Book: Missionaries in India : Continuities, Changes, Dilemmas By Arun Shourie

Finished reading my third Arun Shourie book - "Missionaries in India". It was published first in year 1996 and I read its fourth reprint in year 2010 by Rupa & Co. (ISBN: 81-291-0573-X). In this book the author shares extensive research and review of the work done by Christian missionaries in India from the British days onward; with resource as Gandhiji's writing, Vivekananda's speeches and official literature from Church and missionaries speeches. The book serves as a reappraisal and critique of the role of Christian Missionaries and their religious “conversion” techniques and methods in India.

Arun Shourie said about his book: "To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its establishment the C.B.C.I. convened a meeting in January 1994 to review the work of the Church in India. For some reason the organizers were so kind to ask me to give the Hindu perception of the work of Christian missionaries in India. That lecture and the discussion which followed form the scaffolding of this book.”

Since the missionaries found hard to "convert" caste-Hindus, they started "converting" the Tribal, Dalits, Harijans etc in large numbers, and Gandhiji was fuming at this design. Gandhiji said, "When a Christian preacher goes and says to a Harijan that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, he will give him a blank stare. Then he holds out all kinds of inducements which debase Christianity". Gandhiji challenged missionaries to convert him, rather than convert uneducated poor people by promising them money and support, and in fact they tried to convert him too! Of course they failed.

The book contains Gandhiji's conversations and arguments with missionaries, taken from his Collected Works, and it is fascinating to read. Also, it contains letters and speeches from British high-rank officials, which tell how they thought that converting Indians into Christianity would ensure long life and success for the British Raj, since converted person changes his "loyalty"; also that they tried to use "English education" as a means for the same purpose.

I would like to reproduce two excerpts from the book with titles of my own. These will give you an idea about the rich content in this book.

Education System in India Prior to the British Rule

British Parliamentarian Keir Hardie wrote in his book 'India' that Bengal before British occupation had 80000 native schools, which meant 1 school for every 400 of the population! Ludlow, in his 'History of British India' wrote that "in every Hindu village which has retained its old form children are able to read, write and cipher, but where we (the British) have swept away the village system in Bengal, there the village school has also disappeared."

Report of A.D. Campbell, Collector of Bellary (Karnataka), dated 17 August, 1823 mentions: "Of nearly a million of souls in this district, not 7000 are now at school... In many villages where formerly there were large schools, there are now none, and in many others where there were large schools, now only a few children of the most opulent are taught, others being unable from poverty to attend..."

What is revealed is that before British occupation, Hindu kings and rulers used to grant huge "funds" to the schools, which taught in native languages and Sanskrit, and hence people were in general well educated. But the British stopped funding any of the native language schools and hence education system was gradually destroyed... Later on the British brought out Macaulay policy; setup English schools and missionary schools - with aims to mold young people's minds in favor of the British so that people, having been educated through this system would never wish to let the British go away from India!

Gandhiji in conversion with a Christian missionary

Gandhiji was angry at the missionaries for converting the tribal and harijans and the missionary begins by asking why he should not convert:

A Christian missionary: “Why may I not share with others my experience of Jesus Christ which has given me such ineffable peace?” (in a way asking why he should no convert others).

Gandhiji: “Because you cannot probably say that what is best for you is best for all… And again, is it not super-arrogance to assume that you alone possess the key to spiritual joy and peace, and that an adherent of a different faith cannot get the same in equal measure from a study of his scriptures? I enjoy a peace and equanimity of spirit which has excited the envy of many Christian friends. I have got it principally through the Gita.”

Missionary: “But what is your attitude to Jesus?”

Gandhiji: He was a great world-teacher among others. His sacrifice is an example to all. But that he was the greatest, I cannot accept. He had not for instance the compassion of the Buddha.

Missionary: “But what about his being God-incarnate, the Son of God?”

Gandhiji: I do not take the words literally. Jesus was the son of God only in the sense that we are all children of God. God has endowed us all with the capacity to attain the heights Jesus did, if only we put in the effort. The word ‘son’ can only be used in a figurative sense. If a man is spiritually miles ahead of us we may say that he is in a special sense the son of God, though we are all children of God.

Missionary: “What about the miracles?”

Gandhiji: There is no miracle in the story of the multitudes fed on a handful of loaves. A magician can create that illusion. But woe worth the day on which a magician would be hailed as the Savior of humanity. As for Jesus raising the dead to life, well, I doubt if the men he raised were really dead… The laws of nature are changeless, unchangeable, and there are no miracles in the sense of infringement or interruption of Nature’s laws.

(Portions taken from ‘Collected Works’, volumes 60, 65, 71)

I got to know many new facts after reading this book. I can’t express the feeling of having been able to read it. I highly recommend this book to all.

- Rahul