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From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 36, Dated Sept 13, 2008 
CURRENT AFFAIRS
 
In the name of God
VIJAY SIMHA
examines the consequences of lessons taught by men of religion, among thedesperately poor in Orissa
WHEN THEY came for Narmada Digal, she wasn'tthere. She had fled, fivechildren and mother-inlaw intow, to the safety of the jungles a kilometre away.So, they set about what sheleft behind. A framed pictureof Jesus, a Bible in Oriya,utensils in the kitchen, someclothes, and linen. By thetime Narmada tiptoed back,her home was gone. Whatwas left was still hot fromthe ashes, and smoking.The neighbours came tocommiserate. Narmada tooka good look, stood erect,and pulled her sari over her head. She began to pray."Lord, forgive us our sins.Jesus, you are the only one.Save us from our misfortune. Free us, Lord."The words are tumbling out.Narmada's children have joined her. She is weeping as she pleads for deliverance. So is everybodyelse. It's a simple bond that no human wrath can sever, a woman and her God. "I will die. But I won'tstop being a Christian," Narmada says.This is in the heart of Kandhamal, a district at the geographical centre of Orissa, ravaged by probablythe worst fighting in India between Hindus and Christians. Kandhamal is young, constituted asrecently as 1994. It has 2,515 villages spread over 7,649 sq km. The terrain is inaccessible, full of hillsand narrow lanes crisscrossing the villages. There isn't a single industrial unit here. There are norailway lines, and so no trains come here. Buses are rare. It's so far behind that even the officialwebsite of Kandhamal says, "Overall, the district is ranked as a backward district in the state of Orissa."In this doleful land live close to eight lakh people. In terms of castes and tribes, the Kandha tribeconstitute more than half the population of Kandhmal. The Panos, who are the dalits, form the nextbig chunk. The Kandha tribe is almost fully under the control of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), an 83-year-old socio-political organisation, which is the fountainhead of many Hindu outfits inIndia. The Panos are where the Christian community gets its numbers.In terms of population, nearly a quarter of Kandhamal are Christians, the rest almost wholly Hindus.The percentage of Christians in Kandhamal — 25 percent — is astonishingly high compared to the2.44 percent for the whole of Orissa. In percentage terms, Orissa has the third-largest concentrationof Hindus in India (nearly 95 percent in the 2001 Census). Muslims are barely two percent.The rise in the number of Christians in Kandhamal is offering radical Hindu outfits like the VishwaHindu Parishad (VHP) the perfect alibi to launch an aggressive anti- Christian movement. Themovement has two aims: to reconvert Christians to Hinduism, and to stop the alleged slaughter of cows.
Marooned
The faithful ponder the future overthe ruins of a church
PHOTOS:
SHAILENDRA PANDEY
 
An 81-year-old RSS activist, Swami LakshmanandaSaraswati, was heading the VHP movement inKandhamal. He operated largely from two ashrams 150km from each other. He was a member of the VHP'sKendriya Margadarshak Mandal, a powerfuldecisionmaking panel. On August 23, Saraswati wasgunned down in one of the ashrams at night whilecelebrating Janmashtami. It was the tenth attempt atkilling Saraswati, a figure disliked by the Christians, butrevered by a band of fanatic Hindu male followers in hisashram.Few know who killed Saraswati. But, there are sometheories. The Orissa Government says the Maoists (whoare trying to build a base in Kandhamal) killed him. Thegovernment claim is based on two statementspurportedly released by the CPI (Maoist), takingresponsibility for the murder. The second statement said:"We have decided to punish anti-people, fanaticalleaders like Saraswati because of endless persecution of religious minorities in the country. There will be moresuch punishments if violence is continued againstreligious minorities in the country." It is too pat for theOrissa Government. And, if true, the statements wouldmean that the Maoists have entered the religiousconflicts of India.A second theory is coming from the VHP. After Saraswati's murder, VHP International President AshokSinghal issued a statement saying, "Once again thecruel face of the Christian missionaries has beenexposed. Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati was workingfor 45 years among the tribals by building hospitals,schools and hostels. He was neither a capitalist nor ananti-social. Because of his work, the tribals wereawakened to our culture and religion, which was anobstacle only for the Christian missionaries."Christian bodies, on the other hand, have a third view.They say they have nothing to do with Saraswati'smurder and have sought an inquiry by the CentralGovernment. The National Secretary of Public Affairs of the All India Christian Council, Dr Sam Paul, said, "TheChristian community in India abhors violence, condemnsall acts of terrorism, and opposes groups of peopletaking the law into their own hands. We have had major differences with Mr Saraswati, the deceased VHPleader. It was the hate campaigns of the Sangh Parivar [the RSS is often referred to in this fashion], which led tountold misery for Christians — including theunprecedented violence last Christmas in Orissa. But,we wish peace to everyone and urge everyone to followthe rule of law."Whatever the truth, the murder inflamed passions. Even those who do not support the RSS weredisturbed by media reports that 30 people in masks and hoods had come to kill Saraswati, and thatthey hacked at his legs after shooting him. When the Orissa Government allowed Saraswati's funeralprocession to pass across 150km in Kandhamal, reason went out.By August 25, hordes of Hindu militants were attacking Christian homes and places of worship inKandhamal. The attacks were mainly at night. On September 1, the Orissa Government told the storyin figures: 16 persons killed, 35 injured, 185 arrested; 558 houses and 17 places of worship burnt;12,539 fed in 10 relief camps; 12 companies of paramilitary forces, 24 platoons of the Orissa State
The Freedom Of Peace
Three villages in Kandhamal are braveenough to stay calm
SUDDENLY, THERE is a church intact inKandhamal. In three villages, Dolukamba,Sugudabadi, and Bradabadi, Hindus andChristians are not fighting. Together,1,100 people live in these villages. Theyattend each other's funerals andcelebrate festivals. "It's a tradition wehave been passed down from our forefathers," says Amit Mallick, aChristian who is a part-time teacher. WithMallick are Pramod Mahapatra and SuryaMahapatra, both Hindus, andSamarendra Nayak, a Christian studentlooking for work. Behind them is KantaBehera, 81 years old and still fit. In clear English, Behera says, "Hindus andChristians are equal. I hope they keep itthis way."They are preparing for the festival seasonbeginning with Ganesh Chathurthi onSeptember 3. "It won't be the same fun asin the past. But, we will celebrate asalways," says Surya Mahapatra. But, thepeace from these three villages hasn'ttravelled far. In hamlets barely a kilometrefrom Sugudabadi, the Christians areleaving their homes for the relief camps.Mallick and his friends have laid bouldersacross the roads to keep the aggressorsaway. Tonight they're safe. Tomorrow isanother story.
 
