Saga of proselytisation in Orissa : Past , Present and Future   

By Debasis Tripathy in Bhubaneswar  (May 2009, Hindu Voice)

At last the balidan of swami Laxmananda Saraswati, the venerable saint who emerged as the nemesis of proselytisation, compelled the state government to confess the reality, may be in late. The patriotic blood of Swamijee has dragged the truth out, that “ Conversion to Christianity is the root cause of all problems in Kandhamal” , what the state government has submitted before the Supreme Court. It is an official declaration of the government admitting the allegations of uncontrolled and unlawful proselytisation, mushrooming growth of which is continuing since 1720 AD, even under the nose of the administration. Anti conversion laws have taken compulsory retirements in order to appease the evangelical vote bank of the sate whose number is ever increasing. The govt. has admitted that 24,000 Hindus have been converted to Christianity in Kandhamal within few years, which is openly denied by the evangelists. They do not want to loose their minority identity in spite of possessing an army of proselytisers in many parts of the state including Kandhamal. A series of church sponsored atrocities and conversion in the name of service and religious purity, made by the so-called god men in white gowns, has disrupted peace and composure in the state a great deal , which is being officially admitted today by the state government.  

The crusade of proselytisation first started in Orissa in the year 1720 AD , with a well chalked out plan to make this holy land of Lord Jagannath , a part of the evangelical empire by destroying Orissa’s deep rooted enriched culture and heritage. The church people left no stone unturned to make their unholy mission successful. The first school of proselytisation in Orissa was opened at Athgarh in Cuttack district , where a Hindu Sadhu namely Sundar Das was tortured by pastors and he was forced to accept Christianity . Sadhu bluntly refused to become converted for which he was sent to jail at the age of 110 years, basing on false allegations manufactured by the evangelists. How ever his two pupils namely Gangadhar Sarangi and Ramachandra Jachak were converted to Christianity through allurement that if they would become Christian, their writings would be published in the Church printing press. This was the first conversion in Orissa in the month of October 1827. Sadhu Sundar Das was a preacher of Bhakti Cult who was working as a soldier in the army of the then king of Athgarh during his youth. Latter he left army and started studying Sanskrit and scriptures , became a Sanyasi. The Church people first targeted him and did every effort to mould him towards Christianity. Two missionaries namely Bampton and Pegus came to him in the year 1822 and persuaded him to become Christian but Sundar Das was not ready to discard Hinduism. Sadhu Sunder Das also started his Sudhi programme and returned back his followers who were baptised by pastors. Hence he became sole target by the Church and breathed his last on 16^th April 1838, in a very miserable condition. Though Sadhu Sunder Das was not directly killed by the Church, but he was compelled to die being imprisoned for false allegations made by the church people. The same thing was repeated,but in a different manner in 2008 ,in which Swami Laxmananada was murdered by the evangelists.  

Christian Press in Proselytisation- The evangelists  as a part of their tarnished ploy for proselytisation, started printing press in Orissa in order to attract people. As there was no such printing press , people thronged in to their press to get their literary works published. Taking its advantage, the church started publishing different blasphemous literatures defaming Hindu deities like Lord Jagannatah in a most uncivilised manner.  In 1838, Orissa Mission Press was established in Cuttack and two books were published in Oriya language namely “ Sat O Asat Jagannath”( True or False Jagannath) and “ Gundicha Yatra ra Mahaschrya Phal”  ( The surprising result of  Car Festival ). These books openly outraged Lord Jagannath and reprimand the deity and his devotees in a worst possible manner. Two more  publications namely “ Kutrabar Patra” and “Gayan Runa” were published from the said printing press in 1759 and in 1849 respectively by pastor C. Leysy as their editor. Both these publications worked as the  manifesto of proselytisation through which a good number of educated people were baptised . Apart from this, the church people in the name of spreading western education in the state harvested a good crop of converted Hindus through their mission schools. Convent schools were opened in different parts of the state. The famous Sunday School was started at Cuttack in 1822 and other 27 such schools were established in the coastal belt of Orissa during 1897 and the total student strength of these schools were 1248, all most all were baptised. In 1823 , four English medium schools were opened at Cuttack along with a boarding school. This boarding school which latter turned into an orphanage, was a workshop of proselytisation and all the children were converted to Christianity . Latter , in 1881 Cuttack Stewart School and in 1882 Mission School, were  established at Cuttack to fuel the fire of proselytisation.  

