Row over Kerala CM's comment that Narayana Guru was neither a propagator nor a practitioner of Sanatana Dharma has put focus on his dichotomous legacy as both guru and social reformer.
When MK Gandhi and Narayana Guru met in 1925, they clashed on the non-violent approach to the Vaikom Satyagraha and conversion as a path to freedom for avarnas.
In 1888, Narayana Guru irked Brahmins by consecrating a rock from Neyyar River as Lord Shiva for the Ezhavas. He consecrated many Shiva idols in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.
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