Murugan conference | DMK navigates thin line between Hindutva and Hinduism

The recently held Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference in Palani signals the strategic efforts taken by the DMK to shed the “anti-Hindu” image widely touted by the BJP and Hindutuva forces.

The Dravidian party, which has always fought against the Hindutva stance, has made a calculated effort through the Murugan conference to emphasise that it is not an anti-Hindu party.

A Tamil god

The party has also sought to convince hard-core atheist DMK followers that Lord Murugan, rather than being a Hindu deity, is a 'Tamil god', one who loves the Tamil language, no less.

The move is not without its challenges and criticisms, but it seems to have marked a significant shift in the DMK's approach to religion and Tamil Nadu politics in general.

Lord Murugan, or Kartikeya, the second son of Lord Shiva per mythology, is highly revered in ancient Tamil literature and culture. He is said to be so knowledgeable that he could even preach his father Lord Shiva and also Lord Brahma.

Tamil mythological texts describe Murugan as a six-faced god with endless courage, good looks and youthful nature. In fact, 'Muruga' translates to beauty. There are also numerous songs on Murugan that describe his love for the Tamil language.

Palani event

The two-day conference — focusing on the deity — included resolutions to renovate 143 ancient Murugan temples at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore, establish annual awards to honour those contributing to the upkeep of Murugan temples, and establish a Murugan Research Centre and a Tamil Siddha Medicine Research Centre.

To engage the youth, the conference committee recommended that competitions be conducted for students based on Murugan literature.

Further, students at schools run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department are encouraged to recite Kandha Sashti Kavacham during festivals. Training schools are also to be set up for non-Brahmin priests.

These measures signal a robust engagement with Tamil religious and cultural traditions. 

Theists within DMK

Is the DMK’s stance a drastic paradigm shift from its past record?

It is true that historically, many DMK leaders have been vocal about their atheistic beliefs, a stance that has often put them at odds with Hindu sentiments.

DMK leaders have often been embroiled in controversies related to Hindu gods and rituals, strengthening its image as an “anti-Hindu party” over the years.

Yet, some well-known party leaders, such as the late PTR Palanivel Rajan, a close aide of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and father of current state IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (who also goes by 'PTR'), PK Sekar Babu, the current HR&CE Minister in MK Stalin’s Cabinet, and DMK MP Tamizhachi Thangapandian, have been open about their religious leanings.

Rationality versus religion

A careful read of the numerous remarks and actions of the DMK, and the controversies surrounding them, suggests the DMK has been vocal about its opposition not to Hinduism per se but to Brahminical supremacy and the varna (caste) system.

Party supporters cite several historical events to prove that the DMK’s strategy of staying away from Hindutva and Sanatana Dharma concepts is separate from issues concerning Hindus and Hinduism in general.

However, that didn't always ward off controversy. DMK leaders have now and then ruffled feathers with their comments, including Karunanidhi, who questioned the existence of Lord Rama to challenge the Opposition’s arguments on the Sethusamudram shipping canal project.

Controversial remarks

“Who is this Raman? In which engineering college did he study and become a civil engineer? When did he build this so-called bridge? Is there any evidence for this?” Karunanidhi once famously asked.

On another occasion, he criticised then MLA Anthiyur Selvaraj for participating in a fire-walking ritual at a temple. Terming it a “barbaric act”, Karunanidhi also reprimanded Selvaraj for wearing a kumkum on his forehead. "Are you bleeding?" he apparently asked Selvaraj, as quoted by news reports back then.

Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi invited trouble last year by saying Sanatana Dharma is against social justice and equality. Like malaria and dengue, it should be eradicated, he added.

North Indian ire

Though Udhayanidhi said, as he had done earlier too, that he is not against Hinduism but against the caste system and untouchability preached in Sanatana Dharma, his comments were condemned by hardcore Hindutuva groups.

Many orthodox organisations in the North, who consider Hindutuva and Hinduism to be the same, slammed Udhayanidhi. A seer in Ayodhya even announced a Rs 10 crore bounty on Udhayanidhi's head.

Udhayanidhi’s mother Durga Stalin, like many other family members of Hindu DMK leaders, is openly religious. She is frequently spotted at temples, including during the recent general election campaign period.

HR&CE operations

The DMK is also known for doing its bit to improve the functioning of the HR&CE Department. For instance, in 1969, Karunanidhi, then the Chief Minister, took efforts to conduct a car festival for the famed Thyagaraja Swamy temple in his hometown Thiruvarur. The temple car festival had been halted after accidents in the 1940s.

Subsequently, BHEL engineers were engaged to design steel wheels, axles, and a hydraulic brake system to prevent accidents. Since then, BHEL has produced steel wheels for several temples. Karunanidhi also introduced the concept of non-Brahmin priests in temples.

Stalin pushed an initiative to use Tamil language mantras in the place of Sanskrit ones. Many temples in Tamil Nadu sport display boards with contact details of priests available in the temple to perform rituals in Tamil.

Reclamation of temple lands during the DMK regime always makes big news in election campaigns, as it is used to point out that the party caters to believers, too. 

Lord Murugan and DMK

The DMK has never shied away from reverence to Lord Murugan. In fact, way back in 1982, Karunanidhi led the first Vel Yatra in Tamil Nadu. The vel, or spear, is considered the main symbol of Lord Murugan.

Karunanidhi led a 200-km padayatra from Madurai to Tiruchendur over eight days in February 1982 during the regime of AIADMK leader MG Ramachandran (MGR).

The vel had gone missing from the temple and Karunanidhi had demanded that the AIADMK government release the investigation report on the missing object as well as a murder linked to the case.

Father and son

Stalin has also followed in his father’s footsteps when it comes to Lord Murugan and the vel. He received a silver vel from his party members in Tiruchendur district during the 2021 Assembly elections.

When questions were raised, DMK Organisation Secretary RS Bharathi said the party had members who believed in God and they were perfectly at liberty to practise their beliefs. 

He claimed that the DMK party secretary in the Thiruthani area district committee was engaged in contractual work in the Thiruthani temple. As a sign of respect, he had gifted his favourite work to Stalin and there was nothing wrong in that.

Similarly, in keeping with the party’s main line that it is not against Hinduism but dogmatism, Stalin has taken radical steps such as appointing women othuvars and non-Brahmin priests in temples.

Allies unhappy

But the DMK’s apparent foray into uncharted territory has evoked mixed reactions from across the political spectrum. Alliance partners such as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the CPI(M) have criticised it for mixing education with religion.

They have accused the DMK of saffronising the education system and undermining the value of secularism — accusations usually levelled against the right wing.

They are upset with the resolution in the Murugan conference to engage students to recite devotional songs during festivals would result in Hinduism getting greater emphasis against other religions.

Effective counter

Senior DMK leaders are, however, convinced that the Lord Murugan conference would effectively counter the BJP’s propaganda significantly.

It appears that they are opting to overlook the criticisms from their state-level alliance partners, as they have a bigger role to play at the national level — strengthen ties with INDIA bloc partners. In any case, the party remains a strong leader in stitching alliances in the state.

With the Murugan conference done, many DMK party workers can happily wear the sacred ash and kumkum on their foreheads without any inhibition — it would have been looked down upon earlier.

Now, the party has moved on to a secularist path, leaving behind the image of a party dominated by strict atheist leaders.