36TH MANNAM JAYANTHI CELEBRATIONS

136^TH MANNAM JAYANTHI

 CELEBRATIONS

The 136th Mannam Jayanthi celebration got under way on2nd Jauary,2013, Tuesday.Addressing a gathering of the community representatives at the Nair Prathinidhi Sammelan on the first day of the two-day celebration, Nair Service Society general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair underscored the need to promote members of the community as priests in the temples owned by the NSS.“The intend is to identify members of the community who had ‘brahmanyam’,” Mr. Nair said and pointed out that exploitation still existed in the area of spirituality.When the NSS commenced the functioning of the Thanthra Vidya Peethom, there was opposition from certain sections. However, such challenges could be surmounted and the first batch of candidates had come out successfully, Mr. Nair said.They had all been provided with job and had received acceptance among the community, he pointed out.

The NSS chief reiterated his commitment to take forward the unity forged with the SNDP Yogam. “Our dream is to turn this into the larger unity among all majority communities,” Mr. Nair said pointing out that certain sections of the majority community were yet to awaken to the need.Political interests who stood to gain from the disunity among the majority communities were playing their cards to keep these sections in isolation, he said.Mr. Nair said the larger unity among majority communities was essential to fight the discrimination faced by the communities at the hands of political parties and successive governments that had come to power.The NSS chief called for implementing the recommendations of the National Commission for the Majority Communities chaired by Maj. Gen. S.R. Sinhu which had submitted its report in June 2010. That those in power who took over-eagerness in implementing reports concerning other communities had taken a laidback attitude to the report was a clear pointer to their mindset, he said.

Later, speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of the Sammelan, Mr. Nair took a critical view of the functioning of the UDF government, whose performance graph, according to him, had taken a plunge after the Neyyattinkara by-election.The NSS chief also took a serious view of what he termed the total lack of initiative in holding the price line of essential articles. “Earlier, the governments used to make effective market intervention during the festival seasons. However, this time, the government initiative was absent,” he said.Replying to a question, Mr. Nair said the NSS had not made any change in the assessment regarding the functioning of the Education Department. However, there had been a concerted move to view such criticism through communal colour, he said.The Sammelan, chaired by NSS president P.N. Narendranathan Nair, adopted three resolutions.The first one called for implementation of the Sinhu Commission Report, the second one called upon the State government for constitution of a permanent Commission for Forward Communities and the third one called for taking firm steps to put an end to the discrimination to the non-reservation communities in the appointments via employment exchanges. Karayogam registrar K.N. Viswanatha Pillai extended the vote of thanks.The Mannam Jayanthy celebration, scheduled for Wednesday, will be inaugurated by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Prof. John Kurakar