Thiruvananthapuram is getting ready for its annual big bash – the Attukal Pongala. It is a one-of-a-kind experience even by Kerala standards. Lakhs of women line the streets; volunteers offer water, food and free transportation. Religion, caste and age barely make their divisive appearance. The city becomes an organism of collective devotion.

It is beautiful. But it is also becoming a deafening example of Kerala’s devotion to decibels.

No one is immune from this trend now. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently was seen scolding his supporters, pausing his speech because the chenda melam refused to fall silent. On another stage, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan was visibly angry at the deafening celebratory crackers set off by his party members.

For once, the powerful seemed to taste the bitterness that ordinary residents are expected to endure around the year without protest.

In the coming days, the roads of Thiruvananthapuram will see loudspeaker towers sprouting up – placed randomly, regardless of hospitals and residential enclaves nearby. Music will begin days in advance and continue long enough for fatigue to replace devotion. Motley crews seem to believe that faith travels best through stacked amplifiers.

The law, however, is clear. Loudspeakers can operate only........

© Mathrubhumi English