The Cosmic Glass Ceiling

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Not one but two women have created a storm of protest by claiming that they have entered the shrine of Sabrimala. The Sabrimala shrine, where women between the ages of 10-55 are strictly banned, is a shrine to male celibacy. Lord Ayappan, is said to be the god of the brahmachari. If women are allowed into Sabrimala, says the Thantri or priest, the entire edifice of the temple will collapse and the very reason for the arduous pilgrimage will be nullified. An ancient monastic pilgrimage will be demolished for the sake of contemporary notions of gender justice. A sanctified tradition that exists precisely because of its transcendentant distance from the 21st century, will be brought into the dull ambit of every day political correctness. Are the voices calling for the entry of women into Sabrimala, guilty of forcing a lumpen modernism into the stern austere places where god's traditions have....