Friday, August 29, 2008

The mayhem in Orissa

The tragic events in Orissa reminded me of something that happened in 1986 on the eve of the Pope’s arrival in Kerala. I was present at a discussion about the impact the visit could have on the different religious groups in the State. There was apprehension that protests might be organized on the contention that the Pontiff’s trip would adversely affect the Hindu interests and feelings.

One middle aged Nair gentleman concluded the dialogue by saying that Hinduism was not a weak entity that could be damaged by the visit of a Pope. He knew the strength of Hinduism. It is a religion or a way of life that is built on solid theological basis. Jesus Christ is believed to have told His chief disciple, ‘Peter, you are the rock on which I shall build my Church’. The wisdom of the Rishis, and the Vedantas form the indestructible foundation of Hinduism.

History stands witness to this. India has been ruled by the Moghuls and the mighty British. The Portuguese, the Dutch and the French dominated pockets in the country for long periods. In spite of all these, Hinduism survived.

Some people claim to be apprehensive about the future of Hinduism. Do they really believe that there is a genuine threat to the religion? In Orissa, out of the 36.7 million people, 94.35% are Hindus. This includes 5.1 million Dalits and 7 million plus Adivasis; they are the underprivileged.

Most of the Dalits and Adivasis live in abject poverty and backwardness. Reportedly, there are instances of them being denied entry into temples. It is doubtful whether they are accepted as true Hindus by the savarnas (upper class). It would appear that the Christian missionaries are mostly working among these oppressed people.

Uplifting the downtrodden through education and other means often pose problems to the vested interests. When the Portuguese were converting low castes in Kerala in the 17th century, protests arose from the upper caste Hindus and Christians. There was nothing religious about that. It caused inconvenience, economically and otherwise, to the savarnas because conversion released avarnas (lower class) from their caste obligations. (See History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala – an overview )

Another significant point is that the Christians, not Muslims, are the second largest religious congregation in Orissa, though their strength is only about 620,000. The Muslim population is even less, and rather subdued. It is the Christians who provide education and other amenities to the backward people, thereby empowering them.

Affiliation to any particular religion is not a prerequisite to be a citizen of India. That is what secularism is all about. And, any citizen of India is free to do what he wants within the bounds of law. That is what democracy means, what the Constitution guarantees. Again, it is the job of the government to enforce law, not that of a citizen or a group. That is known as the rule of law.

Any one who breaks the law should be brought to book. This includes erring missionaries, bogus god men and people who indulge in arson and murder for whatever cause. Those responsible for the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader and his four aides last Saturday, whether Naxals or Christians, should be arrested and prosecuted without delay. The same should apply to those who indulged in criminal activities since then. That is the duty of the government.

We have an ancient civilization. Every Indian should be proud of that. But what is happening in Orissa today is making a mockery of our heritage and traditional values.

Very sad indeed!

Cross posted from Song of the waves - Parayil A. Tharakan Blog

5 comments:

Rinkly Rimes said...

I enjoy 'spying' on Indian Blogs! I know next-to-nothing about India really, but I find it a fascinating country. I was surprised that Christians outnumber Muslims in some parts of the country!

Cris said...

Indeed. Violence should without doubt or demanding explanation (nothing can justify these acts) be dealt with severe punishment. By not taking any legal action, the attackers take it for granted that they had it right in deciding murdering and burning was the answer to what they thought were hideous acts of conversions.

It is simply pathetic that even educated youth of the country fail to understand the misery we are in and go on to accept it as "what they deserved". Makes blood boil that this cannot be stopped right away, snubbing the atrocious ruffians!

harimohan said...

this is a well meaning article
mr Tharakan I too agree with you fanaticism in any religion is unacceptable to rationals but at the same time secularism and hindu tolerance and perseverance over the ages has been taken for a royal ride by vested intrests ,the systematic and organised conversion of huge areas of tribal populace is a documented fact in the north east ,several parts of Orissa and even the coastal areas of Kerala ,(unlike the syrian christians who converted by making a choice themselves ),
poverty has been exploited many times using charity and even though one has to agree with the educational contribution of this group of people reaping souls has also been an agenda
( Arun shouries book harvesting souls gives the statistics )
Regarding casteism I agree it is an evil to be wiped out in Hinduism but strangely even converts stick to thier casteist labels when it comes to marriages or getting the benifits of reservation !
a truly secular nation will allow freedom of religion but also not allow coercion to convert using soft or hard methods .
Well meaning people like us wish for that utopian society .

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