Are seers of mutts beyond criticism? What is their role in the caste-stratified and communally-divided society? How can religious texts be reconciled with the Constitution of India?
In what is perhaps a first such initiative, a number of religious heads from Karnataka — under the banner of Forum of Progressive Seers — are coming together at Nidumamidi Mutt near Bagepalli to debate these questions in a seminar titled ‘Mutt Seers on the Path of Introspection’.
The three-day seminar starting June 21, an initiative of the seer of Nidumamidi Mutt Veerabhadra Channamalla Swami, is expected to bring together heads of religious institutions from across Karnataka.
“We want to open a dialogue on these issues from Karnataka and hope to find a resonance elsewhere in the country in the coming days,” the seer told The Hindu . The same forum, back in 2014, had gone on a three-day hunger strike demanding introduction of a Bill in Karnataka to fight superstitious practices on the lines of the one in existence in Maharashtra.
“A religious mutt is always seen as a rigid institution that preserves old traditions and not as one that is in sync with the changing times. But, this need not be so. It can transform into an institution that connects with society and changes with times,” said the seer.
Interestingly, a day before the start of the seminar, 285 seers will share a platform in Bengaluru on June 20 to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, being organised by the same forum.
“It is time we stopped restricting Basavanna to only Lingayats, Buddha to Buddhists, Ambedkar to Dalits, or Vivekananda to Hinduism,” said the Nidumamidi Mutt seer, emphasising the need to “place their grand vision in a broader context”.
A religious institution need not remain just a preserver of old traditions. It can also change with times and be an agent of change.
Veerabhadra Channamalla Swami
Seer of Nidumamidi Mutt
