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Feb-18-2008
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Views expressed here are author"s own and not of this website. Full disclaimer is
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(Author is Editor-In-Chief of upcoming apolitical and illustrated family magazine FOLKS and Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London (UK))
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It was my first visit to Madikeri on February 7th 2008. There were two compelling reason for me to be there: First to deliver a lecture at Field Marshal Cariappa College and to attend the anniversary celebration of a dance magazine, Noopura Bhramari, founded by my distinguished, and exuberantly gifted, friend Manorama B N. Must say I was spell bound, rather completely, looking at the mystic beauty of the Kodagu. I was indeed repenting for not having visited the place, which was a few hundred kilometers from Mangalore, that which was reachable in less than five hours. Rich with greenery the place is filled with coffee and rubber plantations and several places of historic, religious and adventurous substance.
But before my three day trip to the city could come to an end I was spell bound again, but this time for a different reason. There are two Christian schools in the city named after the "revered savants’ of Christianity and, of course, managed by missionaries. Here I was testified by a practicing medical practitioner about the rules and regulation of the said school.
A Hindu girl child, he told me, is not supposed to wear a Bindi on her forehead, not more than two Bangles are allowed and amazingly you are not supposed to take the names of Rama, Krishna and the like even while reciting the prayers. When tried to confirm about it I would find more than seven people, who were not related to each other, confirming the said statement of the doctor who introduced me to the issue. When asked as to why didn’t the parents took up the about the issue at the Parent Teachers Association (PTA), they would say that those two schools haven’t got any, to my utter awe.
I was rather perturbed hearing this. "Why don’t you do something?’ I asked them all, only to hear "What could we do?’ "Speak out firmly and protest it.’ I said. "We don’t mind doing that if at all someone could assure that our children would not be affected.’ Partiality they meant. "If that’s the case why don’t you admit your children to other schools?’ "There aren’t any good schools here, sir’ they would say in a plight of disgust. It was rather a very disheartening to find the version of Christianity in this part of the world, Madikeri I mean, managing those schools, that has been ripped apart and dejected from its place of birth.
Here, those schools I connote, you can’t wear bangles because according to them "It creates noise and makes conducting classes rather impossible.’ You can’t put big Bindi or Tilak on the forehead because it "eliminates uniformity.’ You can’t wear flowers on the hair because "the fragrance distracts the attention of the students from their lessons.’ Could there be some more nonsense reasons? Please help me to find some.
When a local cultural body organized a Bhajan competition for the students the same school management completely refused to send their students to it. Reason: They don’t consider it worthwhile to specify a reason. Of course, giving reasons is not of that importance to Christianity, that which as a religion that which practices Authoritarianism and yet seeks Conversions as a basic Democratic Right.
However I wondered as to how is it that the media has maintained an utmost silence in this regard. "What aren’t you doing something about this?’ I asked to my new journalist friends from various major dailies only to hear "Look the problem is not with us. We are certainly willing to take up this matter in our media but our Editors rightfully ask for testimony from the affected children’s parents, which they don’t want to give and yet expect help from us in turn. How is that possible? You explain to us if that is possible for you.’ The statement by the journalist too is justified, beyond doubt. This is the same reason because of which I am forced not to mention the names of those two schools run by missionaries.
This is a perfect state of what we can say "conundrum’. The parents are sad to find that their children aren’t given the basic rights endowed upon them by the constitution – Right to Faith. Their children are ensured by the Church of no link to the legacy of their forefathers. Moral stories they teach are completely different and are simply that which hail from the "Holy Bible’. Journalists, though anguished, are forced to watch as a mute spectators as the fanatic Christianity which the entire of the west had dejected to pave way for democracy is vibrantly nourished by those "Holy Missionaries’ in the land of the people who have contributed to this land, generation after generations, soldiers hailed for their bravery and conviction.
"How is the solution possible?’ I asked to my mind.
Suddenly, It reminded me of the famous Doha of my most favorite mystic saint Kabir, which read:
Burajo Dekhana Main Chala Bura Mila Na Koi
Jab Man Khoja Apana to Mujha Se Bura Na Koi
The Doha tells to us indirectly that if there is something bad in the world happening, it is also because of us. The missionary school of the area if are able to continue with their anti-democracy as well as anti-Hindu activities, one that represent theocracy, it is exclusively because of the mutely watching parents, locals and the media. Let us no forget the words of Jesus – God helps those who help themselves.
The story reminds me of a similar instance that which occurred in Udupi a few years before I joined the same High School. Christian High School was founded by German Bassel Mission somewhere in the year 1898. The object of course, as per document, was "To impart education to the masses’ but eventually they came to their true agenda that which they supposed themselves for – Propagation of Christianity. Bibles were supplied to the students free of cost and recitation, I was then told, was made compulsory. The morning prayers were ones that which hailed Mother Mary and Jesus Christ. A year passed and parents watched every thing helplessly as in the current Madikeri. None was prepared to retort for fear that their children could be the "easy target’. But this was to end when some one, sorry I don’t know his name, took the lead and gathered enough courage to mobilize parents and reached the Head Masters chambers and told him firmly that if those "indirect conversion’ activity wasn’t brought an halt with immediate effect they would complain to the police against the head master and the management without hesitation. The conviction in the voice was so much that it scared the hell out of the management and it, all the pro-conversion activities I imply, came to a "perfect’ halt, in entirety. It’s only a matter of conviction mind you.
I have said this before and I shall say that again. We Hindus for over 5000 years and more have hailed all faiths and beliefs. We appreciate all gods and deities. We have never said that we are the "only way’ like many of the Semitic faiths. We have no problems acknowledging greatness of Allah, Jehovah or Jesus. We have done that many a times and would continue to do and yet. But please don’t force it upon us. We shall be happy to know about you, your faith and scriptures. May I add that I read The Bible before I read Bhagavad-Gita? Not because of compulsion but looking at Mother Theresa’s conviction. It’s a different matter that though I respect Mother I hail my Bhagavad-Gita more than any other scripts, for healthy raison dêtre.
Hinduism is not coercive, let me say that assertively, proselytizing and exclusivity, like the prophetic faiths, namely: Islam and Christianity. It does not believe in "perversion’ (religious proselytization) but, on the contrary accommodates other religions and cultures. It stands for true secularism which has a vision to accommodate other school of thoughts of various religious beliefs, by mutual respect and hence aims at peace and harmony. In short, Hinduism is a way of life available to all human beings on this earth.
So called "Secularism’, on the contrary, has taken a great leap forward (in India), invading the private person of the (Hindu) individual and denying the right to observe customary forms of Dharma. It is obvious that something deeper is afoot, and its purpose is the cultural annihilation of the Hindu people. We are facing pincer attack from the sinister quarters; pusillanimity will only take us to extinction. It is time to rise and validate our culture and history.
It is owing to those secularists’ dogma, which has so terrorized those Hindus that they, like the ones in Madikeri, hesitate to take up cudgels on behalf of their Dharma and culture for fear of being branded "Communal’. I wish, here, to subscribe to Sir Winston Churchill’s profound admonition – "If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance for survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.’ Wish those words of Sir Churchill would bring light to the darkened minds of those fellow parents and journalists at Madikeri.
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