[DP5Ups8o]

Similar to what has happened in Govt jobs and Govt bodies, the top posts for temple administrations have been denied to Brahmanas. I think Tambrams need to decide about having a separate UT for themselves soon:

No Brahmins to run temples
Chennai, Jan 26: The DMK government headed by chief minister M. Karunanidhi, well known for his atheist views, has ensured that no Brahmin is appointed as trustee in any of the major temples across Tamil Nadu. Perhaps this is the first time that the community, closely identified with priesthood, has been so comprehensively kept out of temple administration. While the norms that a dalit and a woman should be accommodated in the five-member temple committees have been followed, the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE), which administers most of the temples in Tamil Nadu, has ensured that the Brahmins are kept out of these prestigious positions. The famous places of worship, including Madurai Meenakshi temple, Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy temple, Palani Dandayuthapani temple, Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy temple and Mylai Kapaleeswarar temple, do not have a Brahmin as arangaavalar in the administrating committees. In the Thanjavur-Kumbakonam which has a large Brahmin population, not a single member of the community has found place in the committees of the dozens of well-known places of worship such as the Thirumanjeri Udweganathaswamy temple, Uppiliappan temple, Thirunageswaram Naganathaswamy temple and Patteeswaram Thenupureeswarar temple.
“The Brahmin community has not been given any representation in temple administration. This is because the DMK believes that Brahmins are against the party and support the rival AIADMK of Jayalalithaa. This is not fair. We will take it up with the government after our organisational elections, now in progress, are over in a couple of months,” said Mr N. Narayanan, president of the Tamil Nadu Brahmins’ Association (TAMBRAS).
Said the Mylapore legislator S.V.Sekar of the AIADMK, “By keeping the Brahmins out of the temple committees, the DMK government is only baring its inborn vengeance for our community. Why is chief minister Karunanidhi appointing his party members as arangaavalars (trustees) even while claiming that the DMK is a rationalist party? There will be divine justice and God will punish these people some day. I am not saying this as a politician but as a believer in God.”
However, the DMK organizing secretary T. K. S. Elangovan dismissed the charge that the government had targeted the Brahmin community for unfair treatment in the appointment of temple trustees. “This action is not aimed at the Brahmins. We are only acting in favour of the people who had been so far kept out of temple administration. We have given such sections a chance now to be in charge of temple administration,” said the ruling party functionary.
While the Brahmins are upset with the DMK government, there is however support from unexpected quarters for the elaborate exercise of keeping the Brahmins out of temple administration. The founder of Hindu Munnani (Hindu Front) Rama Gopalan said it was not necessary that only Brahmins should be appointed trustees of temples. “It is enough if the trustees are believers and do not indulge in misappropriation of temple properties. The Brahmins should not feel offended that they are being kept out of temple administration. Besides, why get into these committees and later share the blame for misuse of temple funds?,” he said.
Interestingly, there is a Brahmin as a trustee in just one temple—at the Swaminathaswamy temple at Swamimalai in Thanjavur district. The trustee R. Ganesh is the lone Brahmin in this famous temple and is said to have got the post because of his DMK leanings. Also, at the Madurai Koodalalaragar temple, two women, one of them a Dalit, have been appointed as trustees. Besides, a tahsildar in Madurai has been appointed as a trustee in the world-famous Meenakshi temple because it is claimed, he is close to the DMK.

[Chito]

It is sad that brahmins are ignored from posts of temple trustees.It is even more sad to hear that DMK appointees and atheists occupy these posts. Please read an excellent article on the magnitude of this problem in this article.

[hrotedk]

While it is good that Dalits are included in the temple administration, the real issue is the specific exclusion of a traditional group. Historically Naidus, Chettiars, Gounders etc have always been wealthy trustees of temples, and the government explanation that the inclusion of Dalits is why Brahmanas have not been included is a cover-up for their anti-Brahmana policies.

If they are such passionate believers of "proportionate" representation, then throughout the state the systematic exclusion of Brahmanas by these Dravida DMK politicians violates their own theory. What is surprising is that Rama Gopalan of the Hindu Munnani, even though he is a Brahmana, and the BJP units in the temple towns, are not protesting strongly against this. It is possible that protesting against this exclusion will be termed by the DMK politicians as being directed towards other castes and anti-Dalit etc. Cunning snakes!

[cingularring]

The 'Sixth Sense' of the cops
Written by
Cho Ramaswamy
[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/RANGAN%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]In the recently concluded 150th anniversary of Chennai City Police, President APJ Abdul Kalam requested the uniformed fraternity to repeat nine oaths after him. Cops obeyed him implicitly till the sixth one.

"We will proceed against all those who err against the law with great diligence and speed," was the sixth oath pronounced by the President.

The cops seemed to be in some difficulty in repeating after the President.

Since the policemen's voices were almost a whisper, the President in complete innocence requested them to raise their audibility. "Why are your voices muted? Please repeat after me loudly," Kalam exhorted the cops.

The President ought to know better. He should not have mistaken the policemen's hesitation in this matter because proceeding against criminals with diligence and speed was the Achilles' Heel of the cops.

Isn't the policemen's behaviour during the Corporation elections enough to justify their hesitation? How can one expect the cops to speedily proceed against wrongdoers with alacrity after this faux pas?

Those found to have indulged in the crimes were people in power. They virtually are the bosses of the cops for the next five years. And this kind of transgression will not end now. Future governments too could copy what happened a few months ago. So how can the policemen say in a swearing ceremony that they will do something which they patently can't?

Had the cops done what had been expected of them, could they have continued in their present plum postings? And pray, what about their future? It was obvious that their misdemeanour during the Corporation elections was the foremost in the minds of the policemen when the President asked them to repeat the sixth oath loudly.

How did the cops treat bandit Veerappan during an earlier DMK regime? They sent messengers to him. The then Chief Minister Karunanidhi spoke as though the police were guilty of too many crimes in the pursuit of Veerappan. Thus, the "honourable" Veerappan's metamorphosis as a criminal took place only after a change of guard at Fort St. George. Starting with scofflaws like Veerappan to ordinary criminals, any one with the blessings of the ruling party had to be treated by the police with kid gloves or better still, they shouldn't be touched at all.

This is the sad reality of Tamil Nadu today.

Therefore, the cops' hesitation in loudly repeating the sixth oath must be forgiven and forgotten by the President as in all probability, it is their sixth sense prompting them against it.

The ruling DMK has a single command for the cops: "Look the other way when our rank and file transgress the law."

The word six (aaru) has a different connotation in Tamil. It also means "calm down." And precisely that is our advice to our President.

(Translated from Thuglak by TSV Hari)

[ExpodoDop]

SIR - many 'rationalists' have quite a few wives for them. most of these 'wives' believe in god, it seems. i went to madhavaperumal temple yesterday, and i understand one of the wives of a famous 'rational' leader, a leader who calls himself as 'leader' of entire tamil race, visited the temple. normally even ordinary devotees contribute some offerings to priests and the temple. but it is said these 'rationalist' wives do not offer even a penny for the temple, when they come. if at all they make a token contribution. these sort of wealthy wives should contribute their mite to priests and temples. after all, when they openly acknowledge that they believe in god what is wrong n contributing openly to a noble cause???