Democracy and Demography

In a functioning democracy the majority will have to establish their decision by exercising their franchise and select those who will represent their interests. The catch comes here – who is the one who will genuinely represent our interests? Though it may not always be necessarily so, we always make the mistake that it has to be one among us. Many democracies got hijacked in the past because of this belief. And now it is clearly established in all democratic set ups throughout the world. The Whites will vote only for a White, Blacks for Blacks, Muslims for Muslims and Christians for Christians. The only exception in a pluralistic society are the so-called Hindus in India.

The recent election of a Muslim immigrant as London Mayor proves the point beyond any doubt. It mainly proves only one point, that London is a Muslim majority city. In a way, the year 2016 will go down in history as the year in which Western Colonialism reached its peak and turned its tide. It is going to be days of reverse colonialism since the days of the Industrial Revolution. Much beyond that, it even signifies the end of stability brought about by Crusades and the return of Islamic imperialism spreading its wings in Europe once again. By the end of 21st century, Christianity will become a minority religion in Europe and Arabian imperialism would have come of age.

The only places in the world, where others will be able to hold on may be Americas and Indian subcontinent. However, the fate of Indian subcontinent will always be on a suspense. Islam has already established its strong presence in pockets throughout India and by their organised reproduction will continue to capture power democratically in all these pockets very soon. Kashmir has already been lost. Kerala and West Bengal will follow suit within next five or six decades. Muslims have already tested their demographic technique successfully in their own Malappuram district in Kerala. The total number remaining capped, Muslim League has increased their MLA constituencies systematically be demographic means. Their ascent to democratic power is inevitable.

What will happen to the world then will be anybody’s guess? For the time being it is time for Rest in Peace.

Levant and Indian Christianity

There is no field in which the Sanskrit slogan “Satyameva Jayathe” is more appropriate than in History. Sometimes the most unlikely of events in remote parts of the world reveal the truth about our own nation which has been manipulated and distorted by organised machinery for generations. The recent crisis and the resultant exodus of Syrian refugees is one such that should open the eyes of impartial Indian historians. India’s history has been completed distorted first by the European historians, then by the Mughal historians and lately by the Leftist ones. It is time to get it right.

For generations the various Indian Christian groups have been trying their best to establish the impossible task of St. Thomas visiting India in 52 AD, despite its complete let down by the official Vatican machinery. In this they have been ably supported by the Leftist historians because the one and only objective of the JNU brand of historians is to debunk anything that is related to Hindu and Hinduism. Along with the other organised religion from the same source, the combined manipulation have found another interest in unearthing the remnants of a mythical city of Muzris, in and around Cochin, only to establish the age old historicity of the two Semitic religions in Indian soil.

But the current Syrian crisis is truly a spoiler for all these dubious efforts. The Levant (Iraq, Syria, Turkey etc) has definitely been a historical region of religions, culture and civilisation. But ever since the rivalry began between the two leading religions sometime in the 7th century and Crusades in the 10th century, there has been frequent efflux of vanquished set of people out of Syria. In 21st century we are witnessing the same to Europe due to the atrocities by ISIS. The same phenomenon happened in the 8th century when a group of refugees (about 70 families led by one Thomas) from a place called Cana in Syria escaped to the Malabar coast in India. Bharat was the most prosperous area then and their attempt is quite understandable. Thus began the organised Christianity in India and all the machinations, manipulations and harvest in India. In short, Indian Christianity began in 8th century and peaked in 15th century when the Europeans started colonising. St.Thomas and Muzris are all mere myths being perpetuated by interested parties.

Mighty-Ism and Meek-Followers

It is mentioned somewhere in a holy book that ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’. But those who seem to really believe in this and live accordingly are not the followers of that book but Hindus in India. For hundreds of years, Hindus have been under foreign rule in the recent past. But for thousands of years prior to that they dominated the world ideologically and were the richest in the world in every sense. What has caused the present meekness of Hindu society is definitely a case worth studying for those concerned about its future. The fall has been catastrophically damaging in Nepal which was once the only Hindu nation in the world. The ailment has also spread over the entire sub-continent and results can be devastating for the entire world in the long run. Imagining a world full of followers of two closed and conflicting religious ideologies would be a nightmare. Culture and civilization of mankind will regress by a few thousand years if that is what our fate is. 

