Khalid Hussain

This is a comment that was posted to the FB page of the organization that sponsored the ad/warning that I quoted in my last post:

Please... let us not all get carried away by the fact that Sudhamani [i.e., Amma] is a Dheevara [i.e., a member of a particular Kerala caste connected to the fishing industry]. She has done most in kind for her own immediate family as gold or money or the vast 'fleets' of fishing boats. No reservations/monetary benefit for anyone from our community. We need not jump into unnecessary confusions or allegations when we are not too sure of what is happening inside. Surely, there will no smoke without fire. Let us not support her.

Part of the issue is that Gail Tredwell's book has not yet been translated into Malayalam, so many of the local people have been left to wonder what claims have been made about the Amma organization. There is a perception that Amma is being targeted with criticism, but the context is probably unclear to many people. This FB comment suggests that there is skepticism on the ground that is based on direct experience--experience that corroborates claims made in Gail's book--regardless of the availability of her book in the local language.


Peace,

kh