Why lingayats are not Hindus? 

After Karnataka government agreed that Lingayats as separate religion and sent recommendation to the Central government to accept its plea, Lingayat religion, became a talking point in the social media and in the real world.  

I spoke to two professors who had deeply researched in religion and culture. Prof M N Mahadevappa  has sent me many notes and spoke to me in detail on rituals of Lingayats.
Prof Sarvanan who heads the Saiva Siddhantha department in the Madras University busted many myths.

Essence of what both of them said:
1)There is no separate religion called Hindu.
2)Saivism, Vaishavism, Gowmaram, Saktham, Ganapathiyam, Sowravam are six different religions which were later clubbed together as hinduism for political reasons and administration. 
2)Lingayats wear lingam in their chains but the linga that is seen in Saiva temple is different one. People often mix this fact
3)Lingayats are represented as sub caste in hinduism now whereas Basavanna who introduced this religion was very much against the caste system and varnasirma dharma.

Story link:
http://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-43489113

Kurangani forest fire #thenifire #Kuranganifire

I was in Theni two days back to cover the aftermath of Kurangani forest fire in which 16 trekkers had died in the accident.  I met families of victims, doctors, nurses, Kurangani tribals, ambulance and taxi drivers, reporters from other media houses. Tears of the families, love and care of doctors, commitment of ambulance drivers, anxiety of reporters are still fresh in my memory. 

Couple of incidents bothered me much. 

I was in the same flight in which the family of one of the fire accident victims also travelled to Madurai. I couldnt find words to talk to the father of the victim. He said his daughter promised to return within day and even spoke to him that she had almost completed the trek. 

While many journalists were waiting outside the mortuary, one journalist entered the hall, where family members were waiting to receive the bodies of their loved ones, kept questioning the distressed persons. Until a young woman shouted at him and asked him to leave, he was asking questions and taking notes. I felt bad about the behavior of the journalist.  

I am sharing couple of links of the stories I had reported on the incident. 

"திங்கட்கிழமை காலையில் வந்துடுறேன் அப்பா!" குரங்கணி காட்டுத் தீ-பிபிசி செய்தியாளரின் அனுபவம்

http://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-43368582

#கள தகவல்: ''அண்ணா, தீ துரத்திட்டு வருது.. காப்பாத்துங்க''- குரங்கணி சோகம்

http://www.bbc.com/tamil/global-43388705

தீயில் சிக்கினாலும் குறையாத மன தைரியம்: மீண்டு வர போராடும் அனுவித்யா #GroundReport

http://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-43396847