      

Hinduism is presently the third largest religion in the world and it is absolutely necessary that it survives forever. Systemically also, the need for third and fourth members to survive is much more vital than the first two in any system. Whatever be the system, it becomes unsustainable and unstable as a whole if the vital third and fourth load-bearing members are missing. More the supports, more the stability of any system, especially if it concerns human society. Each civilization has thrown up a religious ideology in the past and it is bound to happen in the future too. But there is something very unique about the one which sprung up in South Asia – viz. Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH - Proud To be Hindu). It is perhaps the only one which could comprehend the whole universe as one and prayed for the well being of everything – good, bad and evil. How can we afford to extinguish such a noble spirit and concede to overwhelming ideologies that preaches more hatred than love?      

Strongest Foundation

There cannot be more than one answer to the question – which is the religious ideology with the strongest foundations in terms of scriptures, literature, beliefs, culture and as convincingly demonstrated by the longest surviving civilization in the entire universe? Unlike physical structures, strength of an ideology lies in its rationality and not in its rigidity. If a human being claims that he is the best and the only one, he has to be convincing to others and that too not under duress. Conviction under shadow of swords is no true conviction; it is only surrender of one’s rationality and identity. Surrender before ideological onslaught is nothing but the worst form of slavery that is unbecoming of a human being. The strength of Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH) lies in its long chain of evolution to what it is today with no period of coercion or fear. It has never been static and rigid as its counterparts at any time. Resiliency and not rigidity is the strength of ideologies which must evolve toward a positive conclusion and never remain tied down to fear of questions and answers.    

Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH) is resting on the strong foundations of Advaita after its evolution for over five thousand years. For the last one thousand years, Science has emerged as a strong challenge to the religious ideologies. We have now reached a stage where no ideology completely disowned by Science can survive, and no ideology at loggerheads with Science can hope to survive for long. In its current Advaita version, Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH) is in perfect harmony with modern science and in many fields it is in a much more advanced phase than Science. It is not an exaggeration to say that Science is now following Hindu Sanantana Dharma (PTBH). While many of the other prominent ideologies are trying to overpower Science by manipulating evidence for their theories, Hindu Sanatana Dharma is providing the guidance for Scientists in cutting-edge fields like Quantum Physics, Space Science and Computers. If it is possible to translate all the ancient texts of India into English, it is almost certain that we have seen the end of knowledge itself.     

Weakest Structure

But what is most intriguing is the fact that the present Hindu society which is standing on the strongest ideological foundation is one of the weakest in comparison. This is evident when we learn about the extent of forced and lured religious conversions that is taking place in India. Billions of dollars and dinars are pouring into India every year to get more and more Indians converted to Christianity and Islam, the only two organized religions in the world. Moreover, the combined might of these two alien ideologies have already ruled India for a full millennium. The situation in many parts of liberated India is still not very different. Hindus may be majority in terms of numbers, but the political and economical might is already in the hand of others in many Indian states. At the current level of population growth, It is only a matter of decades before Hindus will lose complete control of the situation in terms of numbers, power and economy.    

It all started with Kashmir a few decades after the religious partitioning of India. Kashmiri Pandits present the best example of how a Hindu community can destroy itself by adamantly clinging onto its false prestige. Perhaps they overestimated their faith in our first Prime Minister who was one among them. When the first signs of religious fundamentalism started in the valley, the Kashmiri Pandits must have closed ranks with brother Hindu communities and fought the battle together. Instead they chose to cling on to the caste structure rigidly and now third generation Kashmiri Pandits are languishing in the refugee camps in various parts of India. Almost same situation is presented in Kerala now. For the first time since liberation from British, the Hindu representation in the ruling cabinet has gone below the 50% mark and Nehru’s dead horse (Muslim League) is fast becoming a race horse in Kerala politics. Kerala Pandits will soon be an unfortunate reality (http://jajithkumar.blogspot.com/2010/10/kerala-pandits.html).

It would be in everyone’s interest to remember one thing – a completely successful rehabilitation of displaced persons has never taken place anywhere in the world. Jews of Israel is the best example for this. Though backed by the most powerful in the world, Israeli Jews can never live in peace when there is 360degreex365days hostility. The same applies to all the displaced tribes and communities anywhere in the world. Once the control over the land is lost to indigenous rivals, there will never be any full rehabilitation. And to be in control of one’s homeland, one must have the majority in terms of numbers and money. Only those who realize this simple truth before they cross the Lekshman Rekha will inherit the land and not by remaining meek. Kerala Hindus must close their ranks and put their gears in proper mode if they do not want to go the Kashmiri way. Immediate attention is in terms of numbers and only the productive younger generation can stem the decline.     

