nearly six months in jail, for consensually marrying a Hindu woman in a wedding voluntarily arranged by the families and consented to by the parties involved. Siddiqui's counsel had told the apex court that 'the families voluntarily decided to arrange the marriage of the appellant with the lady. However, soon after the marriage certain persons and certain organizations seemed to have objected to the marriage'. This led to an FIR being lodged at Rudrapur police station in Uttarakhand on December 12, 2024, against Siddiqui, two days after his wedding on December 10. Siddiqui's parents were also booked, but they were later granted anticipatory bail. Siddiqui's counsel also told the Supreme Court bench that if granted bail, Siddiqui and his wife would reside separately from their families and 'continue to live peacefully without any hindrance'. Even as the state opposed the bail plea, the bench recorded in its order, 'We observe that the respondent – State cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together inasmuch as they have been married as per the wishes to their respective parents and families. In the circumstances, we find that this is an appropriate case where the relief of bail ought to be granted…'. A day after his wedding was conducted in accordance with Hindu rituals, Siddiqui was made to sign an undertaking by his wife's cousin brothers, assuring that he would not cause 'any kind of physical and mental harm' to her and that he would not force 'in any manner either physically and mentally to convert her to other religion'. The undertaking further stated that his wife would be 'independent to practice Hindu Religion' and 'free to follow all the Hindu Tradition with full freedom' and that Siddiqui would not interfere in her religious faith. The Uttarakhand High Court had rejected Siddiqui's bail plea on February 28. Before the high court, Siddiqui had submitted that his mother was a practising Hindu married to a Muslim man and had not converted. He further said that he too followed his mother's religion, including his parents performing a thread ceremony for him. The high court was also told that Siddiqui's father had separated from his joint family 'so that the applicant's (Siddiqui's) mother could comfortably follow her customs and rituals of Kumaoni Hindu family'. Meanwhile, the state had alleged that Siddiqui had suppressed the religion of his father. The high court had ultimately refused to grant bail.
Hindustan Times
39 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump wants to 'liberate' Los Angeles, residents say 'no thanks'
* LA's Little Tokyo residents reject Trump's 'liberation' plan * Residents say troops are making situation worse * Protesters scatter into Little Tokyo at night, causing unrest June 11 - U.S. President Donald Trump says he sent in the National Guard and Marines to "liberate" Los Angeles from the violence of protesters, but some residents of Little Tokyo, a neighborhood hit hardest by the unrest say "no thanks" Mr President. A dozen people who live, work or frequent the neighborhood, where Japanese is heard spoken as frequently as English in shops and restaurants, on Tuesday told Reuters that Trump's use of the military was inflaming the protests against recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. "The president sending in the National Guard and Marines has only made things worse, it's made the protesters go crazy," said Sulieti Havili, who lives nearby and helps run a Pokemon club with over 6,000 members that routinely plays in Little Tokyo. "They are doing nothing to protect this community." Havili, 25, who was out picking up trash in Little Tokyo with her Pokemon club partner Nolberto Aguilar, 42, said it was clear to her that Trump sending in thousands of military personnel had "brought out the worst in the protesters" and only served to aggravate the situation. Aguilar added that Trump's deployment of troops was thwarting the will of most Los Angeles citizens and local leaders, fanning the flames created by ICE immigration raids, that he said targeted law-abiding immigrants. The Trump administration says its immigration raids are rounding up de facto criminals for lacking proper documents to stay in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the use of military personnel to combat the protests had "inflamed a combustible situation" and warned that "democracy is under assault." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has said that Trump's use of troops was a deliberate effort to create "chaos." The Trump administration strongly rejects the accusations and says their actions were needed in the face of local and state leaders inability to get the situation under control. 'INSTIGATING' ACTION Little Tokyo, a charming neighborhood with shops selling Japanese goods and restaurants serving up some of the city's finest sushi, abuts the federal buildings where protesters have gathered for five nights in a row. For the past two nights, when police and National Guard troops have forcibly dispersed protesters in the early evening, demonstrators scatter into smaller groups into Little Tokyo, which has been covered with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti. Running skirmishes well into the night in the neighborhood has seen police use booming flash-bangs and firing other "less lethal" munitions at protesters. Several of those interviewed in Little Tokyo asked that they not be named, saying they feared reprisals - from the federal government. Many were immigrants themselves or had family members who were not born in the U.S., and feared making themselves or their loved ones targets of ICE. One of those was Anthony, who works at a tea shop in the neighborhood. "There is no question that the president sending in thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines has done nothing but make the protesters more aggressive," he said. "It's instigating the protesters and making things worse." Samantha Lopez, a descendent of Filipino immigrants who works at a Korean ice cream parlor in Little Tokyo, said she felt empathy for the demonstrators but rejected any acts of vandalism or violence they carry out. Still, she blamed the use of military personnel for creating the unrest. "It's just poor handling of protests that stay peaceful until they're confronted by officers," Lopez said. "It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighborhood."