 

Revolution Against Church- It is a part of the known history that the Vanvasis of Orissa have been badly affected by the illegal conversion, their socio-cultural and religious lives have been contaminated by the church people. Kandhamal is the best example what the church has done there and how it has been spreading hatred among native vanvasis and how the same is being protested by the culture-loving tribals. The church people created panic in the tribal areas of the state through proselytisation, poor people were searching way how to get rid of the same , again spreading of blasphemous imputations against their deities made them furious . A revolution broke out against Christians 1815 in the tribal areas , famous as “ Ghumusar Revolution” and continued up to 1857. The book namely “ Administration of East India Company” authored by Mr. T.W.Kaye is the clinching evidence of this revolution. At page 595 & 596 , the author writes “ Missionary activities of Christian Padris all over the estate alarmed the people about the impending danger to their religion and civilisation and subsequently they took to arms to defend their faith and culture from being imperilled by the rising tide of Christianity in the region.” The revolution first started by Kamal Loachan Dora Bisoi, backed by the king Sreekar Bhanja and Dhanajaya Bhanja . In 1837, Dora Bisoi was captured by the British people and was sent to Ooty jail where he died in 1846. ( ref. letter of captain Macpherson to Mills dtd.27.12.1846. B.R.A. Vol. 1846 ) . The then princely states were also helping the revolutionaries to drive the missionaries out of the state in order to save the Hindu religion and Jagannath cult form destruction and to combat proselytisation. However , Dora Bisoi ignited the first flame of revolution against the evangelists in Khurda, Banapur, Puri areas and the same became successful and took the momentum as the famous Paika Revolution of Khurda of 1817. The second phase of revolution against Christians started by Chakara Bisoi, Nabaghan Kanhar, Bira Kanhar and others in the year 1846 and continued up to 1866. [ ref. Letter of Samuels to secretary to govt. dtd. 1.2.1856, B.R.A. Vol. 1855-57 ]. This revolution spreaded like wild fire against the Christians far and wide. Chakara Bisoi and his revolutionary friends led the revolution from Athagarh to Paralakhemundi, from Angul to Ghumusar, from Patanagarh to Nayagarh, from Boudh to Russelkonda mostly against the socio-cultural and religious exploitation and conversion by Christian pastors. In Kandhamal, the Kandha vanvasis killed 13 proselytisers including British officials at a place namely Udaygiri , which was their spontaneous reaction against the Christians.  

While this revolution against the Christians was in its full swing and was approaching towards its finality, the unfortunate calamity devastated Orissa , ill-famous as the Famine of 1866. About 10 lakhs people died out of starvation and the Christians did not miss the golden opportunity to catch fish from that troubled water. They started  food stalls where the hungry Hindu people were being provided food in exchange of their religion. These stalls were working as the open canters of proselytisation. Three evangelists namely William Brooks, William Billey and John Bookley were in charge of this mass conversion drive and many Hindus were converted to Christianity being compelled by the situation. [ ref. Letter of Mr. Derby to Thomas cook dtd.7.11.1888]. This historic famine broke the back bone of the poor people of Orissa and their revolution against the church sponsored atrocities was cool down.  

Table Showing Christian Population in Cuttack- Bhubaneswar

Source- www.catholic-hierarchy.org

 
 

As per the census of 2001, the number of Christian population in Orissa has been reported as 1,468,575 out of total population 37,655,762 and the percentage of Christian population is 3.09%. But the data of Kandhamal district is quite disturbing where the Christian population growth has been reported as 66%. About 42,353 Hindu vanvasis are converted to Christianity in Kandhamal during 1991-2001, but among them only two persons have been converted as per law. According to data available with the district collectorate, the Christian population in Kandhamal was 117,950 in the 2001 census, up from 75,597 a decade earlier."The Christian growth rate in the district is 66 percent as against 18.6 percent for the overall population growth in the district," District Collector Krishan Kumar told Organiser .Kumar said that the Orissa Freedom of Religious Act, which came into action in 1989, allows people to change or adopt any religion but all such individuals need to submit a form to the district magistrate.” We have received just two applications not just between 1991 and 2001 but between 1989 and 2008. We must understand that every one must follow law," Kumar explained.However, he did not specify what action the district administration has taken to punish those who have violated the law.Asked if he attributes the growth of Christian population to conversions, he said: "It could be because of two reasons - conversion and migration. “Of the over 650,000 people in the troubled district, at least 53 percent are tribals. Of the nearly 118,000 Christians, a majority has converted from Dalit families. Dr. Kumar said . But on the other hand , Arch Bishop Raphael Cheenath says that Christians are minority in Kandhamal. But the question arises if only 2 persons are legally converted in Kandhamal then why proper legal actions are not being taken against others who are illegally converted and against those who baptised them unlawfully? 

