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ദൈവത്തിന്റെ നാടോ ചെകുത്താന്റെ ഭൂമിയോ? ഡോ. ജയിംസ് കോട്ടൂര്‍

Published on 03 August, 2011
ദൈവത്തിന്റെ നാടോ ചെകുത്താന്റെ ഭൂമിയോ? ഡോ. ജയിംസ് കോട്ടൂര്‍

Daily reports reveal shocking incidents of crime against women, girls in teens affected most. God’s country hijacked by sex maniacs & daredevils. Spiritual, religious leaders neither seen nor heard, must break their ominous silence to show right path.

Dr. James Kottoor

Has Kerala becomes the most unsafe and dangerous territory for women in general and teen age girls in particular to move about freely, even in bright day light let alone in the dark? This is the serious question daily reports of crimes and atrocities, especially sexual assaults committed by sex maniacs on unwary women seem to raise? Sex, traditionally handled secretly and sacredly is now paraded in public at the whim and fancies of advertising media barons. This is also causing the present drastic change for the worse in the mindset of growing generation.

  In addition, if a large section  among the elderly, especially those in the higher echelons of society with money and manpower, see women  only as objects to satisfy their unbridled brute lust and sexual cravings, who is to blame? According to TV reports just heard today (July 23) their agents are offering Rs. one Lakh  for minor girls and easily find fathers dragging their unwilling daughters to them. In this particular case the girl was tortured in front of her father and the answer to her cries  was “I will kill you” from her father, according to her secret confession before the magistrate and Manorama news. Is there not something radically wrong with the emerging culture in the state? It was not so in the past. Is there no one with commanding and inspiring moral stature in the state, among its present day secular and religious leaders, to enforce a civilized and acceptable moral code of conduct between sexes in their public and private way of life?

Abnormal becomes Normal?

               Abnormal happenings call for abnormal remedies. For instance here are some of the reports that came in the last four days in the daily Manorama: July 20: A bus cleaner in Kodungalloor-Iringalakuda route was nabbed by police for harassing a college girl. A male nurse Godlin Joy, 27 from Kannoor was caught and remanded till Aug.2nd for sexually assaulting a lady in intensive care in Daya hospital, Trichur, after giving her sleeping pills. In Kilinoor sex racket, eight persons, mostly bus employees, were slapped with crime of sexual assault against Rasi a minor who got pregnant in the process and died after child birth. She was originally enticed by pimps promising role in cinema and was taken for “interview” to different guest houses and hotels by a gang of men and women who presented her to affluent men. "Sex with young girls had become the luxury of the rich and the hunt for virgins had gained momentum. This may be because of fear of AIDS," Kerala High Court Justice K T Shankaran observed.

 

In July 19th issue: In Paravoor certain Sudhir, father of a sixth standard minor sold his daughter to sex traders. She serviced some180 posh customers and 23 sex gangs who took her to main cities in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu from May 2009 to Jan.2011. The girl who remembers well all hotels, homes, cities and even vehicles in which she travelled,  and the men who treated her brutally spoke out when this underground operation was brought to light. In a Calicut incident a police officer of the rank of IG was reported to be involved in presenting a girl to top officials in guest houses. In Kizhakkambalam certain Kuriacose committed suicide after getting bail from Jail for murdering his wife by strangling. The Icecream parlour case of the ruling class, buried and revived by K.A.Rauf, Kunjalikutty’s relative, is hotly discussed, for and against the UDF government’s move to transfer certain police commissioners investigating the case.

In July 18th issue: Certain Sijo Thelliyil, 28, cleaner in a Kaloor-Cheranelloor bus was arrested by police for violating the modesty of a lady, following her complaint to police. An auto driver Naushad 24 was arrested and presented to court for molesting a tenth class girl from Nelliamkuzhi. The driver is said to be a link in a string of attacks against women. To protest against the increasing sexual attacks against the fair sex, a group of women in Ernakulam conducted a “Swabhiman Yatra” (March for self respect) from Maharaja College with placards asking the public to defend the dignity of women. They addressed the public at different junctions of the road to conscientise the public. An assistant professor, B.Renjan of the Agricultural Research Centre, Pattambi was suspended for taking nude photos of girls bathing and peeping into their bathrooms. P.Sasi former Kannoor Jilla Secretary of CPM who was ousted from the party for alleged sexual misconduct continues to hog the limelight.

