The Politics of Religious Conversions in Jharkhand

[rug]

(Courtesy of Shyam Sharma) Dilip Singh Judeo, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, left, during a religious conversion ceremony in Ara village of Jharkhand in 2006.

October 1, 2013, 10:31 am
By RAKSHA KUMAR

ARA, Jharkhand— Early on an idle Sunday morning in late August, Ram Singh Kujur perched on the solitary broken wooden chair outside his mud hut, sipping tea from a disfigured steel tumbler. Sundays never used to be such in the Kujur residence. Seven years ago, the Kujurs would have excitedly woken up early, put on their best clothes and head toward the village church. Now, the family of seven bathes and duly assembles in front of Lord Ram’s idol, positioned in the corner of their single-room house.

“We used to pray once in a week; now we pray every day. I am not sure the God is listening to us though,” said Mr. Kujur, 38, a farmer who owns two acres of land in Ara, 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state.

Mr. Kujur and his family converted to Hinduism seven years ago. As a member of the Oraon tribe, his grandfather had converted into Christianity. But in 2006, the late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Singh Judeo arrived in Ara with the sole agenda of converting 300 Christian families to Hinduism. Mr. Kujur’s was one of them.

Most of the 450 families in this village are adivasis, or tribals, who had converted into Christianity a generation or two ago. The Kujurs decided to convert as they were “fed up” with what they called the Christian double standards.

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/the-politics-of-religious-conversions-in-jharkhand/?_r=0

[xfundy]

1. “fed up” with what they called the Christian double standards."

Can't imagine why.

One invisible man is as good, and effective, as another.

At least someone else has a chance to prophet off them.

[rug]

2. You should keep reading. It has little to do with theology.

Mr. Kujur and his family were familiar with the recent controversy, but they said that in the end, no matter what god they worship, their economic state is the same. “We realize conversion is political,” said Mr. Kujur, “but sometimes we are left with no option.”

When conversions happen, entire villages convert. If only one family dares to convert to another religion, they are outcast by the rest of the families. Therefore, in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, villagers convert by the hundreds.

Gladson Dungdung, author of “Whose Country is it Anyway?”, about the adivasi community in Jharkhand, said it doesn’t make financial sense for either the Hindu Right or the Christian missionaries to convert just a few families in a village, he said. A huge investment goes into staging a conversion ritual and the political parties would want to make the most of it. “The promised free food, free education and free medicines that lure the tribals also require money,” he said.

Maybe there are too many consequences if they don't keep their opinions silent.

[dimbear]

3. When the lion fights the elephant, the mice get trampled.

When religious wars are raging, it's not good to be in some thinly populated sect. Another sad slice of reality brought to you as a public service.