A recruitment interview conducted by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department at the Perur Pateeswarar Temple has triggered widespread outrage among devotees after candidates were asked questions about EV Ramasamy Naicker also known as “Periyar” to his followers known for his Hindu hatred.
The interviews, held yesterday to fill several vacant posts at the ancient Saivite shrine, included questions such as, “What do you know about EVR?” “Which of EVR’s quotes inspired you the most?” and “What has the Dravidian Model government contributed to spirituality in Tamil Nadu?”
The Perur Pateeswarar Temple, also known as Melai Chidambaram, is one of Tamil Nadu’s most revered Saivite temples, praised in the hymns of the four great saints – Gnanasambandar, Appar, Sundarar, and Manickavachakar. The recruitment drive sought to fill six positions: two junior assistants, one record clerk, one ticket vendor, and two sanitation workers.
According to officials, around 375 candidates attended the interview, which was conducted by the temple’s assistant commissioner and officers of equivalent rank from the HR&CE Department.
Several candidates who attended expressed shock at the line of questioning. Many said they had expected to be asked about temple customs, Saivite traditions, or administrative responsibilities, not about Periyar, who had openly rejected religious worship.
“What connection does spirituality have with EVR? How can they ask about someone who said there is no God, when we’ve come for temple jobs?” one interviewee remarked after the session.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from devotees and Hindu organizations, who condemned the HR&CE Department’s approach as “disrespectful to faith” and “irrelevant to temple service.”
(Source: Dinamalar)
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