THE aftermath of the arrest of Sri Jayendra Saraswati, the pontiff of the Kanchi Shankara Mutt, on a murder charge has brought into sharp relief several issues relating to the management of religious Mutts in general. The importance of those issues arises from the fact that many of the Mutts are in possession of assets and properties worth crores of rupees with undisputed right to use them in whatever way they want, without any obligation to be accountable to any other authority. Their disciples, overwhelmed by their reverence, do not dare to raise questions on such temporal matters. This leaves a lot of scope for malfeasance.

The way the head of the Mutt is chosen is not in keeping with zeitgeist. There is no voice in the selection for any of the stakeholders, whether they are in the service of the Mutt or its votaries among the lay public.

It is the incumbent head who enjoys the sole right to nominate his successor and groom him for the post. Whether he shapes up as expected or not, there is no way he can be overthrown, and willy-nilly, he has to be given the unquestioned obeisance that is taken to be his due.

The first reform, therefore, has to be to have a collegium composed of eminent persons for screening apparently suitable heirs with reference to their credentials.

It is in the vital interest of the chief of the Mutt himself to have the assistance of a Management Board duly set up from among the members of the Mutt and a formally appointed chief executive reporting to the Board in managing the non-religious, non-spiritual affairs of the Mutt.

The procedures followed should be akin to those of any well-run professional or corporate enterprise. Proposals for expenditure, investment or disposal of property should especially run the entire gamut of critical scrutiny. The head of the Mutt should be at one remove from decision-making for these purposes, instead of directly involving himself at every stage of the proceeding.

That way, he can deal with matters brought before him as the final arbiter in a detached manner, and devote himself entirely to guiding the spiritual and religious side of the Mutt.

It would also be a good idea to hold an overall review once a year, at a general gathering of interested votaries, of issues of relevance to the objectives of the Mutt and the wishes of the flock.

B. S. RAGHAVAN

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