Monday, April 21, 2014

Are we losing the grip on Hinduism in Vanni?

I have been so obsessed with the question-Are we losing the grip on Hinduism in Vanni? This question emerged in me after going through certain encounters in Vanni. I went to Kilinochchi two year back with an idea that I was stepping into the Tamil Hindu land. Still it is a Tamil land (not sure about in later years) but surely not a Hindu land.

Recently I traveled on the Mullaitheevu main road and was startled to see scores of churches popping up. Every 500 meter has a church. Now there are more churches than Kovils.

This observation made me ponder whether this development happened during the Tamil rule or after end of the war. Some say that the conversion was there during the de-facto state was running but it has been in full swing in the recent past.

We talk endlessly about the Sinhalese settlement in the north and the loss of our centuries old heritage. But we never took up this grave subject of religious conversion. When we say culture and tradition, it is a mixture of native language and native religion. In the present context we put in our great effort to safeguard our language but losing the hold on our religion-Hinduism.

When my curiosity grew to know the reason behind this change I came to know that the war left many with no houses, no food, and no clothes and on and on. This gave the golden opportunity for the various sections of Christianity to attract the poverty-ridden Vanni community. Now these people-once wearing ‘vipoothi’ and ‘pottu’-talk about prayers and bible but within they are still Hindus as they have been the so called Christians for the past mere 3 years.

After reading this nobody should label me as a Hindu hardliner and think I am against Christianity and any other religions. Though by birth I am a half Christian-father was a Christian- I vehemently oppose religious conversion showing money and other needs or luxuries.

The funny part is their names after being baptized. Most of the people in Vanni are named in the name of Hindu God or Goddess by the parents. Now they have the names along with the new baptized name, for example-‘Mary Kannaki Sivasubramaniam’-funny indeed right?  

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