Converted in Vain

One of the most prosperous ‘business’ in today’s world is that of religious conversion. Democracy in one form or another is bound to blossom all over the world one day and all the organized religions are preparing for seizing power through ballot boxes. In democratic arrangements, numbers determine everything and those religious communities that pray for universal well being and voluntarily follow family planning policies can appear to be idiotic and foolish. But that may not necessarily be the obvious end result. Those who are experts in the religious conversion business know that the process is indeed reversible. If humans are deceived by false promises and coerced during difficult times to convert, the reverse will automatically follow when they realize the truth during better times. As the saying goes, some people can be fooled for some time, but not all people for all times. 

 

India has always been a fertile ground for religious conversion for the missionary forces spearheaded by Europeans and Arabians. Though Christian missionaries pioneered in the field, the sudden enrichment of Arabian peninsula by oil discoveries in the fifties and sixties has resulted in stiff competition from the Islamic forces as well. India’s native religion has always been and will remain unorganized, liberal and highly flexible. A billion such humans is a huge attraction in the religious phishing market and billions of dollars and dinars are poring into India every year to catch as many preys as possible. It has been going on for many centuries, but the marketing efforts of the competing forces have reached a highpoint now. Both the two competitors have started eating into their rival’s portion more than the vast common areas still unexplored. From such competitive heights, their fall will be much more sudden, steep and unpredictable, especially when so many of the successive generations of victims have started feeling that their forefathers converted in vain.        

 

False Promises

 

Human behaviour will always follow the established pattern of hierarchy of needs in any culture or civilization. The same has happened in India. At one time Indian nation was the richest in the world in every sense. Its indigenous wealth and philosophy could easily satisfy all the physical and spiritual needs of all its citizens. No outsider had any scope for interference and Indians never looked outside for anything. Adventurists from all over the world were coming to India to see and experience the wonder that was India. Trouble started when ideological explosions happened elsewhere and spill over isms wanted to recruit more people into their fold to dominate the world. Colonisation of the free world by those who were discontent and dissatisfied with whatever they had at home started off the real problems in today’s world. Looted wealth from the colonies and accidental discoveries of freely available natural resources has provided the momentum for marketing their own version of God and religion as the best.

 

Looting of colonies continued unabated for centuries and what India lost is perhaps unimaginable in real terms now. Christian missionaries and Islamic preachers who followed their plundering frontline had enough crowd to convert and more than enough wealth to lure them. All those who were starving for food had little objection to accept any form of God if milk powder and bread are made available. And those who had no clothes and shelter accepted any form of worship if such basic requirements are freely available. But the basic human needs of food, clothing and shelter fall in the realm of physical requirements and have nothing to do with God and religion. Those who go for fishing with plastic baits can deceive only the first few and may risk their own lives by eating the fish with plastic inside. The logic of religious conversion is crystal clear when we find that the Christian and Islamic missionaries in India are still targeting only the poor in the most backward areas. More than others, they know how weak and hollow are their arguments of superiority. Most of their theory and practices are nothing but poor copies of the original eternal one.     

 

Feasible Solutions

 

Religious conversion is a revolution when it is done voluntarily. But forced or coercive religious conversion is a heinous crime against humanity. Those who indulge in it are destroying the very essence of their individuality and existence. Those who were following Sanatana Dharma for thousands of years over several generations have the basic ingredients of it engraved in their DNAs Forcibly changing them to follow foreign beliefs and dogmas is like throwing the fish out of water. There is no doubt any ideology or ism undergoes a evolutionary process and along its path it will accumulate lot of unwanted beliefs and practices. The so-called caste discrimination in Hindu religion is one such and it has lost its foundation in the current evolved Advaita form of Hindu Sanatana Dharma. Castes (groups or sections of people bound by common heritage) will continue to exist in one form or another, but no discrimination is possible on account of that.

 

 And if the scourge of caste discrimination can be eliminated from Hindu Sanatana Dharma, the door must be kept wide open for the reverse revolution to take place. Those who have revolted against discrimination and made the supreme mistake of abandoning their own legitimate home must be able to come back and rejoin their family. This must be easily possible in a truly secular India where the religion of candidates is not asked for providing food, shelter, clothing, health and education. Those who converted to alien faiths in search of equality must realize their mistake when those same religions are demanding reservations for converts from ‘lower’ castes. Other than the false promise of equality, there was absolutely nothing that would have attracted the converts in comparison with what they had in Hindu Sanatana Dharma.

