Kerala has seen great drama and turmoil, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling that lifted the restriction on Women of childbearing age at the Sabarimala hill shrine. Much of this has been stoked by warring political interests, who see more benefit in stoking tensions than managing them and negotiating a Solution. Amid the recent visit by two women, and a ‘purification’ ritual by the temple, there have been shows of strength by both sides, a women’s wall asserting the right to pray, and a hartal. People have been killed in violent clashes between political workers of right and left.

Why did this happen? Sabarimala is not an easy matter to cut through – it is a collision between religious freedoms and civil rights. While the Supreme Court order has struck down traditional taboos that operated in Sabarimala, there are indeed limits on the state’s capacity to sort out unfair religious practices without mobilising the believers themselves. In this case, though, the political forces fervently ‘protecting’ the temple, and those leading the women in, namely BJP and CPM, are implacably opposed to each other. Compare this to the similar situation in Maharashtra’s Shani Shingnapur, where the BJP government, the temple trust, the village, and external mediators finally came to a solution, allowing women into the shrine without disrespecting the community of believers.

If the Sabarimala standoff is to end and the SC order is to be implemented, all sides must work on dialogue rather than go-for-broke postures.