Do Not Hurt the feelings of the believers

Made snana is a matter of personal belief: Mujrai minister

Media breaching the right to privacy, intellectuals hampering the right to observe your faith...

The Dakshina Kannada District Administration's direction to Kukke Subrahmanya temple administrator to ban the `Made Made Snana' practice came to a naught with Mujrai minister over riding this diktat.

Over 550 devotees took part in the ritual which involves rolling on plantain leaves used by Brahmins for meals, under the belief that it will cure them of skin ailments. The ritual will be held for two more days.

Mujrai minister VS Acharya told TOI the decision by the district administration was hasty. ``Such decisions need to be taken only after proper consultations at appropriate levels. These (Made Made snana) are traditional rituals working on beliefs and we have no business coming in the way of those beliefs,'' he said.

Regarding would there be any change next year Acharya said: Even if any changes have to be made, there is a process (Asthamangala prashna). Hence it was decided to continue the tradition like last year. We are not going to start any new tradition. The old tradition, if it has to continue, will continue.

Asthamangala prashna is a thorough or detailed study to find out root causes of any problem and the remedy to it using numerology and astrology.

Regarding opposition to this practice from many quarters, Acharya shot back: Those people who don't believe (in the ritual) don't have any business to interfere - as they don't have any belief. They need not worry about it.

Role of the media, self proclaimed intellectuals in this regard is quite provocative!

When there is no issue of caste in this belief, media desperately tries to divide the society in the lines of caste. Moreover, shameless visual media has been covering this event live, thus breaching the right to privacy of the devotees performing the ritual.

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Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat, Udupi Sessions court Judge Narendra Kumar Gunaki, Bar Association vice – President Ronald Praveen Kumar, Lawyers Multi purpose Co – Operative Society president H Rathnakar Shetty, Lawyer Pradeep Kumar Shetty and others were present.

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Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya said on Saturday that the State government was giving importance to develop skills and talents among the youth.

He was speaking after inaugurating the three-day State Youth Festival organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, and the district administration.

Mr. Acharya said that physical barriers had come down in a globalised world. Youth with good education, skills, and talent had many opportunities open for them.

In the past four years, the government increased the budget of the Department of Youth Services and Sports. The government was thinking of shifting the scouts' activities in schools from the Department of Public Instruction to the Department of Youth Services and Sports, he said.

The future of the country was dependent on the future of the youth. “Our ancestors have left us a rich legacy in the fields of arts and culture. It is our duty to preserve and promote it,” he said.

Assistant Director of the Department of Youth Services and Sports Sitanadi Vittal Shetty welcomed the gathering.

Gopal Bhandary, MLA, presided over the function.

President of the Karkala Town Municipal Council Pratima Mohan, Director of the Department of Youth Services and Sports V. Chandrashekhar, zilla panchayat members Savitha Kotian and Mamatha Adhikari, and Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju were present. The Hindu(report)/ Mangalorean (photo)

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Association president K Vasudeva Rao, secretary Naveen Rai Puttur, Ashok Kumar Shetty, Shivaram Kadaba, Ganesh Kundapura, Janardhan Kodavoor, Jayakar Suvarna, Jagannath Shetty Mangalore, Sridhar Shettigar, Manjunath Bailakere and Praveen Kaup were present. Mangalorean

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Minister of higher education Dr V S Acharya inaugurated the convention by lighting the lamp. In his address, he said that a state-level religious council ‘Rajya Dharmika Parishat' consisting of 8 members had been formed. The state council will be forming the district councils. Stating that certain sections of the common religious endowment act had been challenged in the supreme court and that the authority of the government to make appointment to the administrative committees of temples has been questioned, he said that the supreme court has directed the government to amend the Karnataka Religious and Charitable Institutions Act.

The eight-member council will have dharmadarshis of different temples, minister for religious endowment and also its government secretary. This council will have powers to appoint the administrative body to all the state-level temples coming under the government.

In the second stage, district-level religious councils will be formed comprising district judge, agama shastra experts, representatives from SC/ST, backward classes, he added.

P Ramadas Madmannaya, president of Bhargava Trust ( R), Inna, presided over the function.

Senior archak of the Inna temple Inna Srinivas Bhat, senate member of Mangalore University Prof Sripati Tantri), senior advocate of state high court Padubidri Raghvendra Rao, administrator of Lakshmi Janardhan Temple Ujire Vijayaraghava Paduvetnaya and convener of Kashi Santhana Trust Yellur Y M Shridhar Rao were honoured by the guest.

Agama scholar of Dharmika Parishat Vidwan Panja Bhaskar Bhat , Chennai entrepreneur C R Balakrishana, Corporation Bank Mumbai CGM Balakrisna Bhat, entrepreneur Manjunatha Bharadhwaj, AGM of Karnatka Bank K G Ramesh Rao , K P Acharya Kaup and others were present. (Mangalorean)