 

 

It has been established time and again that in terms of spiritual heights, rational depths and practical freedom, there is no other faith that can stand anywhere near Hindu Sanatana Dharma. Its philosophical algorithm is something like an open source code in comparison to the closed ones provided by others. It is left to the individuals to modify and adopt the code in tune with one’s own capabilities. Since God is present in everything that we can think of, there is nothing that can stand between us and God like in other religions. Sankara’s final stamp of approval on Advaita has taken Hindu Sanatana Dharma to a different philosophical plane and all that we need to do is to take it back to its days of glory once again by allowing the free return of all those who converted in vain . 

Development to Disaster – Kerala Model

Kerala Model became widely popular in UN economic circles as an ideal one for any developing state in the twenty first century. The huge appreciation and wide publicity it obtained as a desirable economic model for ideal development of human society in an atmosphere of ‘justice and fairness to all’ was mainly due to the efforts of stalwarts like Dr. Amartya Sen and Dr. K.N. Raj. In classical economics, the scenario of any state attaining the highest levels of human development with the lowest levels of per-capita income is unimaginable. And that was exactly what the state of Kerala in the Indian union achieved in isolation in 1980s and 1990s. A lot of known and unknown individual and collective efforts have gone into its making, including the vast influence of leftist ideologies in a society having easier access to education thanks to the mushrooming of Christian missionary schools. But the situation has taken a complete turn since the start of this century.

Rao’s twin social warheads of liberalization and globalization (l&g) have worked wonders with all states other than Kerala. The percentage of people who have benefitted from the goodness of unlimited market forces let lose by l&g is a minimum in Kerala. Atleast two generations of Keralites owe it to the Leftists led by Krishna Pillai, AKG and EMS to have revitalized the left side of their brains to dream of a society full of equality, justice and true secularism. People from all sections of the society listened to them and believed in their words and promises. The unbelievable surge in Kerala’s human development index was a direct outcome of the goodness thus created. But when the ideology itself has failed and its leaders have turned looters, how can the surge continue? The downturn has been equally swift and we are now left with a highly unequal and unjust society which is almost fully communalized into four equal sections – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Communists.

Reasons for Development

In addition to the distinct influence of Communism in Kerala’s social and economic arenas, there are a couple of associated aspects that triggered the development indices in 1980s and 90s. Migration to Gulf countries in significant numbers and the vast remittance of foreign exchange was one of them. The other one was the large scale change in agricultural pattern from food crops to commercial crops. Surprisingly both the factors have been necessitated by or influenced the governments in power. Naxalism was gathering enormous clout in Kerala when the employment relief valve provided by Oil & Gas boom in the Gulf provided an alternative avenue of employment for the youth. And the pioneering land reforms by the government forced the agricultural pattern in favour of commercial crops as an easy way to avoid the land ceiling act. Both these unexpected developments had enormous impact on the social life of Kerala.

The full implications of such a paradigm shift in the social landscape of Kerala took many more decades to dawn. When we analyse these two trails in perspective, the combination of an air of progressive leftism that prevailed then and the new opportunities that opened up all of a sudden took the whole state into a totally unexpected (and undesired) direction. No doubt that there has been an undeniable elevation of social and economic status of a major section of our society within a very short span of time. The quantity and quality of services available in the educational and health sectors improved drastically in a short span of time. Sections of our society could easily walk into avenues of opportunities with the kind of money the two new sources could generate. But the best part of the development picture got over by the end of last century sooner than expected and the nightmare had started.

Reasons for Disaster

Just like the two associated reasons for development, there are some for the disaster as well. The vast employment opportunity in the Gulf was definitely a boon for the huge number of educated unemployed Keralites. But the influence of extraneous considerations started skewing the recruitment pattern very soon. The growing influence of Islam in everything (including even business) in the Gulf was the important factor that upset the growth of a healthy pattern of competition and development. Knowledge of Arabic language, which is again related to religion, was another factor that changed the recruitment pattern for the Gulf. The net result was the disproportionate opportunities available and the sudden economic bonanza for a particular section of our society. Another section of the population utilized a similar set of criterion to get most favoured status in the West. Thus two of the demographic minorities of Kerala suddenly became formidable financial powerhouses.

