Tamil Nadu is staring at a severe drought. This March, the state government had declared that 24 of 32 districts have been hit by hydrological drought. At least 19 districts have reported a fall in groundwater levels in 2019, compared to only three districts in 2018.
Reports of crimes committed over water scarcity have also begun to emerge.
A woman in Pallavaram in suburban Chennai was assaulted this week and had to be admitted into a hospital for demanding her quota of three pots of water, which she was refused on the charge that she had already procured it. It is not uncommon to see pots lined up in front of tanks on streets in the state right from midnight.
The state government, however, has come up with a novel idea to tackle the drought: Perform Yagnas.
A circular issued by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department has urged the authorities of temples under its control to perform yagnas to beget rains. Dated April 28, the circular explains the ways by which the yagnas are to be performed. This includes constructing a water tank around Nandhi and filling it with water to the level of Nandhi’s neck, and to arrange musical concerts involving ragas like Amirthavarshini, Megavarshini and Kethari that would supposedly please the rain gods.