Rahul Easwar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | India |
| Alma mater | IIM (A) [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Public Policy Commentator and Activist [2] |
| Spouse | Deepa Vijayan Pillai [3] |
Rahul Easwar is an Indian public policy commentator and activist [1] from Kerala. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Rahul Easwar | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | India |
| Alma mater | IIM (A) [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Public Policy Commentator and Activist [2] |
| Spouse | Deepa Vijayan Pillai [3] |
Rahul Easwar is an Indian public policy commentator and activist [1] from Kerala. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Rahul was born in Kerala, to Easwaran Namboothiri and Mallika into a Malayali Nambudiri Brahmin family. [8] He is also the grandson of Kandararu Maheshwararu, who was the Senior Supreme priest of the Sabarimala temple. [9] His wife, Deepa Vijayan Pillai, is from a Nair family. [10] He is an executive member of the Munnokka Samudaya Samrakshana Munnani and the secretary of the Hindu Parliament. [9] [11] Rahul was selected as the Flag Ambassador of the Mahatma Gandhi National Foundation which aims to achieve National integration. [12]
He is a ubiquitous presence on Malayalam regional TV News channels and National Indian TV news Channels, often being described as a "right-wing political observer". [8] He has participated in more than 2700 Television debates across national and regional channels like Doordarshan, Republic, Times Now, NDTV, India Today, Zee, Asianet, Manorama and Mathrubhumi. [13] He was the winner of Malayalee House , an adaptation of the reality television show Big Brother . [14] He has given talks at TEDxIIM, TEDxSRM and TEDxNMIMS. [15] [1]
When the Kerala Government decided to give the Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram award to artist M. F. Husain in 2007, Easwar initiated a campaign against him for alleged anti-Hindu sentiments resulting in the retraction of the award. Easwar has conducted campaigns for tribal rights in Kerala and was arrested along with a thousand members of the Malayaraya Tribal Community. [16]
Easwar protested against the Travancore Devaswom Board in favour of letting members of the Malayaraya Scheduled Tribe (ST) community light the Makaravilakku light at Sabarimala. He was detained by the police for planning the protest. [16]
Easwar defended Mata Amritanandamayi over the controversies related to the allegations made by Gail Tredwell. [17] He also congratulated the Travancore Royal Family for the victory in the Padmanabha Swamy Temple case and wishes to free all temples from government control. [18] Easwar articulated the difference between the Makara Jyothi and Makara Vilakku, bringing closure to a long-standing controversy. [19] He and MLA P.C George were engaged in a legal battle for the rights of the Malayaraya Tribals who were involved in the 'Makaravilakku' in Sabarimala. [20]
In July 2016, during an interview to India Today about the mistreatment of temple elephants, Easwar pointed out that temples have financial incentives to entertain crowds, which often results in the use of elephants for the spectacle. The root cause of the mistreatment, he believes, is a lack of spiritual education. "Our temples have become carnival spaces and tourist places, devoid of spiritual meaning and content." Easwar recommended as a reform, one-hour Saturday spiritual education for Hindus, similar to Friday for Muslims and Sunday for Christians. [21] He supports the cultivation of "Secular Hindu unity" in Kerala. He went to court against the hate speech by Hindu leader Sadhvi Prachi against the Muslim community. [22]
He proposed that "Hindu majority consolidation should not be anti-minority and it should be inclusive. He also quoted former DGP Siby Mathews on the issue of more than 80% of suicides being by Hindus, as opposed to just 8% suicide by Muslims, saying that a well-organised religious majority would come to the rescue of these individuals". [11]
Easwar received death threats when he was the guest for the Jamat-e-Islami religious harmony function in Kochi. [23]
