FAILURE OF CHURCH TO SUPPORT DALIT LIBERATION
V.T. RAJSHEKAR
Address to Principals of Catholic Christian High Schools of Bangalore at the St. Joseph’s Indian High School, Bangalore, on Feb. 20, 1991: Sub: “Role of Church in Education: A Dalit point of view.”
I am rather surprised how you happened to invite me to this meeting. | have been in Bangalore, earlier in the Indian Express for 15 years and now as Editor of the Dalit Voice for 10 years. My son studied in this very school and he was president of this school, yet nobody cared to invite me – though | am invited all over India by Christians and Christian institutions.
Dalit Voice of which I am the Editor has a large circulation among Christians, particularly the Jesuits. However, | thank you for giving this opportunity to put forward before you a Dalit point of view of the work you are doing in the field of education. Since it is a Dalit point of view, it means it is a view from the bottom. Things look fine only from the top – not from the bottom.
So, some of my views may rattle you, shock you, but | assure you that they will be facts – historical truths, sociological facts.
Truth shall free you: It is said in the Bible: “Know the truth and truth shall free you”.
India is not yet free because our people have not been allowed to know the truth. Truth is deliberately suppressed by our parents, teachers, elders, press and even the sacred scriptures. Because the moment the truth is known, the people will try to become free. India’s ruling class fears truth and it has used religion, God, the govt., police and everything to suppress truth. Suppression of truth is a collective conspiracy and unfortunately the church and even some Jesuit priests have become part of this collective conspiracy. Falsehood is taught in our very schools – through our very textbooks. It took 40 years for me to discover the truth – though | was considered a conscious person. So, when you, despite being teachers, come to know this truth, the naked truth, you may get little bit schoked. But | can’t help if they are facts. And that facts shock you.
Tributes to Christian service: At the outset, | have io pay tributes to the great services rendered by the Christian church – missionaries, in particular. And that too the Jesuits.
In Karnataka, the first printing press was started by the Basel Mission. Kittel’s Dictionary was a pioneering effort. My district of South Kanara on West Coast is a very advanced district because of the missionaries.
If the Christians had not arrived in India, perhaps, India Dalit Voice would have been like one of those African jungle countries today. The British rule was a Christian rule and any day British rule was better than the existing brahminical rule.
The very concept of “nationalism” was taught for Indians by the Christians. The very first president of the Indian National Congress, India’s ruling party, was a Christian. It is the Christians who told India’s Brahmins and other upper castes “to fight the British” and become “independent”. Until the Christians told this the Indian upper castes did not even know the meaning of independence – let alone freedom movement. Gandhi, Nehru, Patel were all products of Christian education. My father, myself, my wife, my son, my grandchild, my daughter-in-law entire family, are all products of Christian educational institutions.
The best studies on India, particularly on untouchables | and tribals, were undertaken by Christians. For example – Abbe Dubois, the great European monk, the author of the monumental book, Hindu Manners and Customs. (Asian Educational Services, C-2/15 SDA P.B. No. 4534 N. Delhi – 16, Rs. 50, pp.750)
Jesuit priests are leading the movement to liberate Dalits and tribals. The entire Noth-East India is liberated by the Christians/church. But in spite of all – these services, inspite of educating the entire ruling class of India, and its children, the church is today a suspect in India.
Murder of Bombay Nuns: The murder of the two (Catholic) nuns in Bombay and the false report put out by India’s brahminical “national press” saying they were murdered for sex proves the anti-Christian bias of the ruling upper castes. Several such cases of prejudices against church were published n DV.
The very person whom you describe as the “Father of the Nation” had bitterly criticised the Christians in a speech in Bangalore. Please read his own book, on| Christians, published by his own Navajivan Publications, Ahmedabad. If this is the opinion of the “Father of the nation”, the opinion of his children will be much more prejudiced.
Christians, an internal threat? The Hindu Nazi philosopher, M.S. Golwalkar, called the Christians an internal threat. Read his book, Bunch of Thoughts, ——which’s the Nazi Bible. But are you an internal threat? May be your woe’s reviewed as a threat to the brahminical social order. According to this order the brahminical social order s India. And hence you are a threat to this part of India. This point needs little elaboration.
