Maradu Vedikettu!

Vedikettu or bursting of crackers has always been a very fascinating part of temple festivals in Kerala. Vedikettu along with elephants have become the most sought after thing in temple festivals very recently. While on a personal front, I am not all that much in favor of vedikettu, there is no denying the fact that watching the big flower pots explode and listening to the koottavedi does give us a kind of rare pleasure. With the kind of population that we have in and around Ernakulam district and the number of temples springing up and rising to fame day after day, vedikettu had become kinda daily ritual for residents of the district. Maradu, Nadakkavu and Pallipparambu Kavu vedikettu were the most famous and the most sought after among these. While it remains the fact that these were exciting, there were quite a few people who had expressed concern over the potential casualties such vedikettu could throw up. The reasons were that there is a huge crowd that gathers during such festivities, the lack of adequate space to indulge in such activities and the potential danger that a misfired cracker can cause. While apprehensions were on, there was still no stopping the vedikettu. But the apprehensions did come true on the fateful night of 21 February 2008, when a fire cracker did not explode. Instead it landed right in the middle of the crowd and exploded in the midst causing the immediate death of 2 and rendering 25- 30 other onlookers seriously injured. The venue was Maradu kottarathil Bhagavathi Temple where the utsavam was on in full swing. There was a huge crowd that had gathered promptly filling up the couple of acres of ground space around the temple. The mishap took place and apparently there was a lot of confusion and commotion around. The temple premises were so badly filled up with people and vehicles that the injured could not even be taken to hospital in time thanks to the traffic all around. The lives lost is definitely a big blow to the family members of the victims but there is no denying the fact that the mishap has drawn the attention of the people that matter to this whole business of vedikettu in temples that defy all known measures of security. The District Collector immediately ordered cancellation of further vedikettu in the temple and the issue is now under inquiry. It is highly likely that all vedikettu in temples would be banned by the court soon. It might come as a rude shock to the fans of the cracker bursting game but I would still say it would only make sense if this ritual is banned considering the safety of the lakhs of devotees who throng the temple premises during festivals. Probably the whole incident was divine intervention itself- the deity herself might have felt that she should intervene to protect the lives of lakhs and lakhs of her worshippers. You may never know...