Proselytizing
and Media
In the new
‘Information Technology Era’, the Missionaries have a different approach than
earlier. They designed a media attack on braHMavidya, its students and exponents
through the Print, Visual and Social Media. They get lot of help for this from
the media, mostly owned by foreigners, Missionaries and ‘foreign-Missionaries’,
some owners visible and some not so visible. It may be true that they own the
media just as a tool of Proselytization. Apart from the real “Caste” atrocities
still around, they create incidents by which people can be accused of
mistreating the so-called low caste people and the minority religious
communities. Some may even narrate common thefts as religiously biased
incidents. Clear examples are some incident just before the Delhi state
elections of 2015.
The incident, in Vasant Vihar, of a burglary at a
Christian school, has been determined by the police as a theft. The school
Principal also stated that it is a case of theft (of rupees 8,000) and there
was no communal angle. “According to the Delhi Police, there’s no evidence
whatever that these six incidents in Dilshad Garden, Jasola, Rohini,
Vikaspuri, Vasant Kunj and Vasant Vihar, Has any religious
curve to it. According to the police they are not related to each other or is
part of a pattern of attacks on minority institutions. (1) In Delhi, during 2014 the number of
reported incidents against worship places were; Temples 206, Mosques 14 and Churches
3.(2) But the propaganda started at the
eve of the election and with few more added incidents of theft in some
Christian institutions, that too with an added communal angles when it was not
so. From this it is clear that the aim was to tarnish the majority of the
population and keep a particular political party out of power in Delhi by
establishing that there exists a “religious repression” and also use it all to
facilitate proselytization. In the year of 2014 there were only three incidents
against churches. Then suddenly on the eve of the elections there were six
incidents against churches or church operated schools and the Media hype
(publicity) was unprecedented. Even after police and the school authorities
said they were not religiously biased incidents, still the negative publicity
continued. Under these conditions, there is a real possibility that the
incidents were planned for political and proselytization gains.
The Indian Media,
color majority of the news incident into a majority community attack on the
minority community or by the “upper caste” on the “lower caste”, even when it
is not so. Thus they create biased and unfounded reports. Some create simulated
and forged photographs in support of those reports. Some examples are the
altered pictures of the man begging for mercy in front of a man with sword; the
dead body of baby on “sHoolam” and recently the TV report of a lady with
two babies being thrown out of bus in Keralam by Ayyappa devotees. Caste
discrimination incidents are given undue importance and normal incidents of
burglary or theft are given a religious perception and undue publicity of
gigantic proportion to get attention and at the same time misguide and confuse
people and then use it to facilitate proselytization.
Here is an example of a similar incident which I have
personal information from a friend who did investigate the incident as part of
his journalistic work. Few decades ago, probably late 1980; there was a report
about a case in northern part of the country where there was an allegation of
rape of a nun. When the church and Media was propagating the alleged rape, this
friend of mine, a well-known Malayalee author/journalist, went to the location to
interview the rape victim un-announced. The nuns of the same institution,
including the alleged victim of rape, told him that nothing like that ever
happened, and in fact the local people were always very helpful for them. It
was a false accusation of “rape” made to tarnish the country to help aid Proselytizing.
Probably the nuns told him the truth because of his Christian name and the ‘unannounced
intent’ to interview the victim.
There was another widely published rape of four Christian
nuns in Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh in 1998. Even before any details of this crime were available, major newspapers had
conducted a trial, established the criminal guilt of Hindu organizations, and
communicated this message to the country and the world at large by splashing
this news across their front pages. It was a clear example of how the media
largely played the part of accuser, judge and jury rolled into one. On February
1, 1999 Hindustan Times published a report by the correspondent for Le
Figaro, France's largest-circulated newspaper, who went to Jhabua to
unearth the truth. He wrote: “This massive outcry on the ‘atrocities against
the minorities" raises also doubts about the quality and integrity of
Indian journalism. Take, for instance, the rape of the four nuns in Jhabua.
Today the Indian press (and the foreign correspondents -- witness Tony
Clifton's piece in the last issue of Newsweek) are still reporting that
it was a 'religious' rape.' Yet I went to Jhabua and met the four adorable
nuns, who themselves admitted, along with their Bishop George Anatil, that it
had nothing to do with religion. It was the doing of a gang of Bhil tribal,
known to perpetrate this kind of hateful acts on their own women.' 'Yet today,
the Indian press, the Christian hierarchy and the politicians continue to
include the Jhabua rape in the list of atrocities against Christians.” According
to Rediff article Titled ‘Anti-Christian
acts-The myth and reality,’ “few
days later, the home minister released a list of the criminals, a list
forwarded to him by the Congress (whose leader incidentally happens to be
Christian) government of Madhya Pradesh at that time: 12 of the accused were
Christians! Christian groups initially questioned this finding, but when
confronted with irrefutable proof chose to ignore it.” And what the newspapers
did? “They reported it in some hidden
corner of their papers following what has become an accepted strategy for some:
Create hype, discredit your adversaries and finally when the truth comes out,
they report it in small print.” (3) That too in
some corner of an inner page, is normal for Indian media. So is not reporting
it at all.