That is why while the Govt. of India extended the reservations to Buddhist converts, the Dalit Christians June 16-30, 1991 7 were denied. Because the Christians are “an internal threat” – meaning threat to the brahminical social order.
This is a country so much steeped in prejudices. Prejudice against untouchables. Prejudice against women, Backward Castes, Muslims, Sikhs – over 85% of India’s population is victim of this prejudice. Because, this 85% of the population is outside the brahminical social order.
Prejudice is a mental problem and you know where to take the mental patients.
Prejudice against original inhabitants: Why this prejudice against this 85%? Before answering this, question, we should know who are this 85%? | have to give you the population break-up
This 85% of India’s 850 million population is the victims of prejudice.
Who are the oppressors of this 85% population? They are mostly the Aryan races known as upper castes forming just 15% of the total population. They are: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. A total of 15%. This 15% comprising the brahminical social order – in other words Varnashrama dharma, Sanatana dharma, or Hindu religion – is India’s ruling class.
Wolves and lambs: The church-run educational – institutions are unfortunately educating mostly the children of this ruling class. And here | am addressing the very principals of such high schools. May be the St. Joseph’s Indian High School here is slightly better. But the St. Joseph’s European High School, your sister institution, is catering mainly to ‘the ruling class.
This ruling class (15%) may be taken as wolves and – the oppressed (85%) may be called lambs. Is the church expected to look after the wolves or the lambs? What does the Bible say?
Jesuit promise forgotten: As far back as 1987, “the Jesuit Order announced the decision to cater more to the deprived sections than the elite “(Hindu, Jan.19, 1987). | had quoted this decision in the foreword to my book, Christians and Dalit Liberation (Dalit Sahitya Academy, 1987). And ever since then | have been repeatedly reminding them about their decision. But | am sorry to say the Jesuits have failed to implement their own decision. Once upon a time Jesuits were considered, perhaps, the most dedicated cadres of the papal hierarchy Today. good number of them have become pleasure-seekers and Maja-makers. When the Jesuit chief Klovenbach came to India, the 8 Dalit Voice Jesuit organ, Jeevan, (Jan. 1988) called him Swami Kolvenbach, applied flak on his head, recited Sanskrit mantras and fooled him. Why they did the Jesuits do this? Is it to please the brahminical social order of just 15%? And by pleasing this 15%, they hurt the feelings of 85%. The Indian church leaders did the same when the Pope came to India.
It is four years since the Jesuit decision was taken but, | am sorry, hardly any changes have been made. (Jesuits realize their mistake,” DV May 16,1991 p 6).
Dalit Christians Ignored: Church continues to look after the wolves only. Who are the beneficiaries of your educational institutions? We can take a census of the students in Mount Carmel, the Sophias, St. Joseph’s College and such elite colleges here. Go to the St. Stephen in Delhi, Queen Mary’s in Madras, St. Xavier’s n Bombay. what is their Jati’s?
Even your own Dalit Christians are not getting admissions in your institutions.
I have brought with me my two colleagues – both Dalit Christians and both Catholics. Both could not get any facilities from the Catholic church. They are here and you can ask them.
Textbooks preaching falsehood: Even if you Christians become really good and give priority to the lambs in your admissions, still you will not be permitted by the wolves to teach the truth. This is another problem which perhaps you did not know till today.
All our school and college textbooks, syllabi, are prepared by the Aryan rulers and every ruling class will have an education system that will help perpetuate its rule. So, it prepares its own textbooks. And you have to teach the students that “Muslims invaded India”. But you can’t teach that Aryans also were invaders.
If Muslims are invaders, Aryans are also invaders. But you will not be permitted to teach this truth. Church will be tolerated only as long as it serves the wolves. The moment you switch over to lambs you will be further branded. Already the church is called a suspect. Church people are ridiculed. And many of your very dedicated foreign missionaries are asked to quit India. “Outsiders” are not permitted to enter many North-eastern States. can cite any number of persecutions faced by Christians. But inspite of these persecutions, the church y and large is busy serving the ruling class.
