Female journalist receives threats over Thaali-based Tamil talk show

Female journalist receives threats over Thaali-based Tamil talk show
Female journalist receives threats over Thaali-based Tamil talk show
Written by:

The News Minute | March 15, 2015 | 03.20 pm ISTAs journalists gathered together on Thursday in Chennai, many voiced their protest against the tiffin box bomb attack on a Tamil TV channel’s office over a talk show on the Mangalsutra or the Thaali. The protest itself was over the opposition by political parties and fringe groups against the telecast of a TV programme by Puthiya Thalamurai where panelists and the audience debated on the relevance of the Thaali in the current generation. Though the programme which was to be telecast on International Women’s day, March 8, was stalled, a talk show on the opposition against debate on the topic was held by the TV channel where a panel of senior well-known journalists and politicians took part.Featuring senior journalists Kavitha Muralitharan and GC Sekhar, G Ramakrishan of the CPI(M) and Seeman, each of them voiced their unanimous dissent against the furore over the screening agreeing that it should be left to an individual’s choice to wear the Thaali.Saying that it was one’s individual decision, Kavitha elaborated explaining that such a protest in Tamil Nadu made very little sense as a law that goes back as far as 1967 makes marriages without the Thaali legal (the self-respect 1967 act).The Hindu Marriage Act , 1955 was amended after efforts by Periyar which allowed marriages between two Hindus to be conducted without the necessity of the Thaali.However, not long after the show was telecast, Kavitha was singled out and became the focus of online threats on Facebook by unknown individuals. "I started receiving some threats on Facebook after I took part in the show. One man whose profile says he is from Colombo threatened to slit my throat. Another man has found a picture of mine wearing a Thaali and asked me if I could take it off.""I believe that the Thaali is a piece of jewelry and it is every woman's choice whether to wear it or not. I wore a Thaali as I had a conventional marriage."As of now, she says she has not responded to any of the threats against her. Read Hindu groups and BJP block telecast of Tamil news channel's Thaali or Mangalsutra- themed talk showTweetFollow @thenewsminute

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com