The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1964 which was enacted to combat conversion from one religion to another religion through fraudulent means , allurement or by applying force, has become a mockery in the hands of the callous executive machinery. This legislation and the Rule framed there under has been completely paralysed . The Christians demand for the repeal of the said Act in order to make their illegal proselytisation free from all barriers. Arch Bishop Raphael Cheenath publicly outraged this legislation  as a “ Draconian Legislation” and demanded for its repeal . No action has been taken against them. On the other hand in order to appease the Christian Vote Bank, the government has turned deaf towards illegal conversions. Late Nandini Satapathy, the former Chief Minister of Orissa raised this question of uncontrolled conversion in the state Legislative Assembly and demanded for a white paper on the issue on 25^th March, 1998. It is a fact that the Congress governments in Orissa had shown undue favour to the Christians but the degree of such favour which Naveen Pattanaik has been  showing towards proselytisers has crossed all limits. In the aftermaths of Kandhamal incident of August ,2008 , about 1285 Hindus have been arrested all over the state and 16543 Hindus are being prosecuted in different charges, whereas the government has given the Christian goons free breath. “It is the notorious ploy of Shri Mohapatra, the chief mentor of the state govt. and political Guru of Naveen Pattanaik to finish Hindu unity . Shri Mohapatra is an ardent Communist   and hand in glove with Maoist ultras and Christians.” – says Shri Subas Chouhan, the National Co- Convenor of Bajrang Dal.  

Cultivation of Souls- A plan for 2000AD.  

What is the future plan of evangelists ? The answer is, total proselytisation of Orissa and to establish a Red corridor starting from Chhatisgarh to Bihar. In order to achieve this aim, they plan to-

1. Occupy Orissa for Jesus Christ 
2. Reach at each and every people and village
3. Construct churches in each and every village
4. send missionaries to every PIN code areas
5. Distribute evangelical literatures among every educated people.
6. Display evangelical movies in every village
7. Fight with the non-believers.

[ Ref. 2000AD plan for Orissa by Reverend P.R.Parichha , Tulashipur, Cuttack-8]

Apart from these, the project Jesua-1 and Jesua-2 are in operation in the state aiming at complete proselytisation. Time has come , the Hindus must be united to combat this menace of Proselytisation , otherwise this peaceful state will turn into an other North East states like Nagaland and Tripura. Awake Hindus awake.

Criminals call the shots as hindutva hangs from the banyan tree

Jaunpur hanging of an IJP candidate is a direct result of Udit Raj’s machinations for conversions of Hindus by ‘Dalit International Foundation’ of which he is the chairman.

Jaunpur hanging is a metaphor for the rotten state of Hindusthan.

As the blame game proceeds pointing accusing fingers against SP and BSP for the alleged murder of the IJP candidate of Jaunpur, Election Commission lacks the competence to inquire into the root causes for the criminalization of politics with a heady mix of religious conversions thrown in.

Be it Kandhamal (with a criminal case sought to be foisted on a BJP candidate, an ex-IPS officer Ashok Sahu), be it Jaunpur, the criminalized polity in Hindusthan has become a bed of intrigue perpetrated by christist missionary gangs through many proxies.

Varun Gandhi episode (invoking the NSA against a political speech) and the likely release of Varun on bail, on April 16, by the SC, the issue is joined: many are the forces at work to denigrate the Hindu.

The bane of Hindusthan is this: criminalization of the polity and the onslaught by the christists and islamist-jihadi-terror operatives.

Advani is trying to fight a phony fight with phony leadership. Manmohan is only a dummy. The real sutradhari who has destroyed any semblance of constitutional propriety in the state is the lady from Luciana who has surrounded herself with a set of chamcha-s who think they are born to loot the wealth of the nation.

The question the young voters have to ask themselves is this. Why is it there is no discussion about their future in a vibrant Hindusthan?

Everyone is being taken for a ride. Media indulges in chamcha-giri of the worst kind by promoting the Luciana dynasty as though the be-all and end-all of Hindusthan rests in the welfare of this dynasty.

The electorate of Hindusthan have themselves to blame if they allow their votes to be wasted by voting for criminals who care little for the welfare of the nation or the welfare of future generations. Tax haven is the heaven; rest is mithya in the reckoning of the criminals who are the only contestants in the election. EC is running a sham election exercise with no clue as to how to rid the criminality from the voting exerice.

PS. What type of punditry advises Advani? Was it necessary for him to goof up and say that some back-door channels of communication are open with J Jayalalithaa? JJ promptly denied any such communication. So much for the credibility and smartness of pundits advising Advani.

kalyanaraman

IJP candidate from UP’s Jaunpur seat found hanging from tree

April 13th, 2009 - 5:27 pm ICT by ANI

 

Lucknow, Apr 13 (ANI): The body of an Indian Justice Party (IJP) nominee for the Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency was found hanging from a tree on Monday.

Forty-eight-year-old Bahadur Sonkar’s body was found near Raja Ka Talab, barely 500 metres from his home in Ahiyapur-Rasheedabad locality, 200 km from here.