However, it is a good sign you have started thinking of serving the lambs. And Principal St. Joseph’s Indian High School told me that was the purpose of calling me here today. I am glad at last there is a rethinking. But is this “rethinking” forced upon ‘you or are you voluntarily doing it?
Three disservices: You will be better able to serve the lambs if I point out to you the three disservices you are doing to the lambs.
The running class (the wolves) has cunningly imposed a dual education system on the country. Expensive public (meaning private) schools with English-medium, which take no govt. grants, are reserved exclusively for the children of the wolves (upper castes who being the propertied class can afford high tuition fee).
The Govt. – run schools are reserved for the country’s “poor”, meaning the lambs, where the medium is the mother tongue.
Most of the “elite schools™ are run by the church and we have many such in Bangalore.
Those educated in English become IAS officers, doctors, bosses. And those mastering the mother tongue become clerks.
How beautifully and “non-violently” the ruling class has conducted a painless vivisection of the society through the education system keeping 85% of the original inhabitants of India as a powerless population. And this system is enforced through the help of the church. And all this surgical Somers: is done in a ‘peaceful, non-violent way.
Dogs & cats speak English: In the homes of our upper castes only English is spoken. Even the dogs and cats of the ruling class know only English.
Church is becoming a party to this crime. Church is making the upper castes as rulers and our people as ruled through a dual system of education. This is the first disservice.
In the eyes of God, everybody is equal. If you are dedicated Christians, how can you tolerate such a discrimination? Such a great divide?
Church stabbing itself: The second disservice is this. You are educating the wolves and the children of wolves. And if is these very wolves who tomorrow occupy important positions and declare that church is anti-national, Christians can’t be trusted, Christians are converting the tribals.
All these allegations against the church are today made not by us, not by the lambs. But by the wolves only. Who educated them? The church. The church is, therefore, stabbing, itself. Whether consciously or unconsciously, the church has become a party to denigrate itself. You are manufacturing your own killers. You are pouring milk to the very serpent that bites you.
Church arming Dalit oppressors: The third and the most serious crime is that you are arming, supplying weapons to our oppressors. SC/ST/BCs are the lambs. Our people all over India are oppressed by the upper castes.
The violent anti-Mandal agitation (in the latter part of 1990) was launched not by Muslims, not Sikhs, not Christians.
Our reservations, (human rights) are opposed by the brahminical social order which you are arming through your educational institutions.
All over India, we are kicked, killed, burnt, raped and our little property burnt by these upper caste wolves. Who educated them? The church.
That means you gave them the arms. You helped develop their brains. You gave strength to their muscles. If we make this charge, we will not be very much wrong. In other words, church is indirectly aiding and abetting the crimes against Dalits. If am wrong | am prepared to correct myself.
I do feel for the selfless service rendered by the Christians deep inside tribal belts where no Hindu institution has so far had the heart to go. Especially in Bihar, MP etc. When | criticize the church | also appreciate the work, you are doing. But if you go on serving the ruling class in cities and big towns the good work done by the church in remote areas becomes useless. Those dedicated Christians in remote areas will feel let down. Many of these dedicated Christians teachers, nuns, Jesuits have written us pathetic letters asking us to fight the church on their behalf.
I have listed the three greatest crimes committed by the church.
You are committing this crime not because the Bible allows it. Bible has not sanctioned this. All the three crimes listed by me are crimes even according to Christ and the Holy Bible.
Still, why the church is doing it?
Upper caste control on church: This is because the church is controlled by the upper caste Christians. Some call it “Syrian theology”.
These upper case “Brahmin Christians” are committing this crime because their own brothers and cousins are part of the ruling class.
If the church wants to support the Dalit revolution, and thereby the Indian revolution, you have all the opportunity. You have the funds, you have the infrastructure, you have the vast landed property. But have you the heart? The Christians are famous for their service but your services are rendered to the wrong people.
