Meet Suhanjana, the only female odhuvar in Tamil Nadu

With a flower garland around her neck, 28-year-old Suhanjana surprised devotees at a temple near Chennai by rendering a hymn from Thevaram, a collection of songs from the Tamil Shaivite tradition, on Sunday.

Suhanjana’s singing not just enthralled the faithful but also led to the breaking of yet another glass ceiling -- she is only the second woman to be appointed as odhuvar (who renders devotional songs in temples) by the Tamil Nadu government. Till now, only male singers have been dominating the field.

Suhanjana, at present, is the only woman odhuvar in temples managed by the HR & CE department after the first woman appointed to the post in the late 2000s resigned her post eight years ago. Chief Minister M K Stalin handed over the appointment order to Suhanjana on August 14 along with 24 trained non-Brahmins who were appointed as priests in temples.

Also read: Non-Brahmins appointed as temple priests only in vacant posts: Stalin

On August 15, the day India celebrated its 75th year of Independence, Suhanjana broke the shackles and joined as odhuvar at the Dhenupureeswarar Temple in Madambakkam on the outskirts of Chennai.

A 2.5-minute video clip of Suhanjana rendering a hymn from Thevaram, one of the celebrated works in praise of Lord Shiva, has now gone viral on social media.

Though Suhanjana learned Thevaram and Thiruvasagam from Karur Saminathan, a renowned expert on the subject, the 28-year-old never thought she would render them in a temple before the deity.

“It is surreal. I have been singing devotional songs since I was 10 years. I have sung at temples before but rendering the hymns before the God in his abode is a different experience. That too as an odhuvar. I think I am blessed by God himself,” she told DH.

Suhanjana, who was teaching Thevaram and Thiruvasagam to school students in Karur before migrating to Chennai, applied for the job, and was chosen after an interview. V Ranganathan, who spearheaded the movement to appoint non-Brahmins as priests, termed Suhanjana’s appointment as an odhuvar as the realisation of “social justice.”

“God neither knows caste nor gender. Everyone is equal before God. A woman singing Thevaram and Thiruvasagam before God in a temple in real social justice. We wanted all forms of discrimination in temples to end. That Suhanjana received her appointment order along with non-Brahmin priests is heartwarming,” Ranganathan told DH.

Late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi had during his 2006-2011 tenure issued an order that trained persons from all communities will be appointed as priests, but the order could not be implemented due to court cases. However, the previous AIADMK government, without much fanfare, appointed two non-Brahmins priests after the Supreme Court paved the way.

Suhanjana, who has a one-year-old child, said she received “maximum support” from her parents, husband, and in-laws. “They encouraged me to take up the profession as we feel it is a service to God,” she said.

Ravindran, who has been appointed as priest in Muthumariamman Temple in Karaikudi in Sivaganga district, said he waited for over 12 years to get the job despite being qualified after training. “Not just me, so many people who underwent training were waiting for this moment. To enter the temple’s sanctum sanctorum and engage ourselves in the service of God. Finally, it has happened now,” Ravindran told DH.