Central observers of the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat have reached the spot and are investigating the case.

The tragic death of Sonkar has sparked off protests by party supporters and family members, according to whom a ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate is responsible for the killing.

Sonkar, who was contesting against the BSP’s Dhananjay Singh, had reportedly been concerned about his safety and had even asked for police protection from the Election Commission.

IJP President Udit Raj has blamed the Election Commission for the death, as they did not provide security to the candidate even after repeated requests.

Raj is demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the case.

Meanwhile, the police has claimed that it is a murder and not a suicide case.

Jaunpur District Magistrate Aparna Upadhyaya has refused to comment on the issue. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/ijp-candidate-from-ups-jaunpur-seat-found-hanging-from-tree_100179069.html

 

Election candidate found hanging from tree

IANS

Published on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 14:06, Updated on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 15:23

 

Lucknow: Dalit leader and Indian Justice Party's (IJP) Lok Sabha candidate Bahadur Sonkar was found hanging from a tree near his home in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur town Monday, a death his relatives blamed on the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party's nominee (BSP).

 

Sonkar, who was contesting against BSP's Dhananjay Singh, a mafia don turned politician, was found hanging near Raja Ka Talab, barely 500 metres from his home in Ahiyapur-Rasheedabad locality.

 

There was high drama with his relatives and supporters trying to prevent police from taking away the body -- recovered after the family found him missing from his bed in the outer verandah of his residence.

 

His slippers and mobile were lying near the cot while the mattress and sheet were also littered around the bed, indicating a scuffle before he was forcibly carried away.

 

Sonkar's family members said Dhananjay Singh had been issuing death threats to Sonka through a police officer.

 

A relative alleged that police circle officer Ditendra Chaudhary had been pressurising him to withdraw his candidature in favour of Dhananjay Singh.

 

"When Bahadur told the officer that it was not possible for him to pull out of the election fray, the cop warned him to be ready to face serious consequences," the relative said on condition of anonymity.

 

The candidate had informed election observers and had spoken to the media about the matter.

"Even last night (Sunday), he was referring to another phone call from the officer," said a brother of the victim.

 

IJP chief Udit Raj, who has arrived in Jaunpur, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and sought the immediate arrest of the circle officer as well as a police inspector.

 

Udit Raj, who left the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), entered public life by launching IJP to promote the cause of Dalits. The party is seen as making a dent in the BSP's support base in a few places.

 

In Lucknow, a spokesperson of the Mayawati government said the guilty would not go unpunished.

 

"Anyone no matter how high and mighty would not be spared if he were involved in the killing," he said.

 

Jaunpur District Magistrate Aparna Upadhyaya said: "Until I get the post mortem report, I will not make any comment."

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/election-candidate-found-hanging-from-tree/90128-37.html

 

Udit Raj (born Ram Raj on 1 January 1958) was born in Ramnagar, Uttar Pradesh into a low caste Hindu family, and studied for BA at Allahabad University. He was selected for the Indian Revenue Service in 1988 and served as the Dy, Commissioner, Joint Commissioner and Addl. Commissioner of Income Tax at New Delhi. On 24 November, 2007 he resigned from the government service and formed a political party namely Indian Justice Party. He is a prominent activist working on behalf of India's Dalits, also known as untouchables. After his conversion to Buddhism on November 4, 2001, he changed his name, following the tradition of Dalit intellectual and activist B. R. Ambedkar, who spearheaded the Dalit Buddhist movement. He is married to Seema Raj and they have two children Abhiraj and Saveri.

Among his more controversial activities are mass conversions to Buddhism, Islam and Christianity; making disparaging statements about aspects of Hinduism; and his marriage of a woman from a higher caste despite his visibility as a Dalitactivist

He formed Indian Justice Party, The All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations on 2 October 1997 and in 1996 founded the Lord Buddha Club.

He is a strong advocate of increased Reservation in India for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. He has dismissed arguments against this form of positive discrimination as "baseless"^{[citation needed]}. Raj has formed partnerships with Christian organizations including the Indian Social Institute and the All India Christian Council. Raj has worked with prominent Christian leaders such as John Dayal and Ambrose Pinto and with Muslim leaders such as Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind. His Personal Secretary is C. L. Maurya.