Another factor that upturned the developmental applecart of Kerala is the spurt in commercial crop cultivation. More and more people turned into plantations of rubber, tea etc., as an easy way to avoid losing land to the landless. It is said that the land ceiling act was sabotaged by the wealthy planters by manipulating the Communists to exclude commercial plantations from its purview. Most of the wealthy planters belonged to a particular minority community and that distorted the social landscape even further. The unorganized majority not only lost large tracts of land but also lost out in their efforts to gain employment elsewhere. Thousands and thousands of acres of food cultivation land turned overnight into plantations with rubber, coffee etc. Successive governments which went full steam with land reforms had no ready made plans for rehabilitation of those who lost their only means of livelihood. Minorities were made happy at the expense of the unorganized majority.

Several decades down the lane, the situation in Kerala state is now a complete disaster. It has become the epicenter of terrorism fuelled by Gulf money, control room for co-ordinated religious conversion through out India with the help of Western dollars and above all a completely unsafe place to live in. Roads are in shambles and infrastructure in lacking in almost all fields we can think of. Distribution of drinking water, electricity and public transport leave much to be desired. Food cultivation is minimal and all Keralites are at the mercy of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for their daily food. Things have come to such a pass that a majority of educational institutions have minority status and even affairs of Hindu temples are controlled by a government that is dominated by non-believers and other religionists. The very same aspects that made Kerala model famous once have turned satanic - Gulf money and Commercial crops - thereby threatening to bring down the state from development to disaster. Kerala Model is now infamous and a laughing stock.

Democratic Faiths

General elections, whether rigged, manipulated or impartial, are the most vital and visible signs of life in any functioning democracy. Be it presidential or parliamentary, democracy has been widely accepted as the nearest form to minimum acceptable governance embodying the vital elements of liberty, human rights and equality that are ‘beyond-bargain’ parameters for dignified human existence. The harsh reality that many world nations are still suffering from greedy monarchies, military dictatorships and religious theocracies makes a mockery of all our claims of progress in this 21st century. There are several reasons for the flourishing or floundering of democratic institutions in different parts of the world. The latest elections in India and Iran provide a very good opportunity to look at some of the reasons for the sustainability of democracy in the current world.

Though various forms of democracy are under trial in different nations, we can easily notice that it is showing signs of survival only in certain environments. The very spirit of democracy, especially in countries offering universal adult franchise, seems to be compatible only with certain types of people and faiths. The strengthening or weakening of democracy as a form of government among 200 odd nations with 6 billion people gives some clear indications about the real faith of democracy. One can also draw very good conclusions about the thought process, mentality and behavior of the people, nation and faith of those who prefer essentially democratic arrangements for governance. In contrast we can also get glimpses about why certain faiths are incompatible with democracy. There must be underlying reasons for both.

Conceding Spirit

Enough and more clues about the reasons for success or failure of democracy in different nations can be obtained by analyzing the happenings in their recent elections. In the last one decade we have seen presidential elections in USA (2000, 2004, 2008), general elections in India (2004, 2009) and different types of elections in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afganistan and Nepal. It will not take much effort to prove that the 2000 election in USA, 2009 elections in India and Iran were neither impartial nor fair. All these elections have been rigged in one form or another. Rigging of elections need not always be in the form of duplicate voting or over printing of ballots or even false counting of votes. It can be in the form of manipulating the tools for elections, including the election commissions that conduct the elections, or even by hijacking of mandate obtained in any election. In India the popular mandate in 2009 elections in favour of a particular political formation has been hijacked by installing an ‘unelected’ leader.

No election is perfect and the success of any democratic arrangement emanates from the spirit and willingness of contesting parties to accept defeat. Only if equanimity exists to accept defeat or victory on the part of each and every contesting party, prior to any election, can the democratic process end conclusively. Extreme contrasts in this regard are provided by the reactions of an erstwhile Indian Prime Minister as against the current stance of the ‘defeated’ Iranian leaders in the recent elections. “Our party may have been defeated but India has won” were the famous words of a statesman like Vajpayee when he got defeated in 2004. And Al-Gore and Advani went many steps further when they conceded defeat in elections which they have morally won for furthering democracy in their own nations. The fact that these leaders had the support of their followers (in India it is in hundreds of millions) shows the general characteristics of their faith. However, the unhealthy trend of certain families hijacking the rule under the guise of electoral victory in successful democracies is another factor that merits the attention of all those who value genuine democracy.

