Sunday, November 28, 2021

Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran



 An appeal to Global Hindus

by

Maravanpulavu K. Sachithananthan

Siva Senai

 

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

 

Portuguese King Emmanuel I mandated by Pope Alexander VII sent evangelists escorted by the Portuguese Army to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka during 1520 AD, Francis Xavier entered the fray in 1544. Mannar Inquisition followed.

Thousands of Saiva Hindus were tortured incarcerated and or killed for refusing to convert to Christianity during Mannar Inquisition. To this day stands the grave where brave Hindus were buried at Mannar. Archeologists have identified this mass grave inside the present-day Mannar Town.

This violent tradition continued for 500 years. On 13th September 2021, those inheritors of Pope Alexander VI’s mandate removed a Lord Ganesha statue to replace it with a statue of St. Antony in the Mannar district.

For the second time (the first was 150 years ago) in the annals of violent evangelical - proselytizing campaign in the Tamil Homeland of Sri Lanka, this carcinogenic offensive is being met with Hindu stubbornness.

When Siva devotee Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran was relaxing after his lunch on 27th November 2021, at his farmhouse in Kizhavankulam, Panikkan Kulam off Mankulam in the Mullaitivu District of Sri Lanka, a Toyota Hiace luxury van escorted by motorcyclists stopped in front of the gates of the farmhouse.

Siva devotee Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran was amused. He was preparing to welcome the unannounced visitors.

Four to five men from the two vehicles opened the gate, entered the frontage, and greeted Siva devotee Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran. Exchanging greetings, Siva devotee Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran asked for their background as he had not known them before.

The visitors introduced themselves as messengers of God and his prophet Jesus Christ. They were opening their handbag folders to pull out fliers.

Siva devotee Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran alerted himself. He had heard of these carcinogenic contaminants who live in luxury, paid by alien funds to pollute the Hindu society. He abhorred this practice.

During the previous week, he appeared before the Sri Lankan Presidential Taskforce on One country One law at their public hearing held at Mullativu town to elaborate on the menace of the evangelical - proselytizing campaign in the district.

Now he was experiencing them face-to-face.

Initial conversations were on a polite and courteous note, as the evangelists were inside his compound. In a way they were his guests. 5000 years or more of his traditional Sri Lankan Saiva Tamil Culture had its civilizing influence on him.

However, he could not bear the "guests" speaking ill of Lord Ganesha his Kula Deivam. When they said the Lord Ganesha was only a piece of stone, Jegatheeswaran became furious. His immediate reaction was to go for the nearest weapon to attack all those who insulted his Kula Deivam.

Better sense prevailed. He asked the "guests" to leave his compound.

From now on, for Jegatheeswaran they were not guests but aggressive intruders. Politely with utmost courtesy, he asked them to leave.

Jegatheeswaran had his passive Saiva Tamil ancestry guiding him through. 

The aggressive intruders had inherited the directives of the 500-year-old decree by Pope Alexander VII. To be ruthless was the mandate. True to their alien masters, the intruders slowly became aggressive. Their language smelled foul. Their mannerisms smelled sewage. Their tones were harsh. Slowly all of them became abusive.

That was a clear provocation. The instinctive reaction of Jegatheeswaran in meeting this foul, abusive spill of sewage was to use his verbose broom. Consequently, the intruders withdrew. Like the defeated dog, they continued to bark from the roadside. 

We had a Sankili in Jegatheeswaran after 500 years. We had an Arumuganavalar in Jegatheeswaran after 175 years. Bold but wise, courageous but soft, Jegatheeswaran not only straightened his backbone but straightened the backbone of the Sri Lankan Saiva Hindu world.

Exasperated, bewildered, and confused, Jegatheeswaran called 1999 the emergency police from his isolated farmhouse. He was directed to the nearest Mankulam Police station, where he was shown all the courtesies. A complaint was filed. The police gave him an acknowledgment.

He reached me on the phone. 

It was a rainy day. Also, it was a day when the state security apparatus was on full alert for other reasons. I wanted to rush to Kizavankulam around 80 km away.

I messaged a few of my colleagues. That was enough to give adequate pressure to the police, who despite their high-alert duties, spotted the culprits, who were pastors cum fathers of a missionary based nearby. 

The culprits were arrested, produced before a magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody until the case comes up for hearing at the Mullaitivu courts on 1st December.

For 500 years, Saivaite Hindus were facing the wrath of this contaminant pollutant inimical virus, without any state support. For the first time, the state security apparatus acted to the disadvantage of the evangelical - proselytizing campaign in the Tamil homeland.

There were unorganized, uncoordinated attempts by Hindus to meet this menace. Five years ago, Siva Senai entered the arena to contest this evangelical - proselytizing campaign in an organized manner. The methodology was simple. Strengthen the Saiva Hindu mind. Change the vacillating Hindu mind into a stronger Hindu mind. Alter the helplessness attitude to a faith-based positive attitude. Induce bravery (wherever frail or weak) into the Hindu psyche. 

Towards these aims, Siva Senai ventured to organize a network of grassroots volunteers. They hoisted Hindu Nandhi flags in Hindu homes in vulnerable areas. Posters appeared condemning the evangelical - proselytizing campaign in those areas. The volunteers became anchors of Hindu hope. 

The volunteers were trained to handle this menace in a non-violent manner. Leaflets, handouts, flyers, booklets, and books reached these volunteers. Seminars and meetings to assess local situations were conducted. Realistic goals were set for each village division.

Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran is one of the few hundred volunteers offering themselves to meet the evangelical - proselytizing campaign. His strong conviction, his unshakable faith proved his mettle. He sets the pathway. He is a torch bearer.

Print and electronic media have highlighted the Mankulam incident of 27th November 2021. That exposure and the combined will of the dedicated volunteers (whose number is increasing day by day) will help to wipe out the evangelical - proselytizing campaign. 

Through the concentrated effort of Siva Senai, Cheddikulam division with 18 village divisions in Vavuniya district, has more or less gotten rid of the evangelical - proselytizing campaign, thanks to its dedicated volunteers.

Now the evangelical - proselytizing campaigners are on the run everywhere. 

Global Hindus have a duty to telephone Maarkkandu Jegatheeswaran at +94768947121 to congratulate him on this historic achievement.

No comments: