After two dancers were denied permission to perform at Kerala’s Koodalmanikyam temple citing their religion, three dancers have announced their decision to pull out of the event. Devika Sajeevan, Anju Aravind and Karthik Manikandan have announced solidarity with the other dancers.
In a Facebook post, Anju laid out her reasons to boycott the event. "As an artist, I firmly believe art has no caste or religion. Hence, I cannot perform on that stage after declaring myself as a Hindu. Therefore, I boycott this opportunity," she wrote.
Recently, Mansiya V.P., a PhD research scholar in Bharatanatyam, said that the temple authorities cancelled her dance programme scheduled to be held in the temple premises on April 21, because she is non-Hindu. She was born into a Hindu family, and is now an atheist. "I was even asked if I had converted to Hinduism after marriage. But I don't have a religion, so how do I convert,” Mansiya wrote in a Facebook post. Later, another dancer, Soumya Sukumaran, revealed she was asked not to perform at the same temple because she is a Christian.
-with inputs from Onmanorama
