A white mans knows, the brown man ignores…

Written by Dilip Muralidaran on June 5, 2007 – 2:12 am -

Have you heard of the name Francois Gauiter? He is a French Journalist and Writer and he is married to an Indian. He lives in Delhi and shuttles between Delhi and auroville in pondicherry.

This man i would say is the best writer who has the balls to say what he thinks. Forget our Hindu and Indian Express.

Some of the things he writes which are perfectly in sync with facts that i believe are as follows. I’m gonna concentrate only on the religious aspect of his work since there is too much to discuss here if i consider everything.

In a time where anything Anti-Hindu is extremism and anything pro Muslim or pro Christian is secular Francois has the guts to say this country in fact is a Hindu country and that i needs to be for the Hindus.

Well i don’t really agree with Francois in this being a Hindu country but hey im absolutely not game with this country trying to be a anti Hindu country.

On one o several occasions he raises the question of conversion that is being done by Christian churches here in the name of service. While i agree that the Christian community is doing fantastic service to the country its not all that shiny to see the bigger picture.

I grew up in a Christian school (Anglo Indian) and i was taught by Anglo Indian teachers and close to 90% of my friends were Anglo Indians when i was in school. I was more Christian than i was more Hindu and i even used to be criticized by some for it but my family and parents never raised a question about my activities or acquaintance with this religion or its culture.

It is this good characteristic of the Hindu religion that tolerates any religion and culture and believes god manifests itself in any form that has been taken for granted by Christian missionaries. I can see the missionaries openly preach anti-Hinduism on the streets. They call all gods other than Christ as manifestations of the devil.

Many of my Christian friends take a bath if they see goddess Amman on the streets. Why? because according to the churches or the so called prayer groups they are Impure or a bad omen or in Tamil the so called “Theettu” (Untouchable).

Talk about me. I’m a physically disabled person. My physical weakness and appearance has always been a target for missionaries and preachers. Every time i meet up with a so called practicing and preaching Christian i get the brain washing soap all over me about how good Christ can do for me because he died for me on the cross.

They always accuse me for having sinned and that this is why im lame and im in my sorry physically disabled state that i am. They say its not too late and ask me to let go of everything and come to the church and pray and that i will be okay.

How dumb! Haven’t you read the da vinci code? Is my usual starting line of the argument and then they regret why they misjudged me using my physical appearance for weakness.

Its such a crock because i know so many families who converted and no longer go back to the church because they realized too late that Christianity does not have anything really different to offer them.

Every religion preaches the message of love and equality. God thinks man and animal are alike and have the right to live and share the space as much as anyone else. So says Joesph, so says mullah and Amar.

Twisting the tale of Hinduism has always been the expertise of the missionaries, so much that we Hindu’s now believe that the caste system really does still exist, which is crap. Its like saying that African Americans are still addressed as niggers in the USA.

I don’t deny the fact of racism. It very much existing but certainly not in proportions like the world is coming to an end. Not like the politicians here say that people are tormented on a day to day basis on the basis of caste and they are dying on the streets.

Come on, when was the last time someone you know a lower caste person right here in the city was subject to racism and got away with it? (don’t give me instances just for the heck of it, i will question your informations genuineness and it may get you into trouble) If at all racism does exist not as if the upper caste people are suppressing the lower caste but the lower caste people who are suppressing other lower castes than themselves.

Remember the incident during the tsunami where vanniyars did not allow dalit folks to use their burial ground? Thats how it works most of the time.

Talk about illegal conversion, we have tonnes of them here. Talk about the tactics they use and they are as shameful as they can be on the son of god who died on the cross.

Now don’t try and patronize me as a Christian Demoniser because im so not one. I live in harmony with every Christian friend and citizen in this country and these are issues that i want to be addressed with Christians just like there are issues that are to be addressed with Hindu’s and Muslims in India.

Going back to conversions here is a fabulous example of how it works. For instance, particularly in the poor coastal districts, to have “miracle boxes” put in local churches: the gullible villager writes out a paper mentioning his wish: a fishing boat, a loan for a pucca house, fees for the son’s schooling… And lo, a few weeks later, the miracle happens! And of course the whole family converts, making others in the village follow suit.

Starting right from british times, in the words of Claudius Bucchanan, of the East India Company, ‘Neither truth, nor honesty, honour, gratitude, nor charity, is to be found in the breast of a Hindoo!’ What a comment about a nation that gave the world the Vedas at a time when Europeans were still grappling in their caves!

Conversion belongs to the times of colonialism. We have entered in the era of Unity, of coming together, of tolerance and accepting each other as we are — not of converting in the name of one elusive “true” god.

When Christianity accepts the right of other people to follow their own beliefs and creeds, then only will Jesus Christ’s spirit truly radiate in the world.

(Portions of the text in this write-up were copied from Francois Gautiers own work. All due credit goes to the author. For a complete perspective read this original.)

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