Abp Thomas Menamparampil

There was a on 26th March a rally organised by the Janjati Dharm Sanskriti Suraksha Manch” (JDSSM), The Organiser claimed that tribals from 30 districts of Assam attended, demanding that tribals who had converted to Christianity be debarred from getting reservations as provided for in Article 342 of the Constitution of India. What is your view?
A group of tribal people were brought there together by Sangh Parivar agents with much effort and were instructed what their demand should be: to take away from tribal Christians their tribal rights. The first question is: how far were they representative of their own communities? The second: what justifies their unfair demand to deprive their fellow-tribals of their tribal rights on the ground of religion, when the Constitution makes no such distinction?
Article 25 of the Constitution allows every citizen to profess, practice and propagate his/her religion. No distinction is to be made and no discrimination approved. Thus, a citizen born as a tribal, remains a tribal even if he/she changes his/her religion, enjoying all the rights as a tribal citizen.

There was a clear attack on Christian conversion attacking it as “like slow poison, killing the tribals original beliefs”, is it true?
The Allegation that Christian Conversion as Slow Poison. Let us put the ‘conversion’ change in the context of wider social changes. All societies have been in rapid transformation in modern times. It is for the tribal people themselves to judge what change is good for them and what is not: e.g. food habits, dressing styles, house construction, medical practices, educational contents, community roles, social vision.
However, what are most precious are Ethical Values that they have inherited. These strengthen the social bonds among individuals, families, and communities; ordinary members and decision-makers; relationship among members and with the wider world. They help them to engage in common effort and guide them to a sure future. They are to be carefully cherished and diligently fostered. This what the Christian missionaries have done.
Missionaries have recorded several other dimensions of tribal culture for future generations as well. It is for the tribal people themselves to decide what does not stand the challenge of reason, scientific outlook, historical veracity and progressive mentality, and should be rejected. The missionaries have merely equipped them to think independently and make their own decisions.
Unfortunately, the RSS-inspired Hindutva contribution to the tribals has been to call them ‘vanvasis’ as though they shall belong to the jungle for all time; to foster devotion to Hanuman so that they develop a servile attitude; to educate their elite in “eklavya” vidyalayas (residential schools) reminding them that their talents have to be made subject to the interests of the higher castes. One will remember here the story of Dronacharya asking the tribal Eklavya to cut off his thumb so that Arjuna could preserve his superiority in archery. The main teaching in such schools are: slokas and mantras and blind obedience to the Guru.

The tribals are said to be “targeted by the highly communal theocratic foreign religious groups.” What is the truth of tribal conversions? How secure are their tribal culture and traditions?
Foreign Religion. It is totally unfair to propagate the tale that Christianity is a foreign religion in spite of the fact that it was introduced to the subcontinent by Apostle Thomas in 52 AD, while Indian culture was still in shaping. In fact, Islam reached Sind only in 712; and Brahminism in today’s form was brought into existence by Sankaracharya as a cultural resistance to the Muslim intrusion only in the 8th century. He founded monasteries in the four corners of India to propagate a sturdy version of Hinduism. In doing so, he totally marginalized Buddhism which was more true to the original tribal genius of India with its sense of equality, community and love for peace…values captured in the Edicts of Ashoka, and immortalised in the present day Indian Constitution. And if we consider the Vedic faith the religion of the newly arrived Aryans, Buddhism has a greater claim to indigenous identity, and the “foreign” tag can be attached to Aryan faith more truly.
In any case, with regard to religions, we need to recognize their universal orientation by their very nature. Buddha wanted his monks to carry his message beyond every boundary; Ashoka sent missionaries to Sri Lanka, central Asia, Alexandria; monks carried Buddhism to Tibet (from there to Mongolia), Myanmar, Thailand, China, and Japan; Hindu priests, traders and soldiers reached out to Java, Kalimantan, Cambodia, Laos, and Funan.