Basic Incompatibilities

There are certain basic incompatibilities between some dominant faiths and the essential spirit of democracy. The bare minimum belief that is needed for any favorable thought on democracy is the concept of equality of human beings. To accept anyone becoming the nation’s ruler, its majority must strongly believe that all of them have equal rights (even if they are not equals in every sense) and hence eligible to rule. In the case of genuine communism and theocracy, this concept of equality is non-existent. If workers are more equal than others in a communist setup, it is the rights of clergy to be more than others in a theocratic arrangement. No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. The exhibition of universal brotherhood by hugging, singing, praying and preying together are only skin deep rituals in such societies.

Conceding equality to others is easy to preach but difficult to practice. It needs a strong underlying principle to accept equality as a natural concept. In Hinduism it is easily available in their belief of having the very same God present in everything animate and inanimate. And in Christianity it is provided by the belief that all are born as sinners. But having the very same starting point does not provide a good reason for considering other competitors as equal in the subsequent race for living. The belief that all are made by the same God does not automatically confer equality on everyone. Products can be of different value even if they are manufactured in the one and only producing company. It is difficult to consider them equal but there is no harm in having brotherly feelings that can subsidize, promote or confront the enemies together.

In very general terms it is easy to conclude that democratic process succeeds only amidst some of the world’s dominant faiths, and fails miserably in the case of others. The current turbulence in Iran and successful transformation from monarchy to a democratic republic in Nepal provide living examples for this argument. And in Pakistan, democracy has failed to make any foothold even after 60 odd years of free rule. In Iraq and Afganistan it has miles to go before we can conclude that it is acceptable. There is a great message to humanity coming out of all these. It is about the misery and turbulence that awaits us if one of those undemocratic faiths comes to dominate the world. Silence of graveyards will be the only sign of equality that will be present among all nations then. Only by considering and respecting all others as our equals can we nurture democratic principles and that requires nothing less than the acceptance of same God’s presence in everything.

Half-Converted Kerala

Kerala, the most ‘progressive’ state in the Indian union, is more than half converted and religious conversion was unbecoming an issue in Kerala these days. But the recent demise of Kamala Suraiyya (Madhavikutty or Kamala Das) has highlighted the issue once again. The story goes that she was lured into Islam by the tricks and nuptial promises of a much married, learned and cunning lawmaker belonging to an overtly communal party. Madhavikutty’s literary works represent some of the finest aspects of uninhibited and immaculate Hindu culture that had once prevailed in most parts of Kerala. She could easily differentiate between the quintessence of pristine love of ‘gopikas’ for Krishna vis-à-vis the cheap commonplace lust, by deft handling of both in her stories and poetry. The fact that even such a tall literary figure could fall an easy victim shows the reach of proselytization forces in a region of India with the highest literacy rate. What is happening in Kerala today is bound to be repeated in all other parts of India as our skewed version of secular education is spreading everywhere. Like in Kerala today, Hindus are bound to reduce themselves to a minority community in their own nation one day.

The unfortunate saga of conversion in Kerala begins from around 1500 AD when the first European colonizers landed at one of those beautiful beaches of Kerala. Though we had traders, fugitives and tourists landing at Kerala’s long seashore from time immemorial, damages by them remained limited to their excreta in the coastal belts. The highly structured Kerala society then was impenetrable to foreigners who were much below in terms of social and economic evolution. Cooked-up stories about adventures of one Saint Thomas who could convert the forward castes are nothing but mythology invented as afterthoughts. Kerala’s decadence started much later when the naturally symbiotic caste system became rigid and triggered internal revolts. Foreign religions were waiting at the sea and seacoasts for such an internal upheaval for easy penetration into the much coveted God’s Own Country. In 500 years they could convert more than 50% of the population is no mean achievement for the proponents of the two major religions in the world today.

Silent Terrorism

What happened in the last five centuries and what is happening in Kerala today is nothing but silent terrorism in the form of organized and externally fuelled religious conversion. It was Christianity which started first with the intention of conditioning the ground ready for European colonization. In every colony of ‘ours’, we need quite a few of our ‘own’ people. In distant lands the only way to get ‘our own’ people is by way of aggressive and accelerated cultural conversion. Religion is an integral part of culture and religious conversion is the best tool available for easy conditioning of the target population. Increasing rigidity of the caste system provided a golden opportunity for the European missionaries to penetrate into the Indian society. Enemies of India had budgeted big sums for the project and India’s toiling masses could be easily made disgruntled and aggrieved. As most of them were lacking any formal education, tricking them into a new religious system was easy with the help of material inducements in terms of milk powder and rice.