Mass Conversions

On October 27, 2002 Udit Raj organized a controversial conversion ceremony in which thousands of Dalits 'converted' to Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. He has organized other conversion events including one at Chennai on December 6, 2002. These conversion activities have been criticized by some journalists as "deceptive","violent" and a "exercise in self-promotion" on the part of Udit Raj.^[1] Giriraj Kishore, senior vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has been quoted as saying:

“

The only purpose of the rally is to establish Ram Raj politically, but he will not be able to gain political mileage. The BJP vote bank is not threatened by this political drama.[1]

”

In particular, when he mocked Hindu deities during his conversion speech, as a gesture of how he did not appreciate the religion, his audience was not amused and reacted with hostility. Raj has worked with Christian groups to proselytizeChristianity and convert away from Hinduism. Sometimes these prosetylizations are considered illegitimate. Critics have also pointed out that he is usually not coherent in his response to questions as to how conversion will help alleviate the status of the converted.^[2]

He has organized other conversion events including one at Chennai on December 6, 2002. These conversion ceremonies aroused the ire of Hindu nationalist groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.^[1]. Raj has replied, accusing of Togadia and other Hindu Nationalists fomenting violence against Dalits.^[3] He reiterated:

“

The Jhajjar conversions were a direct reaction to the lynching of Dalits in the region and the confederation will wage a concerted battle against the forces of communalism, especially the VHP.

”

Reformist Hindu groups led by Swami Agnivesh, have expressed approval of the mass conversions, claiming that they are "an urgent and necessary cry for social justice".^[4]

[edit]Marriage into a higher Caste

Commenting on his marriage to Seema Raj, from an upper caste (Khatri/Punjabi Kshatriya), he said "I am very dark, almost black, but my wife is as fair as an English woman and I must say that although ours was a love marriage in which her intrinsic qualities mattered more than looks, I found her fair skin very attractive".^[5]

1.     ^ ^a b c Conversion: Ram Raj's rally was probably just an exercise in self-promotion

2.     ^ Preaching Buddhism,The Tribune

3.     ^ Togadia's charges baseless: Udit Raj

4.     ^ Encountering the Dalit Ferment by Swami Agnivesh and Rev. Valson Thampu

5.     ^ Black is blemish in India,aljazeera.net

Udit continues to fight against social injustice and contributes to the cause of the exploited’s struggle for effective implementation of reservation (affirmative action) for the Dalits of India. On November 4, 2001, he and thousands of Dalits across India left Hinduism in search of religious ideologies allowing freedom of conscience and promoting human dignity and social equality.

Of that mass exodus event, Udit Raj said, “The conversion is a rejection of whatever caste stands for. It is a great walkout from Hinduism.”

He continues his outspoken campaign today for Dalit Freedom and is a friend of the Dalit Freedom Network.

http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/about/C27/

 

Low-caste Indians hold high cards in election

8 hours ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) — Omprakash Ram spends his days cleaning the streets of New Delhi. Passers-by usually shun him, but this is election season and that means Ram is suddenly getting a lot of attention.

 

As one of 165 million Dalits, the lowest rung in India's rigid caste hierarchy, Ram belongs to a community whose votes could swing the result of the national polls that begin on April 16.

Ostracized by much of society, most Dalits -- or "untouchables" as they used to be known -- live in rural areas and lag behind upper-castes in education, employment and housing, often performing menial tasks such as cleaning sewers and collecting garbage.

 

But come election time, they find themselves courted by politicians of all stripes with promises of job quotas, free schooling and food subsidies.

 

Ram, 21, said he is doubtful that the election results will improve his quality of life.

"I don't think much will change," he said. "Politicians are all the same."

But although the first-time voter professes to have little faith in the mainstream political parties, he is adamant that his ballot will be counted.

 

"It's the only time I will ever be important," he told AFP.

 

In recent years, Dalit consciousness has risen to the point where they and other minorities turn out to vote in higher numbers than middle- and upper-class citizens.

 

"They know that for centuries they have been exploited and marginalised, and electoral politics is the one place where they can actually have an influence," said Vidhu Verma, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi who studies caste politics.

 

So-called "Dalit parties" such as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have been successful on a regional scale but have had to co-opt other minorities and upper-caste voters to expand their base.

 

Mayawati Kumari, the BSP leader who serves as chief minister of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has shown how far Dalits can come in politics, and has her sights set on becoming India's first "untouchable" prime minister.

 

At a rally last week in the northern state of Haryana, thousands of supporters braved the heat to listen to her stump speech.

 

Ram Kishan, a Dalit labourer with six children, said he came to see Mayawati because he believed she would make his life better.

 

"I think she will deliver her promises. All I need is two meals a day for my family," he said.

But Mayawati cannot take nationwide Dalit support for granted as there are other regional parties vying for their votes, particularly outside the Hindi-speaking heartland of north India.

"They don't vote as a bloc throughout India, but they do vote together in different regions," said Verma.

 

Politicians from all parties are often accused of wooing Dalit votes, only to abandon the community as soon as they get elected.

 

And those Dalits who have obtained elected office with mainstream parties -- often as the result of affirmative action programmes -- often find it difficult to push pro-Dalit policy.

