This article appeared in the
Examiner(www.the-examiner.org)
Intimidating a Minority
Ram Puniyani
Unable to demonise the Christian community on the
lines of their anti-Muslim agenda, the fundamentalists
are focussing on Adivasi areas for their
anti-conversion campaign. The disease of violence is
low-level, sustained and immeasurable vicious.
There has been a continuous rise in the number of
incidents of anti Christian violence in the last
decade. Currently, this violence has become a regular
feature in Madhya Pradesh and other BJP ruled states
in particular and in other parts of the country in
general.
The first simmering of these incidents began from
1996, went on to have a sustained presence all
through. Burning of small churches, Bibles, attack on
congregations and assembly of people around the Church
were witnessed in remote areas.
The most terrible was the burning alive of Australian
Pastor Graham Stewart Stains along with his two sons,
Timothy and Philip. The heinous crime was committed on
the pretext that the Christian missionaries are
converting the gullible Adivasis, who are called
Vanvasis and projected by them as the Hindus who had
to flee to forests to avoid conversion by the invading
Muslims Kings. The fear of conversion by now has
become a pathological obsession.
Lets begin with the facts first. The booklets brought
out by RSS affiliates, operating in the name of Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Bajrang Dal,
pick up small pockets with a small percentage of
Christians, and show how the Christian population is
rising by leaps and bounds. Dangs is a case in point.
Here out of the total population of nearly 1,80,000,
close to 8000 are Christians. In Gujarat as such the
total population of Christians is less than 0.5 per
cent. The overall national percentage of Christians is
on the decline, (1971 - 2.60 per cent, 1981 - 2.44 per
cent, 1991 - 2.34 per cent, and 2001 - 2.30 per cent).
And this is what is supposed to be the demographic
danger for the Sangh Parivar!
Bogey Of Conversion
Is it the conversion that Hindutva politics is scared
of, or is there some deeper political and social
agenda at the back of the anti-Christian campaign that
has been strengthened from 1996? From 1987 the RSS
affiliates intensified their activities in the Adivasi
areas. In 1996 the BJP-led coalition first came to
power at the Centre. Significantly, the attacks are
mainly in the remote places. In the cities where major
Christian institutions are located, such incidents are
few and far between. There seems to be no such fear
that their children will be converted by the time they
pass out from the missionary schools and colleges in
urban areas.
Interestingly, the anti-Christian violence has helped
consolidate Hindutva in the regions where the attacks
are frequent, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chattisgarh, the states where Adivasis have a
significant presence. Also, the BJP has been
catapulted to power in these states.
The anti-Christian violence is slightly of a different
variety than the anti-Muslim violence. Initially,
anti-Muslim violence was mainly in cities and towns
where Muslim artisans were traders. Bhiwandi,
Malegaon, Meerut fall in this category. Later this
spread to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and other places where
communal forces gained strength due to ideological
indoctrination. The Hindu fundamentalists projected a
distorted version of history to demonise the Muslims
and the picture is complete with Osama bin Laden's
alleged role in 9/11.
In the case of Christians, no such demonisation is
possible. Christianity is older than Islam and
Christian missionaries' roots can be traced to AD 52.
Most of their famous institutions are older than a
century. The British were patrons of communal
politics. They were identified with Christianity so
it became difficult for Hindutva propaganda machine to
demonise Christians on the basis of history. More so
the historical method followed by Hindutva
communalists is based on the version propounded by the
British historians in pursuance of British policy of
divide and rule, so demonisation of Christians on this
ground is difficult, if not impossible.
Wooing Adivasis
Today the RSS propaganda machine resorts to demonising
Christian missionary activities,especially alleged
conversions. Their Goebbelesque propaganda is
supplemented by proactive cultural manipulation. They
have successfully wooed the Adivasis who were
fascinated with the prospect of being welcomed in the
upper caste. The RSS activists gave a section of the
Adivasis a sense of false pride. In turn, the
Adivasis, who surrendered to the Hindutva symbols,
took up arms on behalf of the RSS to finish off the
'enemies of Hindu nation' as witnessed in the role
Adivasis played in the Gujarat carnage. Since this
work is to be in the remote places many a Sadhu like
Swami Aseemanand in Dangs, Swami Lakkhanand in Orissa
have been deployed in these areas to influence the
Adivasis. The groundwork for communilisation
continues unabated.
The violence against the Muslim community has been
unleashed in fits and starts after the case of burning
of the train (Sabarmati) or a family (Bane family) in
Gujarat and Mumbai respectively. And other incidents
as well. These 'incidents' are used to browbeat the
entire Muslim community.
In the case of Christians,the violence is chronic, of
low intensity but sustained. The anti-Christian
violence is more prevalent in BJP ruled states or in
states ruled by its allies. Even other states are not
safe for the Christian community. While the major
anti-Muslim sentiment was whipped up through
demolition of the Babri Masjid to make way for the Ram
temple, the anti-christian campaign is generated with
a focus on building temples of the forgotten Hindu
gods and goddesses in places where missionaries are
active. The Shabri Temple in Dangs district in South
Gujarat is a case in point. The overall aim is to
browbeat the minorities into ghettoisation,
intimidation and isolation, aware that the
anti-minority violence results in polarisation of
communities yielding to electoral gains for the BJP.
The Visible Divide
Undoubtedly, the Muslims and Christians are on the
chopping block of Hindutva politics. The hatred for
Christian priests amongst the Adivasis is intense.
When a fact finding team had visited the Dangs
recently to investigate the Shabri Kumbh mela and some
were talking to the Adivasis in one corner, the word
spread that a team of 'Christian Fathers' had come
from Ahmedabad. One of the Adivasi volunteers blocked
the road and shouted that he would not allow the team
to go till Swami Aseemanand gave permission.
Either he or the team would survive in the
confontration. It was indeed scary. Once Swami
Aseemanand's volunteers came and checked the team's
antecedents, they were 'permitted' to go.
Today the polarisation in the Adivasi camps is very
intense and the RSS has every reason to celebrate as a
large chunk of Adivasis have started yielding to the
threat of 'Gharvapasi' programme, a bath in a hot
spring or their feet being washed by VHP leaders,
indicating their return to Hinduism. Also, threats
are subtly being issued to others that if they do not
put on the saffron flags,or do not take the holy dip,
or do not eat the 'Prasad' given, dire consequences
will follow.
The success of indoctrination has been so phenomenal
that the RSS agenda is painted on the bodies of the
starving, naked, semi-clad Adivasi children, who have
been taught to shout ;Jai Shri Ram!' slogan with
gusto.
One thing that strikes the visitor in the remote areas
in Gujarat and Orissa is the abysmal poverty and the
problem of the land rights. But what better way to
feed these illiterate and poor Adivasis than with the
opium of religion, so that Sangh Parivar supporters,
the traders, contractors, and land grabbers can have
their cake and eat it too.
Thus, it is indeed time to focus on the perennial
problems confronting the Adivasis: roti, kapda aur
makan and bring these issues centre-stage,especially
in the social,economic and political discourse of the
country !
[Ram Puniyani is a professor at IIT,Powai,Mumbai, and
a freelance writer on religious and social issues]
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Joseph Fernandes
Mumbai
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