Atheist Tamil Nadu CM Stalin's hardcore followers parade elephant at Kollam temple fete for leader's longevity

Kollam: For a leader who famously eschews religious rituals and champions the rationalist ideals of the Dravidian movement, the official notice board of the Pazhayidom Narasimhaswami Temple in Kollam's Anayadi presents a divine paradox. Listed right there at slot number six, amidst pious devotees offering prayers to the deity Lord Narasimha by parading elephants, is the name of Tamil Nadu's arch-rationalist Chief Minister and DMK stalwart, MK Stalin.

But behind this curious headline is not a political stunt, but the quiet, fervent devotion of two of Stalin's hardcore fans and DMK supporters - M Jayan, a Chennai-based welding worker, and his aunt, Sulatha Chandran. For the past four years, this aunt-nephew duo has been scraping together their savings to meet the steep ₹10,000 fee required to parade an elephant, believing that divine intervention is a secret ingredient to the DMK leader's continued success.

The tribute gained public attention recently when the temple in Anayadi village released its booklet for the annual ‘Gajamela’ (elephant fair) scheduled to be held on January 20. The festival sees nearly 80 caparisoned elephants lined up as a special offering for Uddhista Karya Siddhi (fulfilment of wishes). Also, devotees parade elephants on the eve of the Gajamela too as a special offering to the deity. Stalin's name came up in this list.

Jayan, a steadfast DMK worker, first learned about the ritual through Sulatha, a native of Tamil Nadu who lives in Anayadi with her husband Chandran. He was desperate to pray for his leader's longevity by making the offering, but found the cost of the elephant parade prohibitive. That is when he and his aunt struck a pact and decided they would split the cost.

“It was our wish to parade an elephant, but the cost was not affordable for one person, so we shared it by saving money every year,” Sulatha told Onmanorama.

They didn't just pay the fee; they were specific about the details. They booked the sixth slot in the lineup, driven by a belief that the number 6 brings wealth and prosperity to the Chief Minister.

Temple President Chandra Kumar said that the name of Stalin in the notice has gone viral. "Whether the DMK or Stalin knows about this offering is doubtful, but since his name was published in the notice, it has gone viral. People are curious."

Temple authorities recalled that when the duo first registered the offering in Stalin's name in 2022, the committee dismissed it as a prank. It was only when the pair arrived in person to pay the fees that the booking was confirmed. Despite fewer bookings that year due to Covid regulations, the notice featuring the rationalist leader's name sparked a frenzy of phone calls from locals asking if the Chief Minister himself would be attending the festival.

Sulatha is fully aware of the contradiction between her prayers and her political idol's personal beliefs. But they firmly believe that there is nothing wrong in a non-believer getting a little help from the gods.

"Stalin is our most beloved leader. He may be an atheist. He may not even agree with what we are doing," she admitted. "But we believe that our prayers will only bring him good. We want him to be healthy, youthful, and to win the next election with an even better margin," she said.

The duo has vowed to perform this offering for six consecutive years; this year marks the fourth. Despite currently being bedridden with a fracture, Sulatha is determined not to break the chain.

"Jayan will come here from Chennai, and we will do the offering together. I don't want to miss it. It is our belief, and we will fulfil our vow to the deity," she said.