I make it a point to visit the Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu Devaswoms to see the preparations for the Thrissur Pooram and wish them well every year. People’s zeal for the festival is a sight worth beholding. I feel happy when I see the festival organisers and workers from across religions acting in tandem to make the Pooram a success.
As a native of Thrissur, I am overjoyed as the Pooram date approaches. I take part in the festivities. The same cooperation is evident when we take out Buon Natale, the grand Christmas carol procession. The people of Thrissur do not differentiate between festivals as ours and yours.
Thrissur Pooram is part of our tradition. It is a celebration of unity. This marks Kerala’s festivals on the international tourism map. It is a key attraction for tourists visiting Kerala.
I am sorry to see the present confusion regarding the Pooram. The Devaswom representatives are close to me. I write this note because their anxiety worries me.
The accident that happened at Paravur near Kollam was unfortunate. Let me share my pain and sorrow. The tragedy that struck the revellers has become the sorrow of the entire state. The courts, the government and the police have taken precautions after the tragedy. These are commendable. Violations of law cannot be allowed to take lives, even in the name of festivities. Human lives are more important than festivities.
However, in the case of Thrissur Pooram, the organisers always take great precautionary measures. Subjecting fireworks and the display of elephants to intense scrutiny in light of the new rules is a good thing, but that should not interrupt the Thrissur Pooram. Without the ‘Madhathil Varavu’, ‘Ilanjithara Melam’ and ‘Kudamattam’, Kerala’s cultural capital feels incomplete. The temple managements should be allowed to perform the fireworks by ensuring that the amount of explosives are kept to a low and the display is within the prescribe decibels. The present situation can be converted to an opportunity to switch to new technologies.
Let them check the elephants but the Pooram has to be performed in all its glory.
We cannot disappoint the hundreds of foreigners and lakhs of locals who come here to witness the Pooram. I fear that the Kerala Tourism would take a hit if the Pooram, the state’s cultural heritage, is seen as interrupted.
I hope that our administrators and the police would find a quick solution to the problem. Let us wait for a safe and colourful festival. Let the unity of Pooram prevail.
(The writer is the Thrissur archbishop and the vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.)
