Amid fight over female entry into Sabarimala, these women say they are #ReadyToWait

The movement which challenged the ban on the entry of women in religious places is being countered by another movement on social media which is termed as, ‘Ready to wait’. The campaign has generated quite a buzz on social media platforms, and many believe it would expose the “misinformation” and “conspiracy of the women rights groups.

Commenting on the campaign Rahul Easwar, an activist who belongs to the family of priests at Sabarimala temple, tweeted, “Proud to see 100s of Hindu Woman standing up to defeat the Conspiracy against Sabarimala – #ReadyToWait. May our Woman lead us”.

Scores of women, most of them outside Kerala, took to social media last November, joining a campaign launched as #HappyToBleed after the head of the temple said he would consider allowing women to enter if there was a machine to check if they were menstruating.

Many women were quoted supporting the ban on entry of women in religious places.

“If it was man-made and wrong, I will fight against the tradition. But if it’s in the Shastras, it’s my right to fight to obey. Women can worship Ayyappa anywhere else where they are allowed.”

“Earlier women couldn’t walk and climb all that distance, safety, and sanitation used to be an issue. But now that’s not a challenge and Ayyappa is not anti-women.”