The "sacred" thread
I'm a weird breed. I'm an atheist who finds peace in temples. I don't believe in religion, but I do have faith. I am not a spiritualist, but I'm traditional. I take pride in being humble, but I don't believe I'm a puppet in someone's hands. I don't believe men and women are the same, but I believe in gender equality. I neither believe in religion(the received truth) nor in science(the perceived truth). I believe fundamentalism is dangerous, but I believe pure rationalism is sinister. The debate: In the last few days, a debate has been raging in Tamil Nadu. Its about a piece of jewelry(that is what it has been reduced these days) associated with marriage - the Thaali, the Tamil's version of Mangalsutra. It's held sacred by the Tamil Hindu community, but since the dawn of the twentieth century, a few people have raised their voice in support of the people who have chosen not to wear it. The notable ones being E.V. Ramasamy(Periyar), Anna Durai a...