TN Temples Priest Selfie Photograph Attendance Format

"Is there anyone without a Smart Phone these days. We will give some more time for this implementation" - HR &CE Minister Sekar Babu

This section has featured several stories on priests in remote temples having served for decades at a monthly salary that has not topped Rs.1000. Even after the High Court direction to the HR & CE to pay reasonable wages to the priest in Mannar Koil Rajagopalaswamy Kulasekara Azhvaar temple near Ambasamudram, the HR& CE minister PK Sekar Babu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/05/hr-ce-minister-sekar-babu-on-roll.html) had told this writer that they would be contesting the court order as the temple does not generate enough income to pay salary to the priest, whose appa had served at the temple for many decades at a salary of around Rs. 100 and who himself started out at a salary of Rs. 250 in 2005 that a decade later went up to Rs. 750 per month (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/04/mannar-koil-archakar-wins-salary-case.html).

On 24th June, the HR & CE has issued an interesting directive, signed by the Commissioner Muralidharan, to the priests across the state on a new attendance format that would come into force from the first week of July(a copy of this circular is available with this writer). With the tech developments that have taken place over the last couple of decades, the HR & CE has directed the priests to take a photograph (Selfie!!!!) of themselves inside their respective temple as a mark of attendance every morning. The circular has further said that in the absence of such a selfie photograph (that has to be sent to the respective EO of the temple), the day’s salary would be deducted.

The priests have expressed anguish at this sudden directive. While a priest in a temple very close to the HR & CE headquarters in Madras has indeed taken a selfie photograph this Friday morning, priests in remote temples, many of whom still do not have smartphones, have asked as to how they can buy a mobile phone when their daily salary is less than Rs. 50!!! They have said that if the HR & CE buys them a smart phone, then they could explore this new attendance model that has suddenly come into force.

Only recently, the HR & CE minister had given a commitment to the devotees by issuing an order to the EOs across the state to open up all the temples that have remained closed. 

When queried about this new directive, the HR & CE minister asked this writer if there are those without a smart phone in the state!! When this writer asked the minister if the HR &CE would provide the smart phones to the priests across the temples in the state, he burst into laughter asking ‘if HR & CE should provide this as well’.

When informed by this writer that are still priests in remote temples who only use the traditional non smart phones, he said that he would provide additional time for them to buy the smart phones and that the directive would not be brought  into force immediately though the circular has stated so.

PS Narasimha Gopalan, the priest at Mannar Koil, has never used a smart phone and still uses only the landline for his phone conversations. Similarly, the revered Vasan Bhattar of Therazhundur Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/therazhundur-vasan-bhattar.html), uses only the old model phone and has almost never taken a photograph with his phone. 

Another priest whose salary of Rs. 100 a day had not been paid for four years  asked as to how he could do this everyday when his salary itself has not paid regularly. 

Narasimha Gopalan told this writer that the HR & CE should first implement the High Court order directing them to pay him minimum wages (Rs. 15000 per month) as it is already over three months since the Court order. He said that after paying the wages as per the court order, if the HR & CE buys him a Smart Phone and also recharges every month, he would follow their directive of a photo recording his presence. He said he would file a case in the court contesting this directive of the HR & CE. He also pointed out that only this week the new Police Chief had spoken about reduced usage of mobile phones while driving and in other (restricted) zones. Would the HR & CE want priests to be using the mobile phone inside the temple through this directive, he asked this writer.

He also pointed out that the HRCE has been providing monthly provisions and pooja items not exceeding Rs. 750 in the last two decades and that items like lamp oil, rice for everyday thaligai are being provided by devotees. 'They neither provide minimum wages or pooja items but want to record our everyday presence', he told this writer.

It looks like the HR & CE is trying to ensure the physical presence of the priest every day at their respective temple by tracking them through this technology route. 

In fact, only recently, musical artistes at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore had told this writer as to how the authorities had asked them to record their arrival and exit through the technology route and as to how they had told the authorities that this was not practically possible as they would be at the temple at different points in the day depending on the Utsavam schedule.

While the Executive Officers across the state have already begun applying pressure on the priests to whatsapp their selfie from inside the temple premises, the HR & CE minister has told this writer that he would give a little more time for the priests to buy a smart phone but he is clear that this technology model to record their attendance would be the way forward for the priests and that there would be no second thoughts on this.

One would have to wait and watch as to how this new circular plays out.