The temple has a history of being insensitive to the differently-abled.

Bangalore:  NDTV reported on a young boy who was denied entry to a temple near Mysore because he was in a wheelchair. Further investigations reveal that the same temple has a history of being insensitive to the differently-abled. This incident shocked many, but it was not an isolated case. NDTV spoke to N Mamatha, who was not allowed to enter the same temple in her wheelchair way back in 2005.

Anikesh Kuber was not allowed to enter the Sriranganathaswamy temple in his wheelchair, and sadly, the same thing had happened at the very same temple a few years ago.

Mamatha was visiting the temple from Bangalore with her family and had a similar experience. "They all told wheelchair, you can't take it. Big ruckus happened. They were very rude. One head priest was there. Then they told rubber is there in the chair. They were using mobile phones with leather pouches, and all right inside the sanctum sanctorum, said N Mamatha, Deputy Office Superintendent, Central Excise Department. "They shut the door on my face. It was a real humiliation at that point. We contacted the police who contacted the District Commissioner. In spite of the District Commissioner's orders they didn't allow it," Mamatha added. Recalling the insult, Mamatha said, "I can't explain the humiliation. It is like you are in front of somebody's house, and they literally shut the door on your face." "The public also were impatient. They were asking me why you are creating such a trouble. Why are you so stubborn? I was thinking after all these years, again and again, we have to face these problems?

Mamatha was travelling with her daughter who was just eight years old at the time. Recalling the incident, Mamatha's daughter Suma said, "Everyone was surrounding my mom and I started crying, because I was really confused and didn't know what to say or do. I remember them shutting the gate at my mum's face. If I look back on that day, I feel that was a mistake on their part which should not happen to anyone else."

Mamatha wrote an article about her experience and the Commissioner for Disabilities acted. The priest and temple manager were made to apologise to her. An order was passed to ensure that all temples provide their own wheelchair facilities for people who needed it.

Commenting on the incident, head priest of Sriranganathaswamy temple Prasanna Kumar said, "We have our own traditions. A wheelchair from outside is not allowed inside the main temple. We provide a wheelchair ourselves. We said they could use that." But the Kuber family said it was not offered at the temple. They would not have used it even if it had been, as Anikesh would not have fitted into a regular wheelchair.

When asked about her reaction on another boy not allowed inside the temple on his wheelchair, Mamatha said, "I was shocked. Then I thought, he had no voice, even now he cannot tell what's happening. On his behalf his parents are telling." When will things change? When will society at large realise that meeting the needs of the differently-abled is a right, not a favour that is being done. With people like Mamatha having the courage to speak out, hopefully that time will come sooner rather than later.

Thanks to: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/bangalore-temple-s-history-of-insensitivity-35077?cp