"Once they get elected they work for the party, not for the Dalits," said Udit Raj, chairman of the Dalit International Foundation, which fights against discrimination.

 

"That's the predicament," he said, adding that many Dalit politicians are afraid to challenge their own parties' core policies.

 

Raj is also president of the Indian Justice Party (IJP), which he hopes will serve as a voice for Dalit concerns across the country.

 

The IJP is fielding around 100 candidates on a platform of compulsory and equal education, a casteless society, and job creation.

 

A bronze bust of Dalit icon and the architect of the Indian constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, sits in a glass case on Raj's desk.

 

Raj followed in Ambedkar's footsteps and converted to Buddhism to escape the constant persecution he was subjected to as a Dalit.

 

He has married outside his caste and risen to the top of the Indian civil service as a tax officer -- and now he wants the Hindu caste system to be "annihilated."

 

Such views anger many upper-caste Indians, who resent quotas for Dalits in education and employment, and argue that continued benefits encourage Dalit segregation and limit their incentive to work hard.

 

But for Raj, such attitudes reveal a political elite unwilling to address deep-rooted social problems.

 

"Even educated people are not above the caste line," he said. "As long as caste is there, I don't think India is going to become a developed nation."

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hitWQCc-qPGqSVhUDbvDBeVGeo-A

 

Defiant Udit Raj to install Periyar statues in Uttar Pradesh

April 15th, 2008 - 6:49 pm 

 

Lucknow, April 15 (IANS) Unmindful of the police action against him, the Indian Justice Party (IJP) chief Udit Raj proposes toinstall statues of controversial dalit icon Ramaswamy Periyar. Talking to mediapersons here Tuesday, Raj pointedly blamed Chief Minister Mayawati for preventing him from eulogizing Periyar, whom he described as a “great social reformer”.

“It is a question of individual faith. The constitution gives everyone the right to worship or praise anyone. So, if people were free to put up idols of Ram or Sita, then we should also be allowed to install the statues of Periyar,” Udit Raj said.

A former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer who quit as additional income tax commissioner to start a socio-political movement almost a decade ago, claimed that he was thrashed by the UP police after being taken into custody Monday for defying the Mayawati government’s diktat against installation of a Periyar statue in the state capital.

He was arrested along with 67 supporters for “breach of peace” after they attempted to storm the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarter here Monday. The activists accused then BJP of defacing a hoarding put up in Lucknow with portraits of Periyar and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.

“We will now put up statues of Periyar in each of the 70 districts of UP - let the government do whatever they can to stop us,” he said.

“Mayawati cannot digest the idea because she has forgotten her roots and was not only busy wooing the upper castes, but was also in league with the BJP,” he alleged.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/defiant-udit-raj-to-install-periyar-statues-in-uttar-pradesh_10038228.html

Ex-nun’s confessions set to rock Kerala Church

Shaju Philip Posted online: Feb 19, 2009 at 0143 hrs

 

Thiruvananathapuram : Already reeling under several controversies, the Kerala Catholic Church is facing fresh embarrassment from a tell-all autobiography written by a nun who recently quit the Order alleging harassment from superiors.

‘Amen — an autobiography of a nun’, released last week, is written by Dr Sister Jesme, 52, who was the Principal of St Mary’s College, Thrissur, till last August when she quit the Congregation of Mother Carmelite (CMC).

“Dedicated to Jesus”, Amen is explicit in its details of the sexual repression and harassment behind the Church walls as well as the draconian rules and “greed” of the Order. Jesme claims that since the book was released, she has been getting calls pledging solidarity.

“Nuns mingle with the whole spectrum of the community around them. They teach students, comfort the aged and nurse the sick; still the brides of the Church remain an enigma. My work would throw light on the misunderstood convent life, engulfed in darkness,” says Jesme.

Apart from the Abhaya murder in which a nun and priests are accused, the Kerala Church was recently in the news for a priest “adopting” a 26-year-old woman.

Jesme’s autobiography includes a poignant version by her of how the convent authorities tried to twice prove that she had mental problems and get her admitted into a rehab centre after she reportedly spoke out against the malpractices within the Order.

Starting with her first days in the Church, 30 years ago, she talks of priets forcing novices to have relations with them and the closet homosexuality within nun ranks, “which the Church reckons as the dirtiest thing possible”. “If nuns developed unusual interest in each other, authorities would deploy other inmates to watch them,” she writes.

The book says Jesme herself was forced into such a relationship by a fellow nun, and that her complaints to a senior nun were ignored. According to her, the other nun said she preferred such a relationship as it ruled out pregnancy. There were others who had affairs with priests, she writes.