The next predator in Kerala started their work in terms of organized conversion much later. Though we had sizeable number of Muslim population in the coastal areas, especially in the north Malabar region, their intrusion into the interiors of Kerala as an organized religion is only about one century old. The Mapillah Rebellion in 1921 was perhaps the first organized assault aimed at religious conversion under the guise of so many other objectives. Though North India was under Muslim rule for several centuries, its influence in the southern regions of the country was minimal. Also their enmity with the European colonial powers was not helpful in increasing their numerical strength by targeting Hindus. But the situation has changed drastically in the 20th century when millions of Oil money started flowing into Kerala. Increasing their number by all means and capturing power by organized might is high on the agenda of the Muslim mind of Kerala.

Suicidal Indifference

Any nation or people in decay will ultimately have only themselves to blame. The current status of Hindus in Kerala is at a highly critical juncture in this regard. Three or four prominent Hindu sections are totally indifferent about the overall status of the Hindu religion and society in Kerala today. The leaders of these sections are forgetting one of the most important rules of science and history – any culture can survive only if there is the minimum quantity. Most of these sub-sections of the Hindu society namely Nairs, Ezhavas, Brahmins and OBCS are fighting more among themselves than for their combined rights. They have left their weakest brothers (Adivasis) at the complete mercy of the two predators vying for numbers and real estate. Almost the entire five lakh Adivasis of Kerala will either die off or get converted, and their entire property will ultimately lie with one of the predating groups.

Much has been said and written about the suicidal indifference of Hindus in Kerala and the catastrophe impending their community a few generations from now. None of the Hindu community leaders of any significance have shown the courage to speak up for consolidation and caution. It will be only at their extreme peril that the entire spectrum of Hindu society in Kerala can feign ignorance to the following basic FACTS:-

• Hinduism is no more the dominant religion in Kerala. As half of those born as Hindus are genuine communists, Hinduism is only at par with Islam and Christianity in Kerala. And uninhibited religious conversion is still rampant in many parts of Kerala.
• Kerala has the highest (family) suicidal rate in the world and at least 75% of them are Hindus.
• Hindu temples are the only one in government custody. All income from temples (which are only from Hindus) flow into the common government coffers.
• Kerala politics is overwhelmingly dominated by leaders belonging to the two dominant communities and parties which are overtly communal (Muslim League and Kerala Congress).
• There is almost complete monopoly of the two dominant communities in the print and electronic media in Kerala.
• Almost all Hindu families in the current generation have only two children. But one can invariably find three children in all Christian families and four children in most Muslim families. This trend is almost confirmed if they are more educated and richer. This clearly shows a determined and deliberate effort to increase the numbers.
• Christian clergy and Muslim religious leaders are freely indulging in politics in Kerala which is a part of the so-called secular republic of India. Many times they openly challenge the authority of democratically elected governments and the rule of law, with no impunity.
• Ownership of land (especially high valued), number of professionals (doctors, IAS officers etc) and untaxed (and unaccounted) income from abroad are disproportionately high in favour of the two dominant communities in Kerala.

The few critical aspects listed above point to a determined and calculated move by the foreign religious ideologies to establish their superiority over Kerala within one or two decades. Both are now equally organized, resourceful and determined to achieve their ultimate aim. The apparent discordant notes among subsidiary factions within these religious forces are designed and serve as deceptive distracters for those who are opposing the move. In Kerala (also India) today, anything Hindu or Hindutva is condemnably communal, Muslim or Islamic is secularly acceptable and Christian or Christianity is laudably broad-minded. Any one who talks anything about Hinduism or Hindus are ostracized in public life and politically unacceptable. Barring unforeseen developments, Kerala’s Hindu goose will be cooked and eaten with full satisfaction as precisely planned. And once that is digested, the harvest of entire South India is only one decade away and Indian nation a few more. Only organized reforms and determined positive action can save Hinduism from the combined onslaught of its three known enemies.

