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VHP ups the ante against Christian convention in Kerala

D Jose in Trivandrum

Encouraged by the massive support it has got from various Hindu organisations against conversions, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has revived its campaign against the Maramon convention, Asia's biggest spiritual meet for more than a century now.

While last year, the Sangh Parivar targeted the sub-surface dam built across the Pampa river for protecting the riverbed, where the convention is held, this year it has come out against the foreign evangelists who take part in the gathering.

VHP organising secretary Kumman Rajashekharan has already issued a warning against foreign evangelists who come on a tourist visa. He said a majority of foreign evangelists who participate in the convention, were visiting the country on tourist visas. This, he said, was a blatant violation of visa rules and added that they will initiate legal measures against such evangelists.

He said the VHP had brought this matter to the notice of the Pathanamthitta district authorities last year, but no action was taken. He said the organisation would now take up the matter with the central government if the state authorities fail to take note of their complaint.

The warning, coming in the wake of the massive drive against conversions by the Hindu Eikyaavedi comprising 53 Hindu organisations, has obviously caused concern among various quarters in Kerala.

In fact, the Sangh Parivar has been targeting the convention for some time now. Last year it had launched a campaign against a sub-surface dam built across the Pampa river with a view to protecting the convention centre from erosion of the riverbed. The convention is held every year during January-February on the sand-bed, when the river becomes dry. The dam was built on the request of the Christian organisations after the indiscriminate sand mining in the Pampa river led to erosion of the riverbed.

The Sangh Parivar had sought to demolish the dam under the aegis of a forum it constituted in the name of the Pampa Vimochana Samiti, arguing that the dam obstructed free flow of water to the Aranmula Sri Parthasarathy temple, situated on the riverbed. The Samiti had planned a 'kar seva' for demolishing the dam, but timely intervention by the government defused the crisis.

Even after the government reduced the height of the dam to allow free flow of water to the temple side on the advice of an expert committee, the Sangh Parivar did not stop its campaign, and partially demolished the protection wall along the Maramon riverbed.

Pathanamthitta district Congress committee president Philipose Thomas has alleged that the VHP's move against the speakers invited for the Maramon convention is aimed at disturbing communal harmony in central Travancore.

He said the motive of the Sangh Parivar was suspect as the VHP and the government are well aware that no foreigners who has ever visited India on a tourist visa has been made a speaker at the Maramon convention.

He said the statement by the VHP leaders was a direct threat against the minorities and the attempt is clearly to disrupt the convention.

The Maramon convention is an annual meet organised by the Mar Thoma Church on the bed of river Pampa near Kozhencherry. The convention this year is scheduled to be held from February 14 to 21. Besides the bishops of the Mar Thoma Church, Archbishop R H Goodhume from Australia and Bishop Dominic Walker from England are among the many foreigners who are slated to deliver their speeches this year. The eight-day convention includes Bible classes and special sessions for children.

The revival of the campaign against the Maramon convention, which attracts millions of people, is seen by the Church in the wider context of the nation-wideattack on minorities.

The Church leaders view the proposed campaign by the Hindu organisations as a clever strategy to increase the numerical strength of the party they support, and have appealed to the faithful to maintain the utmost restraint.

Trivandrum Diocese Social Welfare Society chairman, Fr Eugene Parera said the propaganda that Christians were converting Hindus to Christianity was false. He said the present campaign against conversion was due to misconception the Sangh Parivar got from some book published in United Kingdom about cultural evangelisation of India during 2000 and beyond.

How can the Church be held responsible for some book published by some agency in some country, he asked, and said the observations contained in that book are not those of the Church. The discussions now going on at various levels regarding the activities of the Church in the coming century were not aimed at conversions.

He said the Hindu fundamentalists were trying to create dissension in society as they have the backing of the government at the Centre. However, the enlightened people in Kerala are capable of understanding their game and will reject such one-sided campaigns, he added.

Evangelical Church of India Bishop M Ezra Sargunam wondered where conversions were taking place when the Christian population has remained constant. It was 2.5 per cent after St Thomas came here, and has remained the same even after the British left the country after ruling for 200 years. The percentage was the same 50 years after Independence, said Sargunam, who is also chairman of the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission.

He said the Christians were engaged in providing education and health facilities to the deprived sections of society. "If we had insisted that only those who became Christians would get the facility, we could have converted a good chunk of the population," he observed.

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