Author: Anand Sundas
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 8, 1999
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19990208/ige08029.html
In a sea of saffron, they stand
apart. Their clothes and their physical features give them enough distinction,
even before they begin talking. They are the dondeis, nibos and sadhus
from the northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Manipur
and Meghalaya -- that rarely get a mention in reportage on Hindutva.
Their problems are similar to those
faced by sadhus elsewhere, but yet are peculiar. The problems they face
are two-fold and apparently contradictory. In some areas, the presence
and reputation of the missionaries; in others, the influence of tribal
culture.
The VHP has already begun distributing
stickers that say, ``Preserve your culture, preserve your identity'' to
Arunachali households, unable to ``see the youth dancing to western beats''
and the fear of witnessing ``Christians wiping out Hinduism in Arunachal
and other North Eastern states.''
In a scathing attack on Christians,
Swami Kripalanandji of Giri Parampara in Tripura alleged thatmissionaries
were behind extremist activities in the Northeast states and that there
were 19 outfits conducting activities in the region, mainly targeting Hindus.
``Those who refuse to convert are tortured or killed,'' he alleged. ``In
the past few years, more than 18 Vaishnav ashrams run by Hindus in Tripura
have been demolished by the Christians, while those who dominate the upper
classes, force people to adopt Christianity,'' he asserted.
The saint also denied any Government
support and said that the Communist Government in Tripura offered no help
to them. And while it was impossible for Hindus to live in Kohima, labourers
in the tea gardens there have to follow the diktat of the missionaries.
Apart from that, in Mizoram, where the Christians are the majority, 35,000
were ostracised from their caste for not adopting Christianity.
Supporting his claims was Bamangtato,
a priest of the Donyi Polo sect in Arunachal Pradesh, who is convinced
that Christians the world over have a devious agenda in Arunachal-- may
be even a pan-Indian agenda. However, he -- and his colleagues -- were
pleasantly surprised to see nearly 200 people in Ranip (a small village
in Gujarat) run to touch their feet. This is because they were told in
their village that very few Hindus remain in India today! Stepping out
of Arunachal Pradesh for the first time, they were emboldened to ``see
so many Hindus''.
It does not matter to them that
they are Donyi Poloks, worshippers of the sun and moon, and not Hindus.
``Why aren't they Hindus?'' asks Dr Sunil Karan, who has been based in
Arunachal for quite some time. ``They have all our mantras and the religion
has its roots in the shastras. Tell me, which other religion worships the
sun?''
Saints from Assam, spoke of their
hapless condition due to the activities of extremists. Criticising VHP
ignorance in the region, Swami Banagovind Parampanthi of Assam, who runs
ashrams at Dibrugarh and Guwahati, said the organisation was yet to discern
the problem of Hindus. ``Only social work forthe upliftment of poor and
backward would help VHP build its image''.
The Arunachalis claim that 60 per
cent of the people have already converted to Christianity, and that ``terrorists
like those belonging to the NSCN are busy trying to convert the rest''.
They maintain that the NSCN, which is trying to include the Arunachali
districts of Tirap, Changlang and Lohit in `Greater Nagaland', wants to
convert the whole of the Northeast into a base camp for terrorists. Christianity
is the binding factor!
-- With inputs from Rajendra Sharma