by Nirmala Carvalho

Outlawed fundamentalist groups have the support of political and religious leaders, and are not punished for violence against minorities. The economy excludes the most vulnerable groups in society. “Vegetarian terrorism" is unleashed against killing cattle. For Hindu activists, violence against cows is criminal, but violence against human beings is simply punishment. The fear of conversion marks every Christian with suspicion. For one witness, “The better the person, the greater the danger”. Hindutva followers have historicised mythology. "By taking mythologies as histories they are humiliating the sense of history of their own people.” However, the prelate has confidence in Indian society. “All we have to do is create situations where interactions are possible; where everyone has an opportunity to explain himself."

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Mgr Thomas Menamparampil, archbishop emeritus of Guwahati (Assam) and former apostolic administrator in Jowai (Meghalaya) shared his concerns with AsiaNews with respect to the future of Indian society in a climate of growing violence.

We heard of the vandalization of the Cathedral at Bongaigaon in Assam. What is your comment on that?

The details of the incident are widely known. What we notice also in this case is a recognizable pattern in the attack. The central area of worship is targeted, the holiest objects are dishonoured, the aim apparently is to publicly humiliate a minority community. The impression left behind, however, is one of robbery. No definite conclusions can be drawn. Officials put it to anti-social elements; they say that Hindu temples and Muslim masjids are also being robbed. What they do not say is that anti-social elements are being cultivated by fundamentalist groups, irresponsible politicians, and of late, even by corporations.

The police become helpless when lawless groups enjoy patronage from political ‘strong men’ or are linked with emotion-driven religious leaders. These groups are organized into senas and dals (armies and squads), brain-washed, and initiated into various forms of reckless social interventions, e.g. to act as moral police, or as self-appointed protectors of women, to defend cultural values, and humiliate minority communities. Assam seems to be free of such elements at this stage. But there is evidence that that groups may be under training.

One would have thought that growth and development were the priority for the present set of leaders.

So they claim. The elections were fought recently in the State of Uttar Pradesh on the theme “Development for All.” But no sooner had Yogi Adityanath become the Chief Minister that his priority was the defence of the cow. The rules he has passed in haste will affect the lives and livelihood of millions of people. Someone has said he wants to impose ‘vegetarian terrorism’ on his people. Cow vigilantes scour the countryside penalizing Muslims and people of the humble castes who sell or consume beef. But curiously, during the first year of the BJP in power at the national level beef export had gone up by 15%. ‘Business, of course, is business.’ At the same time, there have been increasing instances of violence against the lower castes in several parts of the state, most of them cow-related.

BJP came to power promising to protect the cultural identity of the Assamese people. But one of the first steps of the new government was to impose Sanskrit on a society that was already struggling with several languages within the state to communicate with each other. Of course, the Sanskrit-related decision was withdrawn after strong protests. But such a course of action reveals the hidden ways that the ruling party seeks to advance the Hindutva agenda.

But the Prime Minister seems to be always speaking of the economy

No doubt, the economy is his priority. But unfortunately it is an ‘exclusive economy;’ his big projects are for the benefit of the privileged few, of the elite that marginalizes the weaker sections of society, fragile castes and tribals whose lands are being given away to multinational corporations. The mineral wealth from these territories are being sold to big money-bags with no benefit to indigenous communities. Many lives have been lost in suppressing tribal uprisings in those areas.

This ‘economy of exclusion’ fits in well with a cultural philosophy of exclusion that dominates a world of castes and communities that exclude each other, the feeble groups remaining vulnerable all the time. The policy-makers know that an absence of Hindu solidarity will be hurtful for the dominant group’s long-term interests. Boasts about achievements in the field of economy cannot stir the humbler elements that are more the victims of the economy than beneficiaries. Hence the call for cow protection against Muslims and opposition to conversion against Christians.

Have these campaigns led to anything?

In the international scenario, this may sound ridiculous, even embarassing. But states with bigger population than Italy or France allot huge sums to gaushalas (sheds that accommodate cows). Rajasthan has a government department devoted to cows, in addition to a cow-sewa (service) Commission and cow conservation Directorate. We wish this protection would be extended to vulnerable women (rape cases are on the increase), children, and exploited groups. On the contrary, cow defence vigilantes are growing day by day, composed of unemployed youth, school dropouts, and other misfits in society, ready for action, indoctrinated to the use of hate words, ready to adopt provocative poses and prompt action against all those they consider ‘alien’ (by caste, community, culture, conviction, lifestyle). These radical groups feel protected by the Administration, keep digital contacts with each other, and go around eager to initiate quarrels.

Police reports are always in their favour. No wonder places of worship are broken into, Muslim and dalit (lower caste) villages are attacked, and beef-dealers are eliminated. They ignore the fact that ancient Indians consumed beef (Rigveda X.86.14, X.85.13, Aitareya Brahmana III.4). For the Hindutva activists, violence against cow is criminal, violence against human beings is merely punishment. Recently, Milan Vaishnav brought out a book When Crime Pays (HarperCollins) showing the criminalization of Indian politics quite independently of parties. There are reasons for serious anxiety in the long run.

