Buddhist-Hindu Identity- A necessity for Sri Lanka

  • By Thamizhchelvan
  • 12 January 2011
  • 15992 views

The agenda of the Church

Generally there is  an utter lack of understanding in both India and Sri Lanka about the tricky  role played by the Church which has been exclusively focusing on forming a  “Tamil Christian Nation”, a combination of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu and  the North-East of Sri Lanka. That is why the Church backed the LTTE, influenced  its leadership, usurped the Diaspora leadership, and formed an unholy nexus  with the Dravidian parties of Tamil Nadu. It is unfortunate that the Tamil  people have failed to understand the Church in this regard. 

The formation of a  Tamil Christian Nation will help the Church to Christianise Sri Lanka quickly,  given its influence over the Sri Lankan leadership. It will also help the  Church to Christianise South India next, so that the South will get culturally  alienated from India, as has happened in the Northeast. Already Hindus have  become minorities in Kerala, while Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are  in the severe grip of evangelization. The Tamil Dravidian parties, Congress,  Communist parties and other secular (sic) outfits such as Janata Dal, TRS and  TDP, etc., are always prepared to crawl before the Church asks them to  bend.  

This  Christianisation started since the European Missionaries landed in Indian and  Sri Lankan shores and established themselves, especially in the colonial  period. Despite independence, the process of Christianisation has increased,  thanks to the imposition of the Christian concept called ‘secularism’ by the  political leadership of both countries, showing scant regard to the native  cultural heritage and religious traditions.

Church’s strategies
The strategies  adopted by the Church to achieve this goal can be summed up as:

1. Influencing the  leadership of both LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government.
2. Influencing the  leadership of the Dravidian Parties of Tamil Nadu and forming an unholy nexus  with them; spreading the myth of “Christian Missionaries’ contribution to  Tamil” (1)
3. Acquiring vast  stretches of lands, as much as possible, in the name of education and health  care, and planting Churches along the stretches so that neighborhood citizens  are coerced and converted easily.
4. Baptizing  Thiruvalluvar, hijacking Thirukkural and doing things in his  name. Inventing a St. Thomas-Thiruvalluvar connection and spreading that myth.  Thiruvalluvar and Thirukkural are a stop gap arrangement, a transit point,  through which the transformation from Hindu to Christianity takes place (2).
5.Sowing anti-Veda  and anti-Sanