Editor,
With the ongoing World Cup Football matches being fought and played with full might and zeal by the respective teams, showcasing spectacular display of team spirit and athletic skills with the ball, what one misses to closely monitor is the amazing ‘Team Spirit’ of the Individual players. Their ‘Team Spirit’ or ‘Gatbandhan’ is lost in the charm for playing for the sake of winning for their Country.
As 2019 Elections are approaching, our opposition Political parties are also vouching for a grand alliance or ‘Gatbandhan’ to oust BJP! The political parties should take a cue from the football players and should realise and believe that their alliance can only be successful if they sacrifice their individual goals and aim for the greater goal of leading the country to prosperity and above casteist and sectarian politics.
Yours etc.,
Sadiq Hussain Laskar,
Guwahati
Tribal culture and Christianity
Editor,
Barnes Mawrie’s article, “Culture and Religion: A Tribal Perspective,” (ST July 6, 2018) is a very one-sided view and based purely on his inability to see beyond the Hindutva ideology of the BJP-RSS which he as a Christian is bound to react to adversely. As someone who belongs to the indigenous faith (Niam Tynrai) I feel that Mawrie does not have the legitimacy to castigate the proponents of Hindutva because the Christian missionaries used the same yardstick while dealing with the tribals here when they came in after the British conquest of India. They labelled those who refused to convert and stuck to their own indigenous faith as “pagans.” This is a derogatory term and those who converted to Christianity had to give up their indigenous dance and other cultural symbols. Is this not what the RSS-BJP is trying to do today? Mawrie argues that religion is part of culture but not the whole of it, yet the intrinsic Khasi culture would have been forgotten today if it was not kept alive by the adherents of the Seng Khasi/Niamtre. Christianity also preaches that no one will be saved unless they accept Christ. This means that all others who do not accept Christianity are destined to eternal damnation. Isn’t this a spiritual arrogance?
It is true that India is a country of racial and cultural diversities and all these should be allowed to co-exist peacefully. No one should try to convert people to their religion whether they are Hindus, Christians or Muslims or indeed any other religion. We have the right to choose our faith and the path to salvation. In central India and elsewhere where tribals were converted to Christianity often by inducements, it is only fair to use the word “Ghar Wapasi” since the tribes would be returning to their own native faiths. But no one has the right to force the Ghar Wapasi on them. It is a choice they will have to make.
There is however, one point that merits mention. Till date those belonging to the Christian faith get first preference while seeking admissions to Christian missionary run institutions. What is this if not an indirect inducement that if people want admission into Christian schools then they should convert to Christianity? And now these missionary run schools have lost their charitable Christian objectives. Mawrie should be looking at correcting all these faults in Christian institutions instead of being overly obsessed with the BJP-RSS which he sees as the natural enemies of Christians. It is unfortunate that a scholar should be so angular in his views.
Yours etc.,
Hastings Shangdiar,
Via email