He was attacked by a group of left wing students from the Milad E Sherif Memorial College for his anti-beef festival & cow protection stance. They attacked and vandalized his car. [7] Easwar received threats when he met Hadiya and Madani. [24] [25] A complaint was filed by K M Ashokan, whose daughter's marriage was annulled by the High Court due to controversy over forcible religious conversion. Easwar released the video of Hadiya where she says her life is in danger and the Supreme Court took note of it when it was raised which later secured her release from captivity. A Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice also expunged the allegations against Easwar. [26] [27] [28] Easwar welcomed the entry of all believers to the Sabarimala temple irrespective of their religion. [29] He also supported priesthood for all irrespective of caste. [30] Easwar and Thushar Vellappaly, son of Vellapally Natesan demanded an anti forced conversion law in Kerala. [31]
Females of age group 10 to 50 are prohibited from entering the Sabarimala temple, because the resident deity, Lord Ayyappā is a celibate (Naiṣṭika Brahmacārya). [32] [33] [34] In September 2018, after a 20-year legal challenge, the Supreme Court lifted the ban. [35] Easwar and his group Ayyappa Dharma Sena (ADS) protested the decision and threatened to further protests. [36] [37] Easwar became the face of the Sabarimala protests and was arrested for inciting and protesting near the temple complex. [38] [39] [40] [41]
| Year | Program | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Malayalee House | Contestant | Winner |
| 2015 | Champions | Host | Co-host |
| 2016 - 2017 | Smart Brain | Quiz Master | Quiz show |
| 2018 – 2020 | Sreshtabharatham | Judge | Host |
| 2013 – Present | Around the World | Host | Safari TV |
Ayyappan, also known as Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is the Hindu deity of truth and righteousness. His worship is more prevalant in South India. Although devotion to Ayyappan has been prevalent earlier, his popularity rose in the late 20th century. According to Hindu theology, he is the son of Vishnu in the form of Mohini and Shiva thus representing a bridge between Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple that is devoted to the worship of a deity named Ayyappan, also known as Dharma Shasta. Ayyappan is believed to be the son of Shiva and Mohini. The temple is situated atop a hill in the village of Ranni-Perunad, within the Ranni Taluk of the Pathanamthitta district in the state of Kerala, India. The temple is surrounded by 18 hills in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world, with an estimate of over 10 to 15 million devotees visiting every year.
Makara Jyothi is a star worshiped by pilgrims at Sabarimala Temple in Kerala on Makara Sankranti every year. It is believed that the deity Ayyappan asserts himself as Makara Jyothi to bless his devotees.
Makaravilakku is an annual festival held on Makara Sankranti in Kerala, India at the shrine of Sabarimala. The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala. An estimated half a million devotees flow to Sabarimala every year to have a darshan (vision) of this ritual this day.
Suhasini Raj is a journalist based in India. At Cobrapost she conducted Operation Duryodhana, aired on Aaj Tak news channel in India on 12 December 2005, wherein she bribed eleven members of the Indian Parliament to ask questions in Parliament that were ostensibly meant to be lobbying for small scale industries.. Currently she works with the south Asia bureau of The New York Times in Delhi.
Jayamala is an Indian actress and politician. She served as the Minister for Women and Child Development and Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens in the Government of Karnataka, by virtue of being a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. She served as the female president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce between 2008 and 2010. Her popular Kannada films include Premada Kanike, Shankar Guru, Antha and Chandi Chamundi among several others. She has produced and acted in the award-winning Thaayi Saheba.
Erumely, also spelt Erumeli, is a town and panchayat located in the south-eastern part of Kottayam district in Kerala state, India. Erumely is situated 49 km (30 mi) east of Kottayam town and 133 km (83 mi) north of capital city Thiruvananthapuram. It is situated on the way to Sabarimala and during pilgrimage season, Erumely and its surroundings will be crowded by devotees from different parts of Kerala as well as other states. Erumely is also renowned for its religious harmony and prosperity between Hindus and Muslims which existed from the early periods. It is a place which have strong roots in legends and myths associated with Hindu deity Ayyappa. A new airport has been proposed in Erumeli. The village is nourished by Manimala River.