Another passage in Amen deals with a chance encounter Jesme had with a priest in Bangalore while on her way to Dharwar to attend a UGC refresher course in English. “My plan was to stay at the waiting room at the Bangalore railway station. But sisters in the convent gave me the address of a pious, decent priest. When I reached Bangalore, the priest was waiting to receive me. He embraced me and took me to his presbytery. After breakfast, he took me to Lalbagh (Botanical Garden) and showed me several pairs cuddling behind trees. He also gave a sermon on the necessity of physical love and described the illicit affairs certain bishops and priests had.”

Later, when they were in his room, she writes, he stripped and made her do the same.

Jesme claims that while nuns in the lower ranks were punished if caught for even minor offences, the Church turned a blind eye to those superior or with influence for major transgressions.

Talking about the Church’s draconian rules, Jesme writes in the book that she was not allowed to go home when her father died, or to even pray some extra hours for his soul. “I was able to see my father barely 15 minutes before the funeral. The alibi of the superiors was that the then senior sisters were not even lucky enough to see the bodies of their parents.”

During her time in the Church, Jesme often ran into problems with superiors. She was called “cine nun” after she provided office facility for a film festival at St Mary’s College, leading to the first campus film from the college, as well as when she shared dais with a sex worker for the release of a book on the life of a prostitute.

Since quitting CMC, Jesme has been staying alone in a flat in Kozhikode. She told The Indian Express she was still living as a “nun”. “I go for Church mass daily and have no plans to get married.”

http:// www.indianexpress.com/news/exnuns-confessions-set-to-rock-kerala-

Castes and Conversions: Is Christianity a solid monolith?   

   

G. Anil Kumar

19 Dec 2008

 

In India every debate on conversion to Christianity ends with Hindu society's caste-based "poison of divisions". Missionaries and their supporters present conversion as the only "antidote" available. And missionaries are "doctors," hell bent on administering that antidote! And our "secularists" have been repeating it. 
 
"Caste" was an old weapon of missionaries who established the conversion business in India. Anti-Brahminism, "Dravidianism," conversion as "the solution" to caste and the Aryan-Dravidian divide were effectively introduced as stratagems for conversion by Bishop Robert Caldwell. In his book "Christianity explained to Hindus: Christianity and Hinduism compared" (1893), he wrote that caste first arose from difference of race; people with black skin were "original inhabitants of India" (p. 20).
 
"On the other hand", he wrote, "Christianity teaches that God gave us life and continually preserves us. He is therefore our Father in heaven… The Brotherhood of man follows Fatherhood of God… But Hinduism makes life a curse instead of a blessing" (p. 20-21). Caldwell’s arguments are well known. His "Dravidian Grammar" was a trend-setter. But why did he painstakingly write so many books? If we read his lecture, "Progress of Christianity in India" we get the answer. 
 
He says, "an encouraging amount of interest in the progress of Christianity has now at last been awakened, and a demand for information has been excited: it is now felt that a great door and effectual has been opened to us in India, and that the conversion of India to Christ is one of the greatest works, if not the great work, to which the Church and nation of England are called" (Lectures on the Tinnevelly Missions, 1857, p. 4).
 
For sheer audacity and bigotry, Caldwell could today be called a "cultural terrorist". Yet his views are endorsed by a section of India's "secular" intelligentsia! They were reiterated in Karnataka's recent public debate on conversion.
 
The debate on conversion was launched by the oldest Kannada daily, Samyukta Karnataka, with some well-researched articles by selected writers and scholars (my own essay has appeared inKarmaveera, a weekly of the same group). Taking the cue, the largest circulated Kannada daily,Vijay Karnataka, provided a platform for a bare-all debate. Noted Kannada novelist Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa started with a big bang with  his  one-and-a half-page article. Every small and big, famous and notorious person in Karnataka has presented his or her opinion on the subject. 
 
Professional missionaries kept silent; our secularists did all the batting on their behalf! Once again, leftists are proving that they are "more Christian" than the original faith-sellers.
 
First of all, is it good to debate conversion as suggested by some political leaders time and again? Should anybody debate conversion with anybody else out on the street? Would one debate it with professional missionaries, who have taken a vow, or money, to compulsively meet a number of people everyday just to persuade them to embrace Christianity? Should we organize an open debate at an open forum where anybody, from a scholar to a street vendor, from a professional gangster to a professional pimp, could come and vent his "thoughts"?

I do not suggest we should shy away from such debates. While they do not solve any religious problem, they bring pertinent questions into the open. Let people be aware of everything vis-à-vis conversion and Christianity, and about castes. 
 
Hindus should not hesitate to debate caste as they have nothing to hide. But they should understand what Christianity is all about.  They should study and debate its history and methods of expansion, its "spiritualism" and "brotherhood." They should ask missionaries why casteless societies were converted to Christianity throughout the ages and throughout the world.
 