Lot of people disguise on the internet, and participate
in discussions; Even Missionaries; disguised as “Vedantins”, “Gurus”, “ShreenArAyaNeeyaR”,
“Students of braHMavidya”, “Acharya” and “Swami”. A lot of
them appear as “OBC Activists”, “Dalit Activist”, “Ezhava Activists”, “Nair
Activists”, “Brahmin Activists” and “Rationalists”. On Practical terms, most of
the works they do go just against the ideas and ideals of all. They take
membership in social groups using false identity and propagate false
information.
Some people impersonate others and post messages in the
Social Media. I have noticed people altering my messages to give a different,
often opposite meaning and posting them as my messages few times, which made
the readers think that those messages were from me. Some people, while quoting
from books, change and/or hide the author’s name. Some just quote a sentence or
even part of a sentence alone, thus readers get misguided off the real intended
meaning. By doing this, they can even convey just the opposite meaning to the
readers. Some people give publicity to the present and past incidents by
shielding parts of it or creating “proof” for what they say and thus create
misunderstanding and confuse people. A good number of them get paid to do this
and a lot of innocent people get misguided, confused and fall for the
deception. Majority of the posted items are without even a single reference,
but project them to be historical facts. Few times when questioned, Very few
only provided references. Majority of who provided, actually provided wrong
reference but most of the time they were silent on it.
Some people publicize distorted and false interpretations
of braHMavidya from upaniShads including Bhagavat Geetha.
These kinds of interpretations were and still are also used to keep sections of
our own people at bay and under control by other sections of our own people, thus
also justify caste atrocities. Some use it to discredit the Geetha and upaniShads.
Both groups are equally at fault and cater to the acrimony. Some others also
bring in very old articles and other documents as new and try using as evidence
of what they state as if it happened now and here. Often ‘well educated’ people
(intellectuals also) fall into this deception and keep propagating such false
stories and interpretations and thus grant credibility to the stories.
Often people are “employed”
‘for the purpose of propaganda’, on the Social Media. Just as they compensate
in the other Medias, they get paid for the propaganda they make. But some own
their own media out lets on social media circles also. With the propaganda,
people are more misguided; more people are misguided & misled, by those who
are “the employed”. The “misled” also further do propaganda. Some of them
become even get more serious than the “misleaders”, who directed them into it. The
sorry part is that most of the miss-lead do not even know they are working for
someone without any compensation what so ever!!! In other words, they are even worse
than slaves.
The results of all
these postings are aimed to confuse and split the people into opposing groups. Just
as the British planned and executed in the 1700s to the vast social world that
was categorized, classified, misinformed and made to fight each other. Now it
is even more divided into as AvaRNnaR, SavaRNaR, sHoodraR,
kshathRiya, Vaishya, OBCs, BrAHmiN, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled
Tribes and the latest addition to this list is “Dalits”. And that shall lead to
a very dangerous situation. That is what the aim of the organizers of this program
is. At this state of conditions, if people really learned Gurudeva-daRSHanam
it can definitely lead them into a very ‘loving cohesive binding force’ for the
peaceful coexistence of all. But, alas that is not happening. The divisive
forces and ways are seen even in the groups and organizations profess to be for
the disbursement of Gurudeva-daRSHanam!!! People fail to understand the
“Oneness” contained in Gurudevan’s “Words and Deeds” and some others
fall into the trickery of the missionaries. The missionaries in turn take
advantage of this situation they created with more covert operations. The
latest plan seems to be a further split of OBCs and Scheduled Castes, who are being
referred to as Dalits now, who were traditionally called “Harijan”, an expression
originated long before Gandhiji and which he often used and made popular, but
changed over to Scheduled Caste by the government. (4) (Alexander Dow, who lived almost one
hundred year before Gandhiji has recorded this expression being used at the
time he was working with the East India Company.) The OBCs and Scheduled Castes
who were having some cooperation one time, but recent reports of events
indicate the trend of a split, and now there is very strong propaganda seen in
the media. It is also a fact that people who ask for equality with the
hypothetical upper class, do not give what they are demanding, to the people
hypothetically bellow them. Even the so-called ShreenArAyaNeeyaR miss-treat the
scheduled castes and tribes and at the same time they demand better treatment
from the so-called SavaRNaR. (The fact is that there can be no living being without
vaRNam and as such there cannot be avaRNaR. But here the people are fighting
without knowing this. We can see even some turning against Shree Narayana Gurudevan
who stood for equality of all.
