12-21-2007, 03:28 AM
<b>Baptizedâ south Gujarat tribals re-embrace Hinduism</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Surat, December 18 Around 2,000 tribal men and women from different villages in South Gujarat, who had converted to Christianity, re-embraced Hinduism on Monday evening at a religious ceremony ( sammelan) at the Shivaji ground in Tapi district.
They took an oath by the fire in the presence of Jagat Guru Acharya Narendra Maharaj and submitted affidavits that they won't convert to Christianity ever again in the future.
The people had started gathering at the venue since Sunday night listening to the Jagat Guru's teaching before re-converting to Hinduism at the ceremony a day later.
Narayan Solanki, a disciple of Narendra Maharaj in Tapi district said, "There are many disciples of the Maharaj working in different villages of Vyara, Dharampur, Songadh, Mandvi, Ahwa-Dang, Vasda and so on. They visit these places and interact with the tribals who have been baptised earlier by various missionaries and convince them to return back to Hinduism."
According to Solanki, the Maharaj also runs an ashram at Naneej village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. It was after a visit to one such ashram that they became motivated to become his disciples. "We visit different villages and persuade those, who have been baptised, to come back into the Hindu fold," said Solanki.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
They took an oath by the fire in the presence of Jagat Guru Acharya Narendra Maharaj and submitted affidavits that they won't convert to Christianity ever again in the future.
The people had started gathering at the venue since Sunday night listening to the Jagat Guru's teaching before re-converting to Hinduism at the ceremony a day later.
Narayan Solanki, a disciple of Narendra Maharaj in Tapi district said, "There are many disciples of the Maharaj working in different villages of Vyara, Dharampur, Songadh, Mandvi, Ahwa-Dang, Vasda and so on. They visit these places and interact with the tribals who have been baptised earlier by various missionaries and convince them to return back to Hinduism."
According to Solanki, the Maharaj also runs an ashram at Naneej village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. It was after a visit to one such ashram that they became motivated to become his disciples. "We visit different villages and persuade those, who have been baptised, to come back into the Hindu fold," said Solanki.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->