Skip to main content

Bapu & Ghar-Vapasi

As the debate on conversion and re-conversion ( Ghar-Vapasi) continues, I looked back at the works of intellectuals who had analysed and commented on the issue at length. Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi have written extensively on the issue of conversions and re-conversions and have made some very interesting observations.

This blog attempts to put forth views of Bapu on the topic. Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sanghralaya have published a booklet called as "Gandhiji on Religion Conversion"and I plan to present a few of Bapu's quotes from the booklet and let the reader make their own conclusions ...

I present 5 quotes from Bapu  -

  1. "Christian missionaries have been doing valuable service for generations, but in my humble opinion, their work suffers because at the end of it they expect conversion of these simple people to Christianity ...How very nice it would be if the missionaries rendered humanitarian service without the ulterior aim of conversion."  
  2. "Conversion nowadays has become a matter of business like any other. I remember having read a missionary report saying how much it cost per head to convert and then present a budget for 'the next harvest'." 
  3. "Am certainly against the use of hospitals, schools and the like for purposes conversion.It is hardly healthy method and certainly gives rise to bitter resentment "
  4. "It would, however, be an outrage to take advantage of someone's poverty and tell him 'Come my friend. I shall give you so many rupees, pay off your debts; because your co- religionists are pestering you, you come over to us.' He does this not because of his love for Islam, but because of the sum that is offered to him." 
  5. "When, however, a person has changed his religion under compulsion or in ignorance, there should be no objection to such a person rectifying his error, that is returning to his original religion, on the contrary, he should be encouraged to do that. His action is not conversion."  
I just hope Obama had spent some time reading about Gandhi before rattling a sermon on tolerance.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Manohar - One who could win hearts and minds

They say that it is easy to defeat anyone, winning people over is the most difficult thing to do. Manohar Parrikar true to his name dedicated his life to winning people over. My first interaction with Manohar Parikkar was 5 years ago. Elections had been announced and Manohar Parikkar was asked to address IT professionals living in and around Outer Ring Road in Bangalore. New Horizon College was the venue. On that lazy Sunday, I managed to show up at the venue 15 before time. Politicians are known to arrive late but Manohar Parrikar was already there mingling with the IT crowd. He speech consisted of 2-3 stories with foksy humor and wisdom. He wanted the IT crowd to engage in politics, to participate in nation building, I still remember his story "Once upon a time, Goa was known for the best watermelons. Every year post the harvest season, farmers in every village would invite people to taste the best watermelons for free. There was only one condition, they had to spit ou...
1 comment
Read more

Kindle Review @ India

Got my Kindle delivered today and altough its been only a few hours here's how Kindle works in Bangalore, India a) Purchase: I bought the Kindle Global Edition using my Indian credit card and got it shipped to a friend in the US who got it for me to Bangalore . Works out to Rs 13,000 as i saved on shipping and duties. b) Packaging is very neat , as Amazon claiming on the package - its a frustration free package , easy to get to your kindle in less than 60 seconds. c) Kindle ships with a US charger which is not much of an issue for folks in Banaglore as most homes have a converter of some kind. You can also charge via USB of your computer . d) Charging & Controls : Got the Kindle charged up , the Kindle quick start guide popped up . All controls are very intuitive and you can skip the quick start guide. Its was only seconds and i was at ease with my Kindle. e) Whispernet access : Kindle did not automatically detect the service provider in Banaglore. After repeated attempts when ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mahaghatbandhan Meltdown

Over the last 9 months, regional leaders had worked very hard to build an anti-Modi front. They did not contest seats, swallowed pride and also shared a platform with the very parties against whom they had contested all their lives. These regional parties did all this with only one hope - survival. They believed that if they all came together, they could put up a credible fight against Modi in 2019. It would be painful for each one of them to concede seats but at least survival was possible. The Mahaghatbandhan strategy was put to test during the bypolls. Vote banks were combined; lifelong enemies (BSP-SP) came together and the BJP was defeated in the bypolls. Mahaghatbahndhan despite its inherent contradictions seemed to work. Desperation was the binding glue. NDA, on the other hand, seemed to lose friends. The Shiv Sena remains miffed as it is relegated to a supporting role, TDP walked out as it was unable to take on YSR at the local level. On top of this, media build a ...
1 comment
Read more