“Radical believers in Hindu Rashtra, Akhand Bharat and Vishwaguru, can lead the nation to any height of irrationality and unfairness.”
“Arunachal opted for Christianity in a big way only after anti-Christian laws were passed and when Christians were being persecuted.”

I myself had the joy of visiting Angkor Vat in Cambodia, Bali and Borobodur in Indonesia, Potala Palace in Lhasa and Hiuen Tsang’s (Xuanzang) monastery at Xi’an (China) and admiring the zeal of Indian religious personnel in the past. And even today, Hindu acharyas, monks, gurus and godmen keep wandering in the western world, erecting temples and shrines, initiating preaching-centres and Yoga institutes, and making converts! Similarly, Islam is present and active in nearly every country in the world. So, in the same way, Christianity too claims to belong to every nation and is eager to be indigenous to every culture and community.
With regard to the accusation of damaging the indigenous cultures of North-eastern communities, Christian missionaries have only promoted them, e.g. publishing the first books in most of their languages, building a literature for them, making a comparative study of their cultural assets, bringing to world attention the original genius of these communities that otherwise would have died out. If, in the process, people have opted for Christianity over the years, it has been their own free choice.
Our Hindutva friends, on the contrary, have changed native names with Hindu ones, e.g. ka mei kha into Kamakhya, Buallan-buttar into Brahmaputra; Bandardeva. They are trying their best to link tribal tales with Mahabharata, Ramayana, and other Puranic stories, to Hinduize indigenous traditions; to divinize indigenous heroes/heroines. In the past, Brahmin scholars were very keen to give the name Asura to tribal heroes: like Narakasura, the founder of the earliest remembered dynasty in Assam.
Christian missionaries, on the contrary, have respected the tribal genius: recorded tribal songs and stories, made dances and social festivities more attractive, and preserved their sound health practices. Missionary contribution in the field of health and education has been universally recognised. Arunachal Pradesh that had a literacy rate below 20% about three decades ago is 65.5% literate today after the entry of Christians missionaries into the state! Arunachal has already gone ahead of Bihar with its 61% literacy rate, though Bihar has been receiving centuries of Hindutva attention!

Janjati Dharm Sanskriti Suraksha Manch (JDSSM), Forum for protection of tribal religion and culture is a frontal organization of the RSS has always been inimical to Christians and conversions. But back down in Kerala the BJP and its cadres are wooing the Syrian Christians to the party to get the support of one of major minority communities of Kerala to come to power. And it appears that some of the bishops seem to support the move. Are the Christian leaders in Kerala unaware of the agenda of the Hindutva ideology?
Political Strategies. It is not for me the suggest what political approach the Christian community should adopt in various parts of India, with varying situations. For instance, from what we can judge, both TMC and AAP consider keeping Congress out of power as their first priority than fighting for democracy. Local strategies must be worked out locally. Self-deceptions are always possible.
Indeed, many puzzling questions remain as the elections of 2024 draw near. Will a weak coalition Government of undefined identity, with contradictory ideologies and clashing interests, coming together more to be in power than to ensure a democratic order, be able to give strong leadership to a nation that faces severe challenges on the military, political and economic front? Will a Congress with weakened political idealism, moral principles, and ideological consistency be able to hold together a nation and take it forward? No! And yet they all can change for the better, if they really love democracy.

“I would strongly stand for dialogue in various contexts and with various groups, neither allowing ourselves to be deceived, nor letting down our fellow Christians suffering in another part of India.

