It is the season of Lord Ayyappa of the famed Sabarimala in Kerala and the rightwing Hindutva groups have found a new target, Isaivani, an anti-caste Ganaa singer. They have directed their ire against her for a six-year-old song, ‘I am sorry Ayyappa’, by filing police complaints besides issuing threats and heaping abuses.
Isaivani, also a contestant of Bigg Boss (Tamil), has approached the City Police Commissioner with a complaint about the abuse and threats over phone after a rightwing Hindu outfit had widely shared her mobile number.
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The Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) had lodged a complaint against her and ace filmmaker Pa Ranjith, alleging that the song hurts the sentiments of Hindus. Similar complaints have also been submitted in Coimbatore and Theni.
Apart from the opening line “I am sorry Ayyappa, naan ulla vanthaa thappappa’ (Is it wrong for me to enter your abode), the rest is a critique of patriarchy, purity-based ban on temple entry, gender and caste equality.
Endorsing the self-respect rationalist ideology of Dravidian icon Periyar EV Ramasamy, the song says that not only clothing, even marriage should be left to the choice of women. Ganaa is a modern Tamil genre having its origins in the slums and burial grounds of north Chennai but popularised in films since the early 1990s.
Written by hugely popular anti-caste singer Arivu, it was performed in 2018 at the annual event of ‘Casteless Collective,’ a music band launched by Ranjith in which both Arivu and Isaivani are an integral part. After a recent Christian devotional song of Isaivani, the rightwing outfits have stumbled upon ‘I am sorry Aiyappa’ to target her, falsely claiming that she is a Christian insulting a Hindu god. They have also received support from the state BJP with senior party leader H Raja asking why Isaivani had not been arrested yet.
Interestingly, the song was composed and sung at a time when the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, had favoured women of menstrual age entering the Sabarimala temple as a constitutional right. The verdict was overturned much later after the song was performed on stage.
The orchestrated rightwing outrage against the Ganaa singer has seen an outpour of solidarity for her with the hashtag #IStandWithIsaivani trending on social media. Besides Ranjith, writers, activists and pro-Tamil parties and outfits have come out in her support. Condemning the targeting of Isaivani, Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre, in a statement made it clear that the targeting of Isaivani is not about an individual singer but an intimidation and grave threat to emerging artists.
“Isaivani, selected among the 100 best women personalities by BBC, has made the Tamil society proud. A responsible and highly talented artiste, she is facing vulgar abuse and a complaint has been lodged with the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, with evidence, against those involved,” it said adding that The Casteless Collective takes full responsibility for the song, which basically is not against Aiyyappa.
“Only through relentless questioning of the status quo, rights which have been denied for long have been achieved through legislation. This song is not about Aiyappa but has been written against the stumbling blocks standing in the path of realising fundamental rights,” it read further and requesting “all those who understand the objectives and believe in democracy to stand with singer Isaivani.”
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment, PK Sekar Babu has said that the government would consult legal experts as to whether any action is warranted against singer Isaivani and we have to ascertain the facts.
