Mannar Koil Archaka wins Salary Case

Narasimha Gopalan Archaka - From a salary of Rs. 250 in 2005 to finally one as per Minimum Wages Act

The Madurai High Court has this month directed the HR & CE to start paying, within 8 weeks, a salary to the Mannar Koil Archaka and the temple's service personnel as per the Minimum Wages Act 

Finally after a long drawn court battle, PS Narasimha Gopalan, the sole archaka at the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannar Koil, one where Kulasekara Azhvaar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/11/kulasekara-perumal-koil-in-mannar-koil.html) is believed to have spent his final years, has won a case in the Madurai High Court resulting in a monthly salary to the temple's service personnel as per the minimum wages act.

Almost 15years with a Three Digit Salary

He took over as the archaka after the demise of his appa Srinivasacharya just under a couple of decades ago at a salary of Rs. 250 per month. This section has featured many stories on how the next gen in most remote temples in TN have moved on into the corporate world seeing the struggles of the archakas in the previous decades(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/bhattars-gurukals-move-away-from-temples.html). Narasimha Gopalan chose otherwise. He wanted to continue the archaka service that his appa had rendered for several decades even though for over ten years, he was paid a monthly salary of only Rs. 250. But he decided very early on in his priesthood that he would fight for the cause of the archakas across the state.  

Fighting for a cause

Under a decade ago, he filed a case against the cine world on how the sacred Vaishnavite Thiruman was being abused in movies referring to the Thiruman as ‘Naamam Pottuttaan (Thiruman was used to indicate ‘cheating’) - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/11/periya-nambi-acharya-fights-for.html.

And then he got even more serious when he found that there were no service personnel ready to get into temples. Similar to the hereditary archakas, there were Mei Kaavalars and Pala Velai workers who had carried on performing service in temples over the last hundred years. But with a three digit monthly income which too was not paid on time, these service personnel too began to move away from temples. 

It was against this backdrop that Narasimha Gopalan, who belongs to the revered Periya Nambi clan, decided to file a case in the Madurai High Court pleading for a salary that would at least satisfy the requirements under the Minimum Wages Act.

Being the Sole Archaka in Mannar Koil, Narasimha Gopalan has not moved out of the region in the last two decades as there are no substitute archakas available and even if they were ready there was no remuneration to pay them (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/periya-nambi-narasimha-gopalan-acharya.html).

He has often referred to the verses of Kulasekara Azhvaar in boosting his confidence and serving as inspiration for his selfless service.

பத்தியிலாத பாவிகள் உய்ந்திட

தீதில் நன்னெறி காட்டி

எங்கும் திரிந்து அரங்கனெம்மானுக்கே

காதல் செய் தொண்டர்க்கு

எப்பிறப்பிலும் காதல் செய்யும் என் நெஞ்சமே

After a prolonged four year battle in the court, earlier this month, the Madurai High Court directed the HR &CE to pay salary to the service personnel in line with the Minimum Wages Act. 

After he began filing cases in the high court over the last decade, the HR & CE increased the salary of Narasimha Gopalan initially to Rs. 750 from Rs. 250 and then to Rs. 2900. The service personnel such as Mei Kavalar, Pala Velai, Sweeper were still paid a salary of Rs.500 per month.

So what does this new order entail?

The Madurai High Court has directed the HR & CE to pay the revised salary along with dues from 2019 (from the time he filed this specific salary case) within 8 weeks. If implemented as per the order, it is likely that Narasimha Gopalan would get a salary of around Rs. 16000 per month (calculated at a minimum wages act figure of Rs.520 per day). As per the court order he is also entitled to this salary from 2019 which would mean the HR & CE would have to pay him dues of around Rs.6.50Lakhs (13000x50months).

The service personnel mentioned above who have been carrying out their duties for several years at this abysmally low salary of Rs. 500 would also be entitled to a salary of Rs. 16000 as per the court order.