The 2011 Sabarimala stampede was a crowd crush on 14 January 2011, Makara Jyothi Day at Pullumedu near Sabarimala in Kerala, India. It broke out during an annual pilgrimage, killing 106 pilgrims and injuring about 100 more declared later as "National disaster". The pilgrims were returning from a Hindu shrine on the last day of a yearly festival which attracts millions of devotees. It began after a Jeep toppled over.
Kummanam Rajasekharan is an Indian politician and former governor of Mizoram (2018–2019). He began his political career as an activist of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Sangh Parivar in Kerala in 1970. From 2015 to 2018, he was the state president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala. He is the first BJP leader from Kerala to become governor. He currently serves as the administrative committee member of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He actively contested for BJP in various Loksabha and assembly elections in Kerala.
Kunnummal Surendran is an Indian politician from Kozhikode in the state of Kerala. He currently serves as the 11th President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. In March 2024, he was announced as the BJP candidate from the Wayanad Constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, facing off against Rahul Gandhi.
Trupti Desai is an Indian social activist and the founder of the Bhumata Brigade & Bhumata Foundation, a Pune-based organization. Desai has campaigned for allowing women to religious places like the Shani Shingnapur Temple, the Haji Ali Dargah, the Mahalakshmi Temple, and the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, all in Maharashtra, and most recently the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. In 2012, she was an Indian National Congress candidate for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. In 2021, she participated in Bigg Boss Marathi 3 as a contestant and evicted on Day 49.
The Ready To Wait campaign is a social movement initiated in September 2016 by a group of female devotees of Hindu deity Ayyappan, as a response to a petition filed in the Supreme Court by women's groups to demand the right to enter the Sabarimala temple, located in the southern Indian state of Kerala, which traditionally restricts entry of women of reproductive age. The campaigners of "Ready To Wait" asserted their willingness to respect the traditions regarding entry to the Sabarimala temple. It started as a social media campaign with the hashtag #ReadyToWait and soon gained momentum as Hindu women from all over the country took to social media to show their support.
The Hadiya case was a 2017–2018 Indian Supreme Court case that affirmed the validity of the marriage of Hadiya and Shafin Jehan, which was challenged by Hadiya's family. Media outlets have described the underlying dispute as an allegation of "love jihad".
Sabarimala is a temple dedicated to Shasta, in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. Women and girls of reproductive age have traditionally not been permitted to worship there, as Shasta is a celibate deity. The Kerala high court provided a legal justification for this tradition, and since 1991 onwards, women and girls were legally forbidden to enter the temple.
Vanitha Mathil was a human chain formed on 1 January 2019 across the Indian state of Kerala to uphold gender equality and protest against gender discrimination. The wall was formed solely by women and extended for a distance of around 620 kilometres from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram. Around three to five million women participated in the event.
T. G. Mohandas is an Indian lawyer, social critic, writer, journalist and television presenter from Kerala. Mohandas was the state convener of Bharatiya Janata Party's Intellectual Cell and the General Secretary in 1997 of Bharateeya Vichara Kendram and its vice-president in 2006 and served also as General Manager of Ayodhya Printers, a company owned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
M. Geethanandan is an Indian social activist working on political and economic issues faced by tribals and dalits in the state of Kerala, India. He co-founded the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha along with C.K. Janu and others. He has been involved in organising several protests and struggles of Adivasis (tribes) and Dalits, notably the Muthanga agitation, an incident of police firing on the Adivasis in the Muthanga village of Wayanad district, Kerala.
Rehana Fathima, also known as Suryagayathri, is an Indian women’s rights activist from Kerala.
Bindu Ammini is an Indian lawyer and lecturer at Government Law College, Kozhikode, and a Dalit activist. She is one of the two first women between the age of 10 and 50 to enter the Sabarimala Temple after a Supreme Court of India decision allowed women of reproductive age to enter the temple.
Events in the year 2018 in Kerala