And there is also a good-cope – bad cope game being played. Some
of them shall be pretending as very philanthropic and guardian of the poor. To
show this they make big donations to good cause, but always with a hidden aim
which the common people can never see.
As mentioned earlier, The Europeans during the early decades of their
occupation of our land; with the “British Education System” and the “Census
Surveys”, did a lot to help some sections of our people to change the “JAthi”
from the “Division of Labor” into a “Division of Humanity” as “Caste”. It may
be even more correct to say that the British did it with the help of some
sections of our people and blamed it on the people who helped them in doing it.
A perfect example of the blaming game and demoralizing was used in the
recruitment of the “Shannar” Community into Christianity in mass. The “Shannars”
were the largest community on the southern part of the country once. They were even
considered as a separate religion. “Shannars”, who were very resistive
for Proselytization in the beginning, were turned around to an easy target for
their recruitment by covert methods, after which they joined the religions in
large groups. (5) And the same
“Shannars” are still the main suppliers for that recruitment. It was
done by destroying their self-esteem by demoralizing the community by injecting
inferiority complex into their mind by propaganda. They also injected a false
pride into them of becoming Christian. That propaganda included classifying
them as a “Toddy-Tapping” community, who are “Superstitious” and “Demonolatry”
(Devil-worshippers). The three way propaganda also included that they were
people with “Inferiority Complex”, “opposed to Brahmins” but always “imitating
them” and above all very “Ignorant”. Its main architect was a Missionary named
Robert Caldwell. (6) Perhaps
this was the reason why Gurudevan did not approve joining them and did bring
back some who wanted to come back. It should also be noted that this was a
community made up of people who did everything from ruling the kingdoms to
laboring in the agricultural fields and doing every service there is. (7) Even
Gurudevan’s dictum, “One Caste, One Religion, and one God” is being used as
tool by Religious Campaigners’ for recruitment.
Bibliography
1. Crying wolf: The narrative of the ‘Delhi church
attacks’ flies in the face of facts By Rupa Subramanya amended Feb 17, 2015 07:23 IST
2.
The Indian Express
article Titeled “In report on church attacks, Bassi told Centre:
Theft in 206 temples last year” web site: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/in-report-on-church-attacks-bassi-told-centre-theft-in-206-temples-last-year/
3.
Hindustan Times dated February 1, 1999, by Francois Gautier, the
correspondent in South Asia for Le Figaro, France's largest-circulated
newspaper. And Anti-Christian acts-The
myth and reality, Last updated on: February 25, 2015 14:43 IST
4.
Caste of Mind by Nicholas B Dirks, Page 21.
5.
(i) [Robert
Caldwell. The Tinnevelly Shanars: (A Sketch of their religion , and their moral
condition and characteristics, as a caste; with special reference to tire
facilities and hindrances to the progress of Christianity amongst them)
(Madras: Christian Knowledge Society’s Press, 1849) Pages 12, 25, 22, 29, 37,
69, 71] and (ii) “Caste of Mind” by Nicholas B Dirks, Page 138, 139, 140.]
6.
(i) [Robert
Caldwell. The Tinnevelly Shanars: (A Sketch of their religion , and their moral
condition and characteristics, as a caste; with special reference to tire
facilities and hindrances to the progress of Christianity amongst them)
(Madras: Christian Knowledge Society’s Press, 1849) Pages 12, 25, 22, 29, 37,
69, 71] and (ii) “Caste of Mind” by Nicholas B Dirks, Page 138, 139, 140.]
7.
(i) Sarasakavi
Mooloor S. Padmanabhappanicker, biography by Kumpalamchira Vasavappanicker,
Page 38, 39, 40, 50, 55, 56. 57. (ii)
NAYARUTE ADI MADHAVU PULAYI - CHERUMI EZHAVARUDEYUM (നായരുടെ ആദിമാതാവ് പുലയി, ച്റുമി ഈഴവരുടെയും), written by K.P. Chon, Page 118,
119, 120, 121, 124, 133, 138, 277, 275, 328, 329, 337, 338, 339, 340 to 353.
(iii) http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2473292.ece
(iv) Katatthanaatan Nomparangal Written by Page 28 to 31. (v) The Tinnevelly Shannars
written by Robert
Caldwell.: A Sketch of their religion, and their moral condition and
characteristics, as a caste; with special reference to tire facilities and
hindrances to the progress of Christianity amongst them (Madras: Christian
Knowledge Society’s Press, 1849. (vi) Caste of Mind by Nicholas B Dirks, Page 23,
59, 69, 136,
139.
(Will continue;
Copyright © Udayabhanu Panickar)
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