Offerings to Sheebothi (Shree Bhagavathi) on the first day of Karkkitakam, is common in most parts of N. Kerala.

The month brings incessant rains, fever & flooded fields. People withdraw physically spiritually, to a simpler life.

PC: Geetha Chechi @bhaskartdas 's mom. One round of Ramayana Parayanam (Adhyatma Ramayana by Ezhuthachan) is read in all houses, to be completed in 28 days. Women wear Dasha-Pushpam (10 medicinal leaves) for the first 10 days.

Kerala becomes the first state in India to issue regulations for therapy centres for neurological disability!

4 of us, 3 Autism mothers & our child psychologist/friend took up this fight when one of our sons' arm broke during OT in a pvt centre at Kochi

livelaw.in/news-updates/m… Unable to convince centres about implementing safety measures like CCTV & parental supervision esp for non verbal kids, our rage gave us confidence to start an advocacy group, TogetherweCan, in 2015

We knocked at every door from Dist Collectors to child rights commission.

Kottiyoor Vaishakha Mahotsavam, a commemoration of Daksha Yagam began yesterday, with the arrival of Muthireri sword.

Suresh Nambudiri or Moozhiyottu Illam, ran/walked 20kms bearing the ritual sword from Wayanad to Ikkare Kottiyoor. At the Akkare-Kottiyoor Yaga Sthalam, there are no permanent structures. Only Swayambhu linga, a raised platform, lamp and the place where Amba is believed to have become Sati.

Every caste & class have their own hereditary responsibilities related to Yagam.

Male God, Male Prophet and Male priests - Essential characteristics of Semitic religions who colonized, tortured & plundered India for centuries. Their generations still follow same books.

And yet, a Hindu is the ONLY denomination expected to be apologetic about his ancestors. At Sabarimala, they say an age restriction is discrimination and yet, marital age for a woman is 18yrs, for men, 21.

They say constitutional gender morality, but yet, ONLY a man can seek divorce on lines of cruelty if his elderly parents are not taken care of by the wife.

@Nidhi @ndtv - Dharma Shasta's sthala purana is BhutaNadha Upakhyana. Yes, written rules of that temple.

Swamy Ayyappan was a Kshatriya, not a brahmin, and lived till 1184AD. Records available at his home Pandalam Palace, are "man-made" but historically valid. Just, FYI. Tantri has constitutionally vested powers over the SriKovil/Inner Sanctum. He has clearly said that the doors will be shut, if ritual is broken. Devaswam was supposed to let the court know practical difficulties and seek ordinance. Did not happen, hence.. protests.

I was in Kerala last three days. Absolutely amazed & emotional about the groundswell of determination among hindus.

Across parties/ ideologies, #Sabarimala has united us. SM, WA lit up with people discussing article 25, rights of deity, temple as public property etc. People suddenly hyper aware of apocalyptic changes being thrust upon us, have forgotten our differences.

Randomn people coming up to me and discussing #ReadyToWait almost made me weep.

Swamy Ayyappan blessing us ordinary lesser mortals with near-cosmic experiences!