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