Full Stop Conversion

It is quite ironic that one of the most vocal opponents of religious conversion in India was none other than Mahatma Gandhi and yet we do not have any effective law or system to prevent the illogical and immoral process of religious conversion. Foreign and local missionaries are still having a good time in India harvesting souls to increase their numbers. Scores of old and new factions of Christianity are vying with one another in getting more numbers into their fold. All patriotic Indians were stunned when a few years ago the then Pope, who is also the Head of State of another sovereign nation like India, declared during his visit to this country that they will target Indian sub-continent in the 21st century for organized harvest of souls. There was no official protest for this blatant violation of India’s sovereignty from any of India’s leaders or officials.

The same status continues even today. When the so-called Hindu Nationalistic party was in power at the centre we expected enactment of laws to put a full stop to the evil of religious conversion. But nothing happened. Many of our leaders are conveniently forgetting that we the people of India voluntarily opted for secularism and democracy with universal franchise in 1947. So it is of utmost importance that demography is maintained at the same level at all times. Otherwise both secularism and democracy will fail in no time. Religious conversion will alter the power equations in a democratic setup and this will destroy the concept of secularism that we proudly advocate. We should remember that Indian secularism is not merely keeping religion divorced from the State but giving equal respects for all religions. And that can be practiced only if all religions are given a level playground.

Uneven Playground

In a democratic and secular setup of more than one billion people and dozens of religions and religious factions, if a few of them are converting people and others are not doing so, the end results are obvious. Organised religions and religious factions will soon start bargaining with the political parties for favours, most often undue and unreasonable. When it is not succeeding, they will start creating political parties of their own. Political parties are the only vehicle to political power in a democracy and the organized religions know this more than anyone else. The degeneration of a secular democracy to a theocratic monarchy is not very difficult and we have seen this happening many times in the past. The least that should be done to protect our secularism is to introduce very tough hurdles to organized conversion of peoples’ faith.

Architects of Indian constitution had a lot of foresight into the potential challenges to our secular democracy from the various religious organizations. The simple fact that the term ‘minorities’ is not defined in Indian constitution is proof enough for this. It can be (and should be) a variable based on different parameters and can vary from state to state. But now we have come to a sorry state where some of the organized communities have anointed themselves as minorities forever and everywhere. Their agenda is only to enjoy the special privileges that are supposedly there in the constitution. But whatever be the special privileges in the constitution, it is definitely not for unhindered conversion of people’s religion. Religion is a very personal affair and must remain so if it is to be a meaningful exploration to reach God.

Targeting Adivasis

One of the poorest and impoverished groups of people who have borne the brunt of organized religious conversion is the Adivasis of India. They too are descendents of the original inhabitants of our nation but they have been very reluctant and slow in adapting to change with the times. Like the tribes in Africa they have their own version of customs, rituals and even Gods. These highly unorganized sections of Indian society are easy prey for the organized predators like Christian missionaries and ultra-left Communists. Not used to the deceptiveness of modern men and their organized isms, the Adivasis are lured en masse’ into believing that there is only one God and one religion. Their inborn innocence is manipulated by modern techniques of the conversion machinery to believe that they have been in hell all the while and Christianity is the only way to God.

The standard answer from any Christian missionary when caught red handed indulging in organized religious conversion is that they are only spreading the ‘suvisesham’ – good news. But they should be spreading the news (good or bad) to only those who want to hear it. In India, especially among the Adivasis, they are forcing the unwanted news into unwilling ears. It is time for Vatican and the whole world to understand one thing. If evangelization was the answer to all our problems, the African continent would have already become a paradise on earth. The Pope himself had admitted that they had targeted African continent in previous centuries. But what is its present condition? From cradle of mankind it has become the cradle of poverty, bloodshed and AIDS. As the enlightened ones among say now – “When missionaries came, they had Bible and we had land, and now we have Bible and they have taken our land”.

Religions are playing an excessively dangerous role in the lives of humans now. The organized ones are more determined than ever in globalization of their own religions. Each of them wants to convert every human into their religion and capture power in this world. Though alleviation of misery and salvation of souls are the declared objective of all religions, the real target of organized ones is power. All that the clergy and agents of God require is enjoinment of their power over the lives of followers. The whole organizational setup is meant only for that purpose. In countries like India where plurality, inclusion, religious freedom and freedom from religions are the very basis of our culture, these organized religions are like cancer and ulcer in our society. In the tri-polar world that is emerging, India is best advised to align itself with the American block but with the sole condition that any encouragement for religious conversion in India would be absolute taboo.