The world scenario too presents alarming trends. If populist Trump has been thrown out, Nationalist Netanyahu of Israel has returned; Trump still has many blind supporters, ready to respond to his call. If Biden has withdrawn from Afghanistan, the Ukraine war is moving closer to the use of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile Chinese influence in the Middle East has visibly grown.
While Modiji has visited the Delhi Cathedral, he has not said single word of sympathy about Fr. Stan Swamy at any stage. If he could co-opt the Judiciary for his Ayodhya and Kashmir decisions, he can do so for abolishing tribal rights and minority privileges overnight. He has, no doubt, promoted tribals to positions of honour, but not to decision-making roles. The Judiciary wishes to appear determined to stand by principles at a theoretical level, but has not proved effective in down-to-earth issues like halting Freedom of Religion bills. There is more of drama than reality!
If feasts like Ram Ravami can be turned into occasions for aggressive self-assertion of the majority community without a word of rebuke from the Ruling Order, the day is not far when a planned communal clash at a wider level can be used to declare Emergency that remains on!! Radical believers in Hindu Rashtra, Akhand Bharat and Vishwaguru, can lead the nation to any height of irrationality and unfairness.
Having said this, we must still renew our trust in the balanced and mature element in Hindu society. We should explore ways of entering into dialogue with them at life-related levels where people look to each other for cooperation. Core Hindu values related to family traditions, social ethics, education of the young, sensitivity to religion, etc. have so much in common with Catholic beliefs, we have much to share.
We may need to begin at the local level, gradually influencing different spheres of economy and politics at wider areas. I would strongly stand for dialogue in various contexts and with various groups, neither allowing ourselves to be deceived, nor letting down our fellow Christians suffering in another part of India. Help India to discover itself balanced once more!

As a retired archbishop you have observed and seen the BJP’s central rule, what is your evaluation of the government?
Evaluation of the BJP Government. We have looked at the threat that the BJP poses with its widely supported Government. But take note also of its internal divisions. There are wide emotional distances between different regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra; castes like higher castes and OBCs; Dalits and OBCs; all of them among themselves; those from the Hindi belt and those from the South or East.
Hindutva display of anger against Muslims is mostly to keep a hundred Hindu groups together, despite clashing interests. If one day all external threat is silenced, internal distances will reveal themselves. If it was a mighty effort for the British to hold together 565 princely states, it is going to be tougher for the feeble Hindutva formula to keep the peripheries of the nation united with the Centre. Edmund Burke (1729-97) used to say, no nation can be ‘ruled’, that needs to be ‘conquered’ all the time. What else is happening in Kashmir or Punjab today? Emotional integration is more important than forced unification.
However, it would be unfair to say that Modi has achieved nothing during his tenure of office. His mistake has been not to give credit to his predecessors who painfully built up a healthy national ethos, stimulating political traditions, moderately sound inter-community relationships, somewhat adequate structural development, fairly impressive economic growth. Modi’s improvements on any of these have not been impressive, despite great hopes offered to aspirational youth.
Modiji’s sturdy defence of demonetisation, GST norms, CAA proposals, Ayodhya-Kashmir decisions, handling of Covid pandemic, has not added an inch to his much acclaimed 56-inch chest! Any international approval he has won has been due to the eagerness of world society to keep close to the Mighty Market that India’s 1.4 billion people represent.
The RSS-BJP group’s misconceived interference in food habits has created the danger of giving rise to generations of under-nourished children who will be sturdy, neither in the field nor in the factory, nor daring enough on the fighting front. Yet there is hope: the radicals have been softening their stand on several forms of erraticism like rough vocabulary. They have been meeting Muslim, Parsi, Christian and Sikh religious leaders; dialoguing with cultural leaders in the East and South. Will they move to the “Middle Path” that Buddha suggested centuries ago? It is for them to decide.

You have lived your life for the North Eastern tribal people, what according to you is their future and past? How do you envisage Christian vision of mission in anti-conversion propaganda?
Conversions, Future. I am afraid that Freedom of Religion laws are going to remain with us for some time, like cow departments; and like “blasphemy laws” in Pakistan! Nevertheless, very interestingly, Arunachal opted for Christianity in a big way only after anti-Christian laws were passed and when Christians were being persecuted. Similarly, many more turned to Christianity in Khandhamal, Odisha, after anti-Christian riots.
I remain optimistic about the future of Northeast India, of India itself, of Christianity and of Humanity. We look forward to a new Pentecost!