By Albert Thyrniang
On October 29, Sunday, Dominic Martin confessed he triggered the blasts at the Christian religious convention in Kerala’s Kochi killing three and injuring more than 50 participants. The accused claimed that he was one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that organised the Kochi meet. He justified his action by branding the ‘Witnesses’ anti-nationals. The group spreads hatred he alleges. Followers were told not to sing the National Anthem, join the army, work in government offices, etc. Martin announced that he took action because the sect carried on its ‘anti national’ teaching despite his warnings.
In Meghalaya the ‘Sunday Cherry Blossom Festival’ controversy is raging on. The Ri-bhoi Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising of five pressure groups has opposed the conclusion of the tamasha on Sunday November 19. The JAC has demanded that sakura festivities be shifted out of the ‘day of worship’. The pressure groups have threatened to disrupt the annual event by carrying placard at the venue. They view that a ‘worldly’ festival is unfit on the ‘Day of the Lord’. Martin carried out the act of radicalism because of his ‘love’ for the country. Though to a lesser degree, the opposition to the Cherry Blossom Festival has the same mind-set. They are determined to stop the fiesta on a ’holy day’. They have made known that Sunday is for worship and not for merry making. This time a placard campaign but you never know in the future a violent course might be employed. Just because they opine that Sunday should not be violated by the praises on a blooming tree the over-zealous section disregards all others. Just because they consider Meghalaya a ‘Christian state’ they justify the proposed threat.
The horrifying images of the despicable act of Hamas on October 7 in Southern Israel are on our minds. The massacre was for Allah. The terrorists shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) while on their shooting, killing and burning spree. In a chilling video a fighter called his parents boasting he had just slain 20 Israelis for God.
The date was specifically planned for last day of the Jewish festival of Sukkot which fell on Saturday, a holy day for the Jews.’ On that fateful day a music concert was also on. Hamas hates whatever is Jewish, hence the Sukkot too, but especially the party goers. In the revelry, semi-clad men and women sang, danced and drank. Among them were also LGBTs. For the radical Hamas this is all haram (unclean). For Islam the party makers were brutally ‘punished’. There is no comparison with the opposition to the Cherry Blossom Festival but the seed of intolerance is the same. There is no alluding that they will go down that extreme path. However, we already see the element of fundamentalism in Christianity.
In a way it is good that the pressure groups (social organisations) are now involved in politics and religion. Why should the privilege be reserved only for the RSS and its multiple associates? The Sangh Parivar claim to be social-cultural bodies but speak politics and religion all the time. They even fight for a Hindu Rashtra. The pressure groups here are welcome to take up political issues and may engage should they entertain intolerance and narrow mindedness?
The Hindutva fascists forcefully stop screening of films they dislike and promote propagandist movies, stall book fairs and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while lynching Muslims. Islamic fundamentalists’ ban ‘anti-Islam and anti-Quran’ books, issue fatwa to their authors besides the numerous jihadist terror attacks world-wide. Now a Christian in Kerala has bombed his own people for ‘nationalism’. Given the shrill ‘Islamophobic sermons by clergymen and pastors in Kerala Muslims could be the next target in ‘God’s own country’! In our hill state we have not succeeded in cancelling the upcoming festival on a Sunday but we have managed to push it to 3 pm when all church services are over. The common decisive element in all these cases is religion. We exploit religion. We are religious supremacists.
Now we have been officially given the permission to attend the Cherry Blossom festival post 3 pm. It is considered alright because we have fulfilled the Sunday obligations. We have been given the licence to dance, sing and maybe drink. It is fine for we have kept the Lord’s Day holy. We are free to party all night as we have attended church sessions. This is the direct implication of the commencement of the final festivity from 3 pm.
More seriously, the pressure groups don’t mind collecting ‘donations’ from shops and business establishments in Iew Duh (Bara Bazaar) and elsewhere provided they keep Sunday holy. We don’t care when prices of commodities rise sharply since we honour Sunday. We are absolutely not pained when poor people, particularly from villages, have to pay through their nose because of the NGOs’ induced inflation. There is no guilt because Sunday is given the highest reverence. Who are those who blatantly run illegal check gates to mint money? Are they not Christians? Who are those who extort cash from trucks on highways? Are they not part of the 75% population? Has KHADC no part in the illegal business? Is it enough for the NPP to blame the UDP and the UDP to demand for evidence from the former? Is it not true that the gates flourished during the latter’s regime? The MDCs are absolved since they regularly attend church prayers and even pray before the media in the House. If we expand the subject to the illegal coal business, the ‘high level privileges’, to shoddy works, to scams, to nepotism, are not many of the indulgers ‘followers’ of Christ?
Among the proudest church attenders are in Nagaland. ‘Nagaland for Christ’ they proudly declare. They proclaim Christ even to the prime minister during the swearing in ceremony of the present government. The biggest church in Asia is in Nagaland. But beneath the glory are the extreme corruption, widespread nepotism and sale of jobs. Corruption is among the politicians, the society and the insurgents. In 2011 a weekly asked citizens, “Is Nagaland the ‘corruption capital’ of India?” In 2016 Al Jazeera told the ‘tale of taxes and corruption’ in that state. That the Nagaland elections are won by money power’ is widely reported. This level of corruption prevails in a state where Christians monopolise the governance. And guess what? The Church is an indifferent silent spectator.
This essay is not intended to agree with the BJP’s attempts to belittle Sunday. The central government intentionally fixed October 1, Sunday, for cleanliness campaign though the practice for the same is October 2. If Gandhi Jayanti coincides with a Sunday then it is perfectly understandable. The other day a principal of a school in Assam informed that students were strictly asked to plant saplings only on a particular Sunday with live photographs. Information was also received that ITIs were required to have convocation on no other day but on the scheduled Sunday. The issue here is that there is no choice. If decree is defied the consequence/s will follow. So, it is deliberately disparaging the Christian holiday. If the Cherry Blossom festival follows this pattern, as the JAC alleges, then it must be exposed and opposed but blocking it by hook or by crook is unjustified. Attending or not attending the festival is completely left to one’s free will.
Who is behind Dominic Martin? Did he carry out the explosions on his own? How did he turn radical? Who brain washed him? Is it not the Hindutva forces who have been trying to make inroads into the Southern state? What about the JAC? Are they acting on behalf of religious leaders? A church forum has distanced itself from the controversy. Then do the constituents of the JAC have no one behind them? Paul Lyngdoh, the Tourism Minister smells a rat. The minister advises the JAC leaders to run for elections and occupy his chair and then take decisions in favour of Sunday. This is the second time Lyngdoh has advised his detractors to oppose him only through the ballot. The first time was to the cab drivers who went to his residence to solicit his support for the VPP-led demand for review of the Reservation Policy. This time he alleges that the JAC is only the face of some political parties who do not want tourism to come of age in the state. The minister won’t expose the JAC or the political entities because the deputy chief minister has succumbed to hue and cry and directed the organisers to start the grand finale well post the churches’ activities.
Are we mere church goers? Do we just perform Sunday services? Are we simply fulfilling Sunday obligations? So, are we essentially only Sunday Christians? The fuss over the Cherry Blossom festival while being unperturbed by the unethical donation demands, the illegal gate collection and other improprieties indicate we care a damn about every other moral compass except keeping Sunday sacred.