Sign of Change.

Sign of Change.

Re-assuring developments that will eventually get the country out of an eventual future are showing signs nowadays. The TOI on 2.4.1999 carried an article on its edit page, from the Arya Samajist saint Swami Agnivesh. It is about a multi religious pilgrimage to visit the slain Stains place in Orissa. The priest Stains and his children in their teens were burned alive by the RSS Parivar followers. Soon after news was public, everyone in the RSS Parivar that include the political leaders in BJP, were rationalizing the gruesome crime, as a response to the alleged prosylytation activities on the part of Christian missionary. Even the highest i.e. the BJPs PM joined it in his own way by suggesting, discussions of conversions in the country. Arun Shourie a real representative of the Parivar was fulminating against conversions of tribals by Muslims and Christians. The re-conversion resorted to and organised by the Parivar are extremely farcical. It was reported that some tribals who earlier converted themselves to Christian faith were re-converted to Hindu. It may be that they were re-converted to be the same tribals since; no caste is converted to another in Hinduism. The caste is by birth even if one changes one’s profession the person remain in his caste by birth. But the tribal were not part of the four Varna’s. They were outside of Hindu caste system and were called panjamas i.e. fifth groups. Arun Shourie at one stage claimed that Brahmins are not born but created on attainment of wisdom. The least he must be able to do is select and name some of those created ones from any part of India. No one will be coming forward and get accepted by other Brahmins if they are not born as one. There are highly learned people born in non-Brahmin castes but not recognised or accepted as Brahmin. Even the greatest of them Sri Narayana Guru of Kerala though much more learned in Vedic and other sacred texts and himself a Sanskrit philosopher poet was/is not accepted in their fold by any Brahmin group in Kerala or outside.

Aside from these arguments, there are signs of people changing their attitude towards communal forces in politics. The real test will later this year when many states will go to their assembly elections.

K,N,Krishnan.

April 5, 1999.