Restoration of Tanks and Income from these tanks

The temple has under its fold multiple tanks in the Ambai region. These are let out under auction every couple of years for the villagers to breed fish. Only this week the HR&CE minister has announced restoration of temple tanks in TN and also directed breeding of fish at these tanks for additional income to the temple. The Mannar Koil Rajagopalaswamy temple receives an income just over a lakh from these tanks every year or so. There are several tracts of land belonging to the temple but as in most other cases in TN, there has been no income from these lands for the temple. The Hundi collection at this temple does not exceed Rs. 1L annually.

It has been the argument of the HR & CE for a long time that without income, they are not able to meet the salaries of the service personnel. These points have been fought out in the current petition of Narasimha Gopalan and it is after hearing both sides that the Madurai High Court has directed the payment of the salary as per the Minimum Wages Act. Hence it is unlikely that this argument of not having sufficient income from the individual temple would hold water anymore.

Temple Activist TR Ramesh(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/02/tr-ramesh-temple-activist.html), who himself has been fighting many a case against the HR & CE, lauded the determination of the Mannar Koil archaka saying that it was his persistence that has led to this victory for the archakas and the service personnel.

Revival of utsavams

Narasimha Gopalan has over the last decade single handedly revived historical utsavams such as the Theppotsavam and Pavitrotsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/09/mannar-koil-pavitrotsavam-revival.html). Also, during his time, he has already performed the Samprokshanam twice mostly with devotee contributions. He has built a huge Nandavanam and maintains it all on his own through the service personnel. He has also built rest houses for devotees visiting these utsavams.

Renewed hope for other temple archakas across TN

Narasimha Gopalan has filed the salary case pleading for salaries as per minimum wages act for archakas and service personnel across TN temples. The current order directs the salary revision only for the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannar Koil. Nonetheless, based on this landmark judgment, archakas in other HR & CE temples in TN who have been serving for decades but receiving only three digit salaries, can now reach out to their respective courts seeking a salary as per the minimum wages act. And there is now a precedence set with this court order and the archakas need not go farther than this judgment.  It is also likely that this judgment will lead to an influx of more service personnel into remote temples in TN. At the moment, a majority of the historical temples in the Ambasamudram region are without Mei Kavalar and Pala Velai personnel. And it is also no surprise that a single archaka manages multiple temples in this region.

Hearing about his selfless services, devotees are also now coming forward to support his services at the temple. And that's a big positive for remote temples in TN.

What is the HR & CE likely to do

If we are to go by historical evidence, it is likely that the HR&CE will file an appeal against this judgment and seek more time. But in this case, as the judgment has come after several rounds of hearing and counter arguments from the HR & CE over a four year period, the good news for the archakas and the service personnel may be here to stay and it is unlikely that this order will see a reversal.

                                     Amma and Appa

Mannar Koil, near Ambasamudram, is as remote as it gets. After what his appa had gone through financially in the 1980s and 90s and in line with the trend of the time, one would not have been surprised if Narasimha Gopalan made his way to a larger city seeking greener pastures in a life away from temples. But he was reminded of this verse of Kulasekara Azhvaar, stood his ground, continued the hereditary service and has showcased that even from as remote a temple town as Mannar Koil, it is still possible to fight for the sacred cause. 

வாழ்த்தி மால்கொள் சிந்தையராய்

ஆட்ட மேவியலந்தழைத்து அயர் வெய்தும் மெய்யடியார்கள்

தம் ஈட்டம் கண்டிடக் கூடுமேல் 

அது காணும் பயனாவதே

His amma, who had meant everything to him, passed away last year, but that too has not slowed down his determination to fight for the temple cause. In the not so distant past, very few would have given any chance to a Rs. 250 earning priest to fight out against the powers that be but this priest has turned it all around. With single minded devotion and a spirit that wants to get the service personnel back into remote temples, Narasimha Gopalan Bhattar has gone on to show that if one fights for a fair cause, with the Lord's blessings, justice will always prevail in the end even if may  have been delayed for a while. And he has served as a great real life inspiration to those who want to take up just causes (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/periya-nambi-narasimha-gopalan-acharya.html) and given them the belief and confidence that truth will prevail some day.