How to make church revolutionary: I have listed in my book, Christians and Dalit Liberation (p.23) six – programmes which | will read out with your permission:
1) Christian educational institutions, not depending on govt grants, must immediately introduce reservations to SC/STs giving preference io Dalit Christians. Once you give reservations to SC/STs in elite Christian schools and colleges these upper caste boys and girls will themselves stop coming to it. Preference must be given to the education of Dalit girls. A professor of the Madras Christian College, who spoke here earlier, said there were no Dalits’ n his college. This is shocking. The Madras Christian College was started by a foreign missionary to educate Dalits. What a fall. Today, they say, there are no June 16-30, 1991 9 Dalits in it. Are you not ashamed of this development?
2) Our boys and girls must be given free education and free hostel facilities. Dalit girls must be given all facilities by the Church. Our children must be taught our pre-Aryan ancient culture, our origin. The Catholic nun who spoke yesterday (I forget her name) spoke with great commitment. Such nuns should be put in charge of girls’ hostels. She can revolutionize the Dalit girls. You have a number of such dedicated priests and nuns, like the Jesuit priests. Put them in charge of these hostels. Our boys and girls must be also trained in self-defense.
Foreign funding: Mao Tseung has said women are better revolutionaries than men. He also said that women should be the vanguard of the revolution. There is no job which a woman cannot do. But in India, we keep them out. Even the Church keeps the women: out.
3) What the Church can do is to direct these foreign funding organizations to set apart 10 to 20% of their funds to bring about “revolution. This fund can be partly used to publish Dr. Ambedkar books and literature. These funds can also be used to translate Babasaheb books into different Indian languages. Right now, his books are not available. There is a great hunger for these books. Christians can print these books – cheap editions and distribute them in millions. These funding organizations are now supporting only “relief” and “reformist” schemes but not “revolutionary” programmes. So, a part of their funds may be diverted to “revolution.”
4) As many churches as possible must be converted into “revolutionary” centers.” For this, we need committed priests and nuns. The Church has a capacity to become a “revolutionary center.” Christ was a revolutionary, Christians have churches and landed properties in the heart of every city and town – allover India. These places can become “revolutionary centers”. The Church has the money, the Church has the space, it has the human power. Only thing that is needed is the will.
Parallel Church: Otherwise, Dalit Christians will not remain in the existing Church. Dalit Christians may walk out of the Church and form a rival Church. Already in Kerala, Dalit Christians have started a parallel Church. Dalit Christians will breakaway and organize a parallel church or they may even embrace Islam. This is another big danger. A study made by Dr. Dwight Baker, an American professor on [slam teaching at the United Theological College, Bangalore, says that in Meenakshi Puram, Padmanabhapuram, Madurai (Tamil Nadu) etc. several Christians also had gone over to Islam.
5)Christian churches, we are sorry to say, have almost stopped their conversion drive. The Hindu rulers might have put all sorts of hurdles, including constitutional hurdles, to check conversion. But that does not mean the Church must on its own should call off the conversion drive.
Conversion is must to get rid of brahminical religion.
Law cannot stop it. Hindu rulers may ban conversion (there is no ban in all the States and the Constitution does not prohibit conversion) but nobody can stop the urge of Dalits to quit Hinduism. The Indian Church controlled by the upper caste Christians is afraid of converting Dalits and others as it fears that Hihdu rulers may take away the Church property and cut foreign funds and that might affect the leadership’s gala time. the Church must revise its stand on conversion. Because our people are going io be the beneficiaries of conversion.
Foreign funds must stop: (6) Dalit Christians and their well-wishers within the Church must press the govt. and foreign donors to stop the inflow of foreign funds. It is this foreign fund that has taken away the revolutionary spirit of the Church. The Church on its own must evolutionarily forego foreign funds. Only after this flow stops, the real revolutionaries in the church will get a scope to shine. It is this foreign fund that has taken life out of the Church in India. It has become docile. The leadership is corrupted by the Hindu. rulers by allowing them to use these foreign funds.