Armed Police, two sections of the Armed Police Reserve Force, and two teams of the SpecialOperation Group deployed.The human story is worse. VHP International General Secretary Praveen Togadia, who trained to bean oncologist but who likes nothing better than to drive non-Hindus out of India, reached Kandhamalfor Saraswati's last rites (he was buried in a sitting position — the padmasana — in his Chakapadaashram, where he ran a school and hostel for boys). Togadia said a Christian sect had killedSaraswati. It was enough to trigger murderous assaults on Christians in Kandhamal and elsewhere inOrissa. Hundreds of Christian homes were set ablaze, a few pastors were slain, and warnings wereissued asking them to return home as Hindus, or never.IN SOME cases, the terror works. In the jungles off Sankarakhol village, one of the first targeted bythe militant Hindus, a group of RSS whole-timers are reconverting 18 Christians to Hinduism. It's adaytime ceremony. The RSS Mandal Mukhiya (head of the Mandal unit) Sudhir Pradhan, a slimbearded man, is in charge. There are 30 Hindus to make sure that the 18 Christians don't changetheir mind.Each of the Christians has brought a Bible, in Oriya, along. They have also brought a coconut each,and some incense sticks, red thread to tie around the wrist, and vermillion for their foreheads. TheChristians first burn their Bibles in a small bonfire. They sit in a circle. In the middle are the coconuts,each one signifying a Christian, and the other paraphernalia. The God of the Hills is appeased first ina prayer.Then, a Christian rises. He hasa coconut in his hand. "I swear that I have become a Hindutoday. After today, if I ever become a Christian again, maymy dynasty perish," he says. Hebreaks the coconut on a stone.The other Christians follow,each one making the samepromise. Some murmur, someare loud. A Hindu priest beginsto apply vermillion on theforeheads of the Christians-turned-Hindus. One of themprotests, but it is too late.There's a red streak on hisforehead as well.Sudhir Pradhan then takes over. Eyes closed, spine firm, and voice ominous. There is a deep andrhythmic chanting of Om followed by the Gayatri Mantra, a sacred chant of the Hindus. The slogansfollow: "Bharat mata ki jai." "Ganga mata ki jai." "Gau mata ki jai." "Sri Ramjanambhoomi ki jai." Theypause for a few moments and the Christians-becoming-Hindus kneel, placing their foreheads on theground. There's a final "Jai Shri Ram." The first stage of reconversion from Christianity to Hinduism isover. The motivation for these Christians to reconvert is life. They want to live in Kandhamal, keeptheir houses and, maybe, get some regular work.Months afterward, these Christian-turned- Hindus will be asked to attend a yagya — a Hindu ritual of sacrifice that involves the worship of deities, unity and charity. In the yagya, they will wear saffronclothes and a sacred thread, and get their heads shaved. They will offer a few goats and some rice asfee. They will be given Gau Mutra (cow urine) and Tulsi water to drink. They will take Hindu vows.Then, they will share the mutton and rice (cooked from their offerings) in a small feast. This completestheir reconversion. From then on, they will have a Tulsi plant in their homes, have pictures of Hindugods on their walls, and celebrate Hindu festivals. They will pray only to Hindu gods.Pradhan is happy. He's done his job for the day. He explains the difference between a Hindu and aChristian. "They (Christians) eat cows. We (Hindus) worship cows." Therefore, "people who eat cowsshould be given the same treatment that they give the cows." Pradhan says Togadia has laid downthe policy. "He has already announced that there is no place for Christians. If Christians don't becomeHindus, they have to go. We don't care where they go. They must leave Orissa," he says.BUTWHAT'S the point in killing and driving a people out, merely to nudge the percentage of Hindusfrom near 95 percent to 100 percent? Dr Krishan Kumar, the young District Magistrate of Kandhamal,
Ashes to ashes
This woman's son isstill hiding in the jungles
of 00

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