03-14-2005, 03:30 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Instruments of conversion</b>
T mani chowdary
Missionaries, Marxists and secularists denounce Hinduism as Brahminical with little concern for the poor and downtrodden. Transnational enterprises like the Christian missionaries have been reaping harvests of converts through the struments of schools, hospitals and other centres during the times of alamities such as droughts, floods and the latest tsunami. Mahatma Gandhi, who had the habit of calling a spade a spade, once pointed out to his missionary friends that their acts of charities and care are evil-intentioned and are executed with the primary objective of gaining converts. But that apart, what is appalling is about 10 to 15 per cent of those who had been converted to Christianity in India are from the educated section.
The allegation that Hindu society does not care for its poor, disadvantaged and the depressed sections hardly has any basis. During the British rule, it was the voluntary organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission and Mahatma Gandhi's arijan Sevak Sangh that were at the forefront of serving the downtrodden through untary contributions from their Hindu brethren. <b>After Independence, however, this ocial duty was taken over by the state. Welfare hostels were set up for SC and ST children, especially students. Since most of them are from below the poverty line, State governments have been providing them subsidised rice, sugar, kerosene and free education. Besides, reservations are earmarked for them in Government services and PSUs. All this costs the exchequer an estimated Rs 80,000 crore every year. Who is contributing this? It is the well-to-do sections of the country, especially the Hindus, who are paying through the income tax, customs and excise duties</b>.
If only these huge amounts were not spent by Government but made available to Hindu charity organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission, the Seva Bharati, etc, then the services would have been identified with Hindu society. Sadly,<b> there is no acknowledgment whatsoever of this tremendous gesture and care that Hindu society is undertaking because the secularists, missionaries and Marxist are engaged in disparaging, denouncing and calumniating the efforts of the Hindus</b>.
When compared to the massive Rs 80,000 crore service, all the missionaries put together spend a mere Rs 8,000 to Rs l0,000 crore. <b>In states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, they receive somewhere between Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore every year, which are spent on people with the purpose of converting them into Christianity</b>. As if the Government's care is not sufficient, secular governments also use the monies that devotees give to Hindu temples. <b>Sadly, this is not for the propagation and defence of Hinduism as enshrined in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Act (Andhra Pradesh) but, strangely, for construction of Urdu Ghars, Shadi Khanas, Haj houses, repair of mosques, churches, etc. </b>Besides, there are also plans of distributing the temple lands among the poor, as demanded by the PWG. At the village level, the poor, who essentially constitute SCs and STs, had already been converted to Christianity. This they will hardly disclose as they continue to receive State Government's reservation and welfare entitlements.
In countries like Germany and Denmark, the government deducts a certain per cent of salaries and wages which are directed to churches. <b>Why cannot India have a similar scheme so that Hindu organisations receive some per cent of the taxes or duties, which Hindus pay for providing welfare and relief to our SC and ST people</b>?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
T mani chowdary
Missionaries, Marxists and secularists denounce Hinduism as Brahminical with little concern for the poor and downtrodden. Transnational enterprises like the Christian missionaries have been reaping harvests of converts through the struments of schools, hospitals and other centres during the times of alamities such as droughts, floods and the latest tsunami. Mahatma Gandhi, who had the habit of calling a spade a spade, once pointed out to his missionary friends that their acts of charities and care are evil-intentioned and are executed with the primary objective of gaining converts. But that apart, what is appalling is about 10 to 15 per cent of those who had been converted to Christianity in India are from the educated section.
The allegation that Hindu society does not care for its poor, disadvantaged and the depressed sections hardly has any basis. During the British rule, it was the voluntary organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission and Mahatma Gandhi's arijan Sevak Sangh that were at the forefront of serving the downtrodden through untary contributions from their Hindu brethren. <b>After Independence, however, this ocial duty was taken over by the state. Welfare hostels were set up for SC and ST children, especially students. Since most of them are from below the poverty line, State governments have been providing them subsidised rice, sugar, kerosene and free education. Besides, reservations are earmarked for them in Government services and PSUs. All this costs the exchequer an estimated Rs 80,000 crore every year. Who is contributing this? It is the well-to-do sections of the country, especially the Hindus, who are paying through the income tax, customs and excise duties</b>.
If only these huge amounts were not spent by Government but made available to Hindu charity organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission, the Seva Bharati, etc, then the services would have been identified with Hindu society. Sadly,<b> there is no acknowledgment whatsoever of this tremendous gesture and care that Hindu society is undertaking because the secularists, missionaries and Marxist are engaged in disparaging, denouncing and calumniating the efforts of the Hindus</b>.
When compared to the massive Rs 80,000 crore service, all the missionaries put together spend a mere Rs 8,000 to Rs l0,000 crore. <b>In states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, they receive somewhere between Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore every year, which are spent on people with the purpose of converting them into Christianity</b>. As if the Government's care is not sufficient, secular governments also use the monies that devotees give to Hindu temples. <b>Sadly, this is not for the propagation and defence of Hinduism as enshrined in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Act (Andhra Pradesh) but, strangely, for construction of Urdu Ghars, Shadi Khanas, Haj houses, repair of mosques, churches, etc. </b>Besides, there are also plans of distributing the temple lands among the poor, as demanded by the PWG. At the village level, the poor, who essentially constitute SCs and STs, had already been converted to Christianity. This they will hardly disclose as they continue to receive State Government's reservation and welfare entitlements.
In countries like Germany and Denmark, the government deducts a certain per cent of salaries and wages which are directed to churches. <b>Why cannot India have a similar scheme so that Hindu organisations receive some per cent of the taxes or duties, which Hindus pay for providing welfare and relief to our SC and ST people</b>?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->