08-29-2008, 08:06 PM
I have a quick take on the violence in Orissa ,the views of a friend who has studied the same.Tribals,conversions,religious groups,violence ,etc.Perhaps this will clarify the situ and shed some light onto the problem.
The current reason for the Vatican's concern is that Catholics have been systematically and specifically targeted by one section of extremists,in a calculated manner.This group wants to eliminate the good work being done amongst the tribals by "Catholic" missionaries.These are, let us call them "orthodox" missionaries,whose aim is the upliftment and emancipation of illiterates and the poor,mostly tribals.The "orthodox" (Catholics)are not of the "evangelical" (American neo-Protestant)type.To give you an idea of how the Evangelical types function,or at least some of them (this is a first person account),one individual in another part of the country was offered upto "8 lakhs" if his family of four converted! This type has a different "mission",funding from Uncle Sam.A goodly part of the funding from the US is allegedly kept by the "pastor/farmer" ,who looks for a good "harvest" of souls to be converted.The more he converts,the more money he gets and everyone stays happy.The convert-who's got money in his pocket,the "pastor/farmer",who is being rewarded on earth for his pains by his master and the "master",the foreign provider of funds,whose grand scheme and operation is being executed according to plan.
Now,you may ask what has this all got to do with the tribals in Orissa and tribal conversions? well,the tribals are sitting on "tribal land" and formerly,when they needed money they asked for small amounts,pledging their valuable land as security.With literacy comes understanding of one's rights ,the true value of their land and naturally they now know how much their land is worth and are fighting for their rights! The extremist goons,who are stormtroopers for a motley gang of land grabbers are trying to prevent this emncipation of the illiterate and underprivileged.We are seeing at Singur the extent to what this can lead to.Sheer greed and the desire to grab tribal land is taking place all over the country,being committed by all shades and colours of the Indian spectrum .In some places and cases,religion and Marx has got mixed up with it,educating or supporting tribal rights,leading to conflict.
The current reason for the Vatican's concern is that Catholics have been systematically and specifically targeted by one section of extremists,in a calculated manner.This group wants to eliminate the good work being done amongst the tribals by "Catholic" missionaries.These are, let us call them "orthodox" missionaries,whose aim is the upliftment and emancipation of illiterates and the poor,mostly tribals.The "orthodox" (Catholics)are not of the "evangelical" (American neo-Protestant)type.To give you an idea of how the Evangelical types function,or at least some of them (this is a first person account),one individual in another part of the country was offered upto "8 lakhs" if his family of four converted! This type has a different "mission",funding from Uncle Sam.A goodly part of the funding from the US is allegedly kept by the "pastor/farmer" ,who looks for a good "harvest" of souls to be converted.The more he converts,the more money he gets and everyone stays happy.The convert-who's got money in his pocket,the "pastor/farmer",who is being rewarded on earth for his pains by his master and the "master",the foreign provider of funds,whose grand scheme and operation is being executed according to plan.
Now,you may ask what has this all got to do with the tribals in Orissa and tribal conversions? well,the tribals are sitting on "tribal land" and formerly,when they needed money they asked for small amounts,pledging their valuable land as security.With literacy comes understanding of one's rights ,the true value of their land and naturally they now know how much their land is worth and are fighting for their rights! The extremist goons,who are stormtroopers for a motley gang of land grabbers are trying to prevent this emncipation of the illiterate and underprivileged.We are seeing at Singur the extent to what this can lead to.Sheer greed and the desire to grab tribal land is taking place all over the country,being committed by all shades and colours of the Indian spectrum .In some places and cases,religion and Marx has got mixed up with it,educating or supporting tribal rights,leading to conflict.