Hinduism
Shuddhi, Ghar Vapasi and Reservations - Are Hindus a Community like Muslims & Christians?
Dt: 19/2/15
Shuddhi, Ghar Vapasi and Reservations -
Are Hindus a Community like Muslims & Christians?
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
“Shuddhi has become a matter of life and death of Hindus. The Muslims have grown from negative quantity into 70 mln. The Christians number 4 mln. 220 mln Hindus are finding it hard to live because of 70 mln Muslims. If their numbers increase, only god knows what will happen. It is true that suddhi should be for religious purposes alone, but the Hindus have been obliged by other considerations as well as to embrace their other brothers . If the Hindus do not wake up now, they will be finished.”*
This is from the editorial in the newspaper Pratap dated, 10 Jan 1921, published from Kanpur.
2. That the Muslims would indeed proliferate and that Hindus would not wake up was not known to the poor editor then. The Muslims have been proliferating all the while. In 1881 when the first census of India was taken the Hindu population in Punjab was 43.8%; Sikhs were 8.2% and Muslims were 47.6% ; in 1941, the census before partition, the Hindu population declined to 29.1%; the Sikh population went up to 14.9% and Muslim population to 53.2%. The Indic population that is, Hindus and Sikhs together which was
* (Page 56 “Annihilation of Caste” by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. This passage finds place in the introduction by Arundhati Roy to Dr Ambedkar’s book)
52% in 1881 declined to 44% by 1941. In India, after independence, the proportion of Hindu population is declining due to the rapid growth of Muslim population at 50% more than the all India average and conversions to Christianity of many Hindus. This trend was noticed by Swami Dayananda Saraswati who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875. In 1877 he started the Suddhi movement; that is, through a ritual he started re-converted Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism. Arya Samaj recognised no castes. Therefore those who came to the Arya Samaj fold through Shuddhi did not raise this issue as to into which caste they would be re-admitted.
The foul play of Christian evangelists is evident from the following facts. The evangelists are advising the converts not to disclose the fact of conversion so that they can continue to enjoy the benefit of reservations meant for SCs .
|
|
Year |
|||
|
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
|
|
% of Christian population |
4.19 |
2.68 |
1.83 |
1.44 |
3 . Ghar Vapasi undertaken since a few years ago by Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is the current version of the Suddhi movement of 1877 by the Arya Samaj. The Arya Samaj has insignificant numbers with it since a few decades past. Like Buddhism, it too almost thinned out in the country. The question faced by Ghar Vapasi movement is into which caste the Ghar Vapasi people will be admitted. This is very vexed one. The SCs and the BCs and even the OBCs among Hinduism object to admit any of the Ghar Vapasis into their caste because it means dilution of the reservations that they are now having. Not only 15 cr Muslims and for that matter, even a few crores coming into SCs or BCs would be resisted.
4. In A.P, the Kapus, a largely farmer community are agitating to be included among the BC category . The BCs are resisting this demand for fear of dilution. The Madigas, one of the SCs are wanting that the 15% reservation for SCs must be sub-divided among the 54 sub-castes in the list of SC. This is due to the inequality among the sub-castes as well as the extent of literacy and education among the different sub- castes. In Bihar Nitish Kumar, the JDU hancho has divided the dalits and named some sub-castes among them as maha dalits and some among BCs as EBCs ( extraordinarily backward). The Ghar Vapasi will encounter opposition from some Hindu castes because of reservations by caste.
5. There is not a single politician or political party which dares to say that reservations must be abolished. On the other hand, more and more sections are wanting reservations. Brahmins in some states ( eg. A.P) are demanding to be included in the BC category saying that those who are forward among them, already migrated to the US and who are backward only, are remaining in India. The same plea will be made by kammas (Chowdarys) in Andhra Pradesh very soon. In fact, the kammas have already got them included as BCs in Karnataka and Tamilndu . Both castes and reservations are complicated issues for which there does not appear to be any easy solution in good time.
6. Yet another problem is : is there a thing called the Hindu community ? If we call for a meeting caste-wise like kammas, easily 10,000 will come. If we call for a meeting of Reddy’s easily 20000 will come. But we call for a meeting of Hindus, about 100 only will come. It is because Hindus do not have a feeling that they are one community. But they are conscious on their caste and therefore the caste is their community.
7. There was talk of sanghatan; that is, consolidation of Hindus. How can it come? There are several denominations of Christians but people of every denomination go to the respective Churches on Sunday. There is a sermon; there is a prayer and then there is prasadam. At the end of it, they come out as a community.
8. There are several sects like Sunnis, Shias, Ismailis etc., among Muslims. People of each sect go to their own mosque; all on Friday. The Imam leads the prayer and gives a harangue and the people come out terribly charged as Muslims. They feel they are a community.
9. We, Hindus go to temples of our ista devata at any time, on any day and individually. The Archaka is conducting the puja on our behalf and we come back. When do we feel as a community? We must change according to the time and social and political situation. Our current practice could have been good enough when we were not preyed upon by evangelical religions - Christianity & Islam both of which are wanting to gain numbers in India. Muslims are gaining by accelerated breeding, their growth in population is 50% more than the average for India. Christians are growing by converting Hindus - not only from SCs and STs but even from among the BC & FCs. Most Hindus in almost every caste lament the conversion but we are unable to act together, to avert this calamity. There are some efforts by some small groups, with meagre resources but no effort by the entire Hindu community with one aim and with great force.
10. This can come only from an organisation of our temples. In Andhra Pradesh (where in some districts converts have reached upto 20%) we have them in the TTD and the Endowment Department . These however are, unlike Churches and Mosques, under the control and management of the government . Not only is this discrimination against Hindus but a disability imposed upon Hindus. The resources of the temples, the revenues Rs.2,400 cr of the TTD and Rs. 600 cr of the Endowment Department, could together be used to effectively stop the conversions in AP by proper deployment of these monies and the personnel of the organisations. This can be done only if the management and administration of temples is removed from government and entrusted to a properly designed and legislated and constituted institution say, like the Guurudwra Prabhandhak Committees of Sikhs, bodies that autonomously administer the Sikh Gurudwaras. Until the disengagement of the government from temples takes place, we must demand specific tasks to be performed by the TTD and the endowment department. These must be primarily aimed at stopping conversions.
11. During the period of government management we must demand that the government put appropriate persons only in the Board of the TTD and in the Boards of Trustees of other temples. It is in this conviction that we have launched a movement, a signature campaign for a memorandum to be submitted to the Petitions Committee of the AP Legislative Assembly. While efforts by other bodies should continue, this specific demand must be pressed by all Hindu organisations together. (1,328 words)
END