 In Iringalakuda an old lady of 107 was dumped in a cattle shed with cows for last two years by her own son. Based on reports by Manorama the Magistrate of the place filed a case against the son and social workers in the place intervened to move her to an old age home. In another case in Arattupuzha, the only son not only tortured his mother physically but also locked her up in a leaky, dirty room without food and enough clothing for years. Seeing her sorry plight the neighbors intervened to rescue her with police protection and arrest her son. But when the son was taken away by the police his mother cried  pleading with the police: ”My children, please do not do any harm to my only son.”

 In July   17th issue: Police arrested Korangodan Muhammad 55, for trying to molest an eleven year old girl whom he enticed into his house promising sweets. She bit his hands sharply and escaped. A certain Raffic 29, working in a call centre, Chennai, befriended  Shabinja in Kunnamkulam,wife of Abdul Rusheed employed in Gulf, persuaded her sweetly to come to Trichur and Moovattupuzha to meet and hand over Rs.22000/- and gold in her possession and later went on a tour to Goa. Hearing of the strange happenings, when her husband abroad reached home, the lady committed suicide. But the police managed to trace the culprit in Chennai and arrest him. The dailies in Kerala are rife with shocking reports of such unbelievable incidents taking place across the state daily as a matter of routine.

Real or Deceptive Look?

On one side Kerala is making headlines all over the world as a bright tourist destination and God’s own country, also because of its vibrant religious atmosphere of tolerance between dominant religions communities, Hindu, Muslim and Christian. The landscape is studded with centers  of worship like churches, mosques and temples. A real or deceptive look? Now the talk of the town is all about Sri Padbanabha temple in Trivandrum with its unparalleled sacred treasure trove. It is making Kerala the cynosure of world attention.

Simultaneously merchants of religion, spirituality and heavenly bliss are making fast buck by conducting ostentatious religious festivals, pujas, pilgrimages and mammoth retreats. Muringoor reportedly holds the top slot among retreat centers in the whole world for its weekly round of heavenly feast of exhortations the whole year to which tens of thousands belonging to all religions flock hoping to find peace and spiritual renaissance. In the meantime the inter-church council is highlighted by the media for its marathon discussions on how best to run self-financing colleges. Neither the churches nor other religious bodies seem to be worried about or seized of the moral degradation and sexual lawlessness indulged in by people high and low in the State under their very nose.

             Once upon a time the Catholic Church used to be in the forefront issuing regular pastoral letters to guide the faithful in probity and uprightness in personal, family and social and civic life. They have either become passé or go unnoticed when issued, since they usually dare not touch thorny, explosive, burning issues of right and wrong, justice and fair play affecting the very wellbeing of society. I have heard visual media indirectly taunting bishops not to fail to bring out their annual anti-liquor pastoral, which they think helps the liquor barons to boost their sales. On the positive side it is a left handed tribute to the value of well thought out pastorals that deal constructively with vexing issues that affect both drunkards and sober people like sex, marriage and family life.  Only families that pray together, stay together, feel together and sweat together to bring up their children healthy, wealthy and wise intellectually, morally, spiritually and professionally can contribute to construct a robust society and a noble nation.

Attention Spiritual Leaders!

        Therefore, I think, the fast spreading and disoriented sexual anarchy we witness today is the biggest threat to Kerala’s all round development. The present trend is literally turning God’s own country into a Devil’s own state, or a lunatic asylum as described by Vivekananda long ago. Everything has its proper place and time. That applies to all human cravings for all good things of life including sex, liquor and money. But none of it should be allowed to go to one’s head to get him intoxicated and make him senseless or inhuman. This is what our Indian dharma teaches us when it lays down rules for the four Ashrams of human life: Bhramachariya (celibacy), Gruhasta (marriage), Vanaprastha (retirement) and Sanyasa (spiritual quest). It is time for our  religious and secular leaders in the state, especially churchmen, swamijis and mufthies with vision and mission,  and all enlightened sections of society  to wake up  to take stock of the  harsh ground realities in these four core areas of human life and give timely guidance by word and deed to the youth of the state, often caught unaware  in the sparkling and enticing whirlpools of  Bhramachariya and Gruhasta..        

The writer can be contacted at: jkottoor@asianetindia.com


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