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Seer’s comments against Telangana tribal deities trigger protests
The alleged derogatory comments made by popular Vaishnavaite seer Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar against Telangana tribal deities kicked up a major controversy with tribal organisations demanding action against him.
The alleged derogatory comments made by popular Vaishnavaite seer Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar against Telangana tribal deities kicked up a major controversy with tribal organisations demanding action against him.
The seer shot into headlines with the consecration of a 216-ft statue of 11th century saint Ramanujacharya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his ashram at Muchintal village on the outskirts of Hyderabad on February 5. The 14-day long mega ritual concluded with the visit of President of India Ramnath Kovind on February 14.
However, an old video of the Chinna Jeeyar Swamy which has been doing rounds in the social media for the last two days triggered uproar among the Adivasi groups. In the video, the seer was seen making some unwarranted comments against Sammakka and Saralamma, a mother-daughter duo, who are revered as deities by the tribals.
The biennial Sammakka Saralamma “jatara” (tribal fair) held at Medaram hamlet in Mulugu district attracts over a million tribals from across all parts of the country. The fair was held this year from February 16 to 18.
In the video, the seer was saying that Sammakka and Saralamma were not goddesses at all and they had not descended from Brahma Lok. “They are just local petty deities. Let the local people worship them. But it is surprising even politicians and big business people are running after these deities. And it has become a big business,” he observed, obviously referring to the jatara.
Though it is not exactly known when Chinna Jeeyar Swamy made those comments and in what context, but the Adivasi groups raised strong protests, demanding that he should immediately withdraw his remarks. They burnt the effigies of the seer in several tribal villages in Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam districts.
On Thursday, Tudum Debba, a tribal outfit, lodged a complaint with Bhadradri Kothagudem superintendent of police Sunil Dutt, demanding that the police book a case against Chinna Jeeyar Swamy under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
“We strongly condemn the comments made by the seer against our Adivasi forest deities. It clearly shows his upper caste arrogance and intolerance towards the tribals who come in millions to celebrate the Samakka Saralamma jatara, the biggest tribal fair in the country,” said Tudum Debba president S Koteshwar Rao. He demanded that the seer be arrested immediately.
Adivasi Samkshema Parishad, another tribal organisation, made a similar complaint with Mahabubabad superintendent of police SP Sharat Chandra Pawar.
At Dummugudem police station in Bhadradri Kothagudem, too, the tribal association lodged a complaint against the seer, seeking action against the seer under SC/ST Act. The tribals registered a protest by putting up a garland of footwear around the portrait of the seer.
At Osmania University in Hyderabad, tribal students burnt the effigy of Chinna Jeeyar Swamy on Thursday. Raising slogans against him, they demanded that the seer be banished from the Telugu states.
Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA from Pinapaka in Khammam district and government whip in the assembly Rega Kantha Rao, too, called for burning of effigies of Chinna Jeeyar Swamy. He demanded an unconditional apology from the seer for denigrating the tribal deities.
Earlier, Congress MLA from Mulugu Dhanasari Anasuya alias Seethakka released a video, coming down heavily on the seer for making derogatory comments on the tribal deities. “Sammakka and Saralamma represent the nature, which tribal worship. They are not like the 120 kg golden statue of Ramanuja installed by the Swamy at his ashram, where devotees are charged ₹150 for darshan,” she said.
She alleged that the Chinna Jeeyar was promoting real estate around Ramanuja statue at his ashram, where bigwigs in the industry are investing. “There is no such business activity at Medaram which is deep in the forest,” she pointed out.
Efforts to reach out Chinna Jeeyar Swamy for his reaction did not succeed. “No response from Swamy,” was the cryptic reply from the Jeeyar Trust to the text message.