You spoke of the accusation of ‘conversion’ against Christians

The word ‘conversion’ stirs alarm in people when it is presented as a threat to their community’s culture and identity. But, rightly understood, it is an affirmation and enhancement of all that is good in one’s culture. Besides, the fact remains that every individual has a right to be respected in his religious choice. And again, it is clean forgotten that all religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, are offering their teachings to those who seek it, and are accepting new adherents in every part of the world.

The advantage for strategic planners is that it is easy to call all sections of the Hindu society together against a supposed ‘common enemy.’ In real fact, the majority in the community cares least about the so-called ‘conversion,’ least of all the humbler sections. But they all can be brainwashed. More and more of the media is going into the hands of groups that may be called cultural nationalists, the police are pliable. Our fear is that the judiciary too is falling into their hands. With the passage of time all the structures of a totalitarian regime can be in position. Are we moving in the direction of an undeclared state of Emergency?

A further advantage of raising the ‘conversion bogey’ is that even the best Church worker can also be accused of a conversion bid. The better the person, the greater the danger! Any preacher, or teacher or social worker can be called to court. Little surprise that priests have been harassed, educators taking a group of children for picnic are being questioned, religious sisters taking a team of nurses for training are being held up by vigilantes who keep watch on every movement. It is often the Administrative machinery that has taken the initiative in molesting individuals and institutions, challenging accounts, filing cases. Fortunately, civil society in India is not so gullible, intellectuals have been vocal, and have on a variety of occasions come to the rescue of weaker groups. But their voices are growing fainter. The danger is that they will be silenced.

That may give rise to obscurantism

That precisely danger. Koenraad Elst, a Hindutva sympathizer, expressed this trend with great anxiety. While power-wielders and profit-makers are increasing in their ranks, intelligent thinkers, leaders of holistic vision, spokespeople who consider themselves accountable to the wider society and are sensitive of world opinion are diminishing. In their eagerness to make India great, they clearly show that what they want to do is to make the high caste great, their categories of thought and their cultural habits to be beatified. By taking mythologies as histories they are humiliating the sense of history of their own people. Their childish claim that ancient India had made all discoveries of modern times like jet planes and space vehicles is only embarrassing to intelligent Indians. What would you think of a Prime Minister who could say that ancient India was well advanced in head-transplant, referring to the deity Ganesh? Meantime they are marginalizing that section of society that is open to the wider world reality, that encourages independent thinking, has a scientific mentality, seeks to be fair to all and work for a national consensus on matters of common interest.

India was divided, not because she recognized diversity but precisely because a section of society feared forced homogeneity. Such fears are lingering in Kashmir, Punjab, deep South, Northeast, and among marginalized minorities. It would be disastrous for the Indian nation if it falls into the hands an obscurantist handful. If intellectuals are marginalized giving them the name pseudo-secular, anti-national, western stooges, Marxist retrogrades, free thought will be suppressed in a short time.

The Twitter and Facebook world in India is full of threats and abuses showered on intellectuals. Is the scholarship of Amartya Sen or Romila Thapar a greater danger to India than the absurd statement of the great Hindutva leader who said that there was great king in Ayodhya 800,000 years ago, a long while before even homo sapiens emerged? Will it be such people who will dictate how a citizen should stand when the national anthem is being played, and define who is loyal to the nation and who is an anti-national?

What would you suggest be done in these circumstances?

The Christian community in India is small, hardly 2.3% in the entire population. The situation is different in different places. Each region will handle its problem in its own way according to possibilities. I have merely referred to the general trends. But having referred to them, I would affirm that I have great confidence in Indian society.

Ours is not a hate culture. However, we have a duty to cultivate relations with the people of all religious groups in the neighbourhood. People should know what we are doing and what we are aiming at. Mere confrontation over individual incidents will not help. Prestige fights will lead to no useful conclusion. Least of all should we be keen on appearing merely a contentious group. We should make no contribution to the polarisation of society, which is precisely what our opponents want to do. If there is some trouble in the neighbourhood it will not be the courts or political leaders in the Capital that will stand at our side, nor the media. They may come in due time. Our good neighbourly relations are our sure protection.

The exchange of ideas can be stimulating. We are proud of India’s ancient civilization, familiar with its cultural traditions, profit by the depth and wisdom of its great schools of philosophy, and are edified by the spiritual insights in its sacred writings. We have more in common with our opponents than we think. All we have to do is the create situations where interactions are possible where everyone has an opportunity to explain himself. We do grant that even those whom we criticized here a measure of good will that can open wider the doors to each other, if we only keep trying to make it happen.

However, we do not rule out a sudden turn of events when unpredictable leaders can drive societies into unpredictable situations, as it happened at the Partition of the country, or during numerous communal riots. That is why we need to remain vigilant, constantly observing the situation, intelligently interpreting events, not becoming alarmist during unhappy events, remaining always open to dialogue. Christian hope is a force that gives confidence, not to the believer only, but is capable of planting the same confidence in the hearts of others. May we flourish together!

• india
• hinduism
• islam
• christianity
• economy
• castes
• dalits
• tribals
• violence
• minorities
• cow vigilantes
• religious freedom