HARSH MANDER’S ARTICLE ON GHAR WAPSI CONCEALS HIS CHRISTIAN FUNDERS - by Poulasta Chakraborthy the 13 January edition of Hindustan Times, well-known social activist and former member of the Sonia Gandhi-headed NAC, Harsh Mander opined on the conversion-reconversion debate thus: Free India was born in a tumult of religious hatred. This, and the fact that this country is home to followers of almost every major religion, persuaded members of the Constituent Assembly to exercise great care to protect the freedom of religious belief in the Constitution. It decided that this freedom should be not just to practise and profess one’s faith, but also to propagate it. KM Munshi declared that “under freedom of speech, which the Constitution guarantees, it will be open to any religious community to persuade other people to join their faith”. However, Hindu nationalist organizations were never reconciled to this fundamental guarantee of the Constitution. Now it is strange that Mr. Mander criticizes Hindu Nationalists while also mentioning KM Munshi’s declaration in the same breath because Munshi was a prominent well-wisher of the Hindu Nationalist school of thought. Also according to the declaration of Munshi as mentioned in the HT piece, the option of persuading one religious community to join another is open for all; that is if a Hindu priest persuades a Christian/Muslim to accept Hinduism the reverse should also be accepted. But the moment Hindus decide to ‘persuade’ others, secularists of Mr. Mander’s ilk scream ‘murder.’ This is seen even in the works of our eminent historians which describe the activities of reformist communities like the Brahmo-Arya Samaj as elitist and communal. These same secularists never had any misgivings on breaking bread with individuals like John Dayal or Kancha Ilaiah who openly publicize mass conversion and even call for a post-Hindu India. And now, on the fact of the Hindu activists calling for ‘Ghar Wapsi’ being not as well-funded as the Evangelicals Mr. Mander stated: Their contention is that Hinduism is denied a level playing field for conversions because enormous overseas funds support the work of Christian missionaries. But the truth is that there is no shortage of Indian diaspora funding for the work of Hindu nationalists in tribal India. A massive network of tribal educational institutions of the RSS family has grown in central India, and the penetration of the Northeast is accelerating. The real problem is that few can match the selfless quality of educational and health services Christian missionaries offer, even to the most despised and excluded like leprosy patients. I believe Mr. Mander will agree that the donations sent by certain NRI Hindus cannot possibly match the vast network of finances managed by Christian organizations.To give a small sample as evidence, I cite the 2011-2012 report of the FCRA, which states that seven of the top fifteen Indian foreign-funded NGOs are missionary Christian organisations that received a total of Rs 879 crore that year: World Vision India Believers Church India Indian Society Of Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints Caruna Bal Vikas Gospel For Asia Compassion East India Missionaries of Charity Also worthy of notice is that seven missionary Christian organizations are in the top fifteen lists having provided a total of Rs 512 crores: Compassion International The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Kindernothilfe General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists WORT & TAT Allgemeine Missions Geselischaft Christian Foundation for Children and Aging Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst Regarding ‘the selfless quality of educational and health services Christian missionaries offer’ Mr. Mander might want to see this report about the 2004 Asian Tsunami which speaks of incidents where the missionaries actually stopped relief work when the residents of some tsunami-shattered villages in India refused to convert in return for aid. for more indiafacts.co.in/harsh-manders-article-ghar-wapsi-conceals-christian-funders/#.VLhr-yvF8bg
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:55:56 +0000
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