Missionaries' typical answers are well known. In India, "conversion is the best solution for caste-based differences within Hindu society;" in America, "barbaric tribes had to be civilized and spiritualized." They always proffer local issues to justify conversions. In India's case, most proponents of Christianity's "monolithic unity" and Hinduism’s "caste- based divisions" invoke B.R. Ambedkar to remain politically correct while attacking the faith! But all fail to explain why Ambedkar did not convert to Caldwell's "great brotherhood" called Christianity.

In fact, Ambedkar wanted to send a strong message through his religious conversion. After examining Christianity, he wrote in 1938: "caste governs the life of Christians as much as it does the life of the Hindus. There are Brahmin Christians and non-Brahmin Christians. Among non-Brahmin Christians there are Maratha Christians, Mahar Christians, Mang Christians and Bhangi Christians. Similarly in the south there are Pariah Christians, Malla Christians and Madiga Christians. They would not inter-marry. They would not inter-dine" (Selected Speeches and Writings, Vol. 5, Government of Maharashtra, 1989, p. 445-78).

Ambedkar converted to Buddhism as it was a "part and parcel of Bharatiya culture." He said: "I have taken care that my conversion will not harm the tradition of the culture and the history of this land" (Quoted in 'Ambedkar', by Dhananjay Keer, p. 498).
 

The hard truth is that even Buddhism is not a monolithic unity! It has different schools of thought and different traditional streams. For that matter where do we find the most unified, rock-solid group on earth? Is Islam one single entity? Is Christianity a superb monolith? If so, since when? Since its inception or through "spiritualism"? Since the First Council of Nicaea, when Emperor Constantine decided, at sword-point, what should and should not be the tenets of 'official' Christianity? Or since the Second Vatican Council, when it was decided to establish the supremacy of Catholicism once again? 
 
Let us examine the facts; consult their own sources.

Christians are not one; they are divided into separate churches and traditions. Over the centuries, Christianity has divided into numerous denominations. Each denomination has its own distinctive beliefs or practices, yet we hold them to be branches of the same religion. But when it comes to Hindu society, every Tom, Dick or Harry talks about caste and asks us "where is the common unity?" as if there is no common thread of beliefs among Hindus!
 
Although missionaries never talk about their internal divisions openly, conversion always happens to a particular denomination, to a particular church. One can never get converted to "Christianity". He or she can only become a member of a particular church.  When former British Prime Minister Tony Blair converted to the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican community and its church vehemently protested.
 
Why do street missionaries never talk about their internal divisions? This is an age-old strategy. The famous Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, who wrote Mere Christianity, in 1940s, reminded believers about this strategy: "our divisions should never be discussed except in the presence of those who have already come to believe that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is his only Son"!
 
Let us move on to the denominations. In 1985, it was estimated that there were 22,000 Christian denominations with 5 new ones being formed each week! There are nearly 34,000 (probably more) Christian and Messianic denominations and churches in the world now. These may be broken down to six different main blocks:

1] Independents   22000
2] Protestants        9000
3] 'Marginals'        1600 
4] Orthodox            781 
5] Roman Catholics 242 
6] Anglicans           168
    Total              33791
(Source: World Christian Encyclopedia, by Barrett, Kurian, Johnson; Oxford Univ. Press, 2nd edition, 2001, Vol. 1, p.16-18).
 
What are denominations? The encyclopedia explains: "a denomination is defined in this Encyclopedia as an organized aggregate of worship centers or congregations of similar ecclesiastical tradition within a specific country; i.e. as an organized Christian church or tradition or religious group or community of believers, within a specific country, whose component congregations and members are called by the same denominational name in different areas, regarding themselves as one autonomous Christian church distinct from other denominations, churches and traditions. As defined here, world Christianity consists of 6 major ecclesiastico-cultural blocs, divided into 300 major ecclesiastical traditions, composed of over 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries, these denominations themselves being composed of over 3,400,000 worship centers, churches or congregations" (Barrett et al, Vol. 1, page 16, Table 1-5).
 
Pope John Paul II once called Protestant missionaries "rapacious wolves" for converting Catholics! So much for "monolithic unity"! In the second week of August 2007, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Methodists, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Evangelicals (sounds like caste names!) gathered to map a "common religious conversion code" in France. The code, which has to be finalized in a year or two, was named "Ethical Conversion Code". 
 
"Conversion is a controversial issue not only in inter-religious relations, but in intra-Christian relations as well," admitted Dr. Hans Ucko, World Council of Churches programme executive and one of the organizers of the meeting.
So much for "monolithic unity" and "great brotherhood"!

The author is a columnist and Supplement Editor of the Kannada daily, Samyukta Karnataka

 

http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=294