The Hindi Brahmins and other upper castes of the “cowbelt” grabbed opportunity of the papal visit (Feb. 1-10, 1986) to depict Indian Christians as anti-nationals, The Sharmas, Guptas, Srivastays and Pandeys used their Aryan weapon, the India press, to scoop all the stories that can easily cast aspersions on the activities of the Church.

Udayan Sharma, the editor of the Hindi weekly. Ravivar, (Jan 19-25, 1986) played the game with diabolic ingenuity. The weekly came out with a colour photo of the Pope on the cover with the caption: Khatarey Ki ghantee hai Popa Ki yatral (“Popa’s tour is a danger-bell)” This title on the cover definitely will give the impression that the Pope and Christity pose some imminent danger. Outfits 82 pages the Ravivar had devoted 22 peges to mudslinging to Christianity.

In the same weekly the titles of the inside stories also show vehment anti-Christian, slant. “Missionaries Spreading Hatred In Chotanagpur,” “The Carayan of Christianity Goes To The Third Wotld.” “The Rich Christianity Buys ‘The Poor.” “Christian Missionaries Want To Break Up India” these are some of the titles used by Sharma & Co, to flaunt their specious patriotism and to brand the Christians as anti-nationals

Interestingly, the editor of the Dalit Voice also figures. The author of the report Anand Shankar (Rayivar, page 26) contends that there is an anti-national triangle at work in India, According to him Dalits, Muslims and Christians form this triangle (page 27, Col 1, 2, 3,), Following is the translation of the passage relating to the editor of Dalit Voice:

“Add to these Christian and Muslim organizations those Dalit ‘organizations who closely link their protest against socio-economic justice to separatism, then the triangle becomes complete, Interesting to note is the fact that these missionary organizations prompted colonial motives do not include in their meetings those Dalit organizations who want to build an egalitarian society by remaining in the national mainstream, Their ‘eye goes only to those Dalits who have made social disintegration their goal. In Nov. 1978, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia had organized a meeting of Asian Raial and Minorities Conference in New Zealand. In this meeting a pamphlet (parcha) was presented for discussion whose aim was to draw the attention of the Indian Dalits to political separation. The pamphlet was prepared by V.T.

Rajshekar. In this there was an ‘open demand for Dalitstan : As long as Hinduism is not destroyed, untouchability will remain, But are they (Dalits) in a position to do this impossible task? No absolutely no, Even to think of that will be fatal for them, Therefore in al humility because of the utter helplessness they are forced to demand for themselves a separate state in India, Not because that they want (o live away from others but because the high caste Hindus will be unable to live the Untouchables in peace.

“But will this battle be fought on the Indian soil? No the decision to make an open appeal to the United Nations organization, Human Rights Commission and the International Court of justice for a separate state for the Dalits in India was repeated. It would have been a point of great relief if things had stopped at that, but in the pamphlet there was appeal even to the communist governments for cooperation to establish a Dalitastan : ‘We appeal also to the Marxists of China, Russia and other countries and they clear the mist from the head of the Indian communists and make them understand that the Untouchables, India’s biggest revolutionaries are the Jamats and without them no revolution is possible in India, The battle cry of Revolution in a Christian forum and that too in connivance with the Communists who consider religions opium. What a surprising thing! But political opportunism puts strange bed-fellows in the boat (Ravivar, page 2).

Mendaciously or maliciously Anand Shankar has forgotten to show how the demand for a separate state within the Union of India ‘can be a threat to the territorial integrity of the country. If one follows Shankar’s logic then all the 22 states in India are threats to the unity and integrity of the nation,

Dinman (Feb 2-8, 1986) Dharmayug Feb. 2-8) and Saptahik Hindustan (Feb. 9-15) are the other leading Hindi weeklies that used the occasion of the papal visit to mudsling the Christians, But none of these were as negative as the Ravivar. The daily Jansatta (21-1-1986) exhibited its anti-Christian fang through a lead article,

“The Storm Of Religious Conversion In Madhya Pradesh,” Mahesh

Pandey, its author, alleges that the

Christian missionaries in MP are

converting the Adivasis into anti nationals and cultural misfits,

Rajkumar Singh repeats the same charges in the Dharmayug (Feb 2-8). He sees the English medium schools run by the Chuteh as a weapon to destroy Indian language and culture, This writer would like to remind Singh that today a large number of schools run by the Church are not English medium, The Janata schools of Chotanagpuras well as the schools of Tamil Nadu and Kerala bear eloquent witness to this. Singh will be surprised to know that when the Jesuits of a Hindi region decided to convert their English medium schools into Hindi medium the greatest opposition came not from the Christians but from the so-called lovers (mostly Hindi Brahmins) of Hindi and Indian culture. See the Janus-faced nature of the self-proclaimed lovers of India and its glorious culture.

The Hindu Press hounds who barked at Christian missionaries alleging anti-national activities may well keep in mind that all those involved in the two notorious spy scandals Coomar Narain case and Rama Swaroop Case are Hindus, not Christians or missionaries, Did the missionaries sell India to the British or the imbecile Hindu kings of the Hindi belt?

After reading the anti-Christian allegations in the weekly Ravivar, a Dalit teacher from Bihar said: “Andha Kukur Batasey Bhoonkey ‘the blind dog barks even when a gentle breeze blows.” I think no statement will be apt enough as this proverb to describe the Christian baiters in the Hindi-Hindu press who used the papal visit to fulminate against Christians and their organizations.

Courtesy:

Dalit Voice,

 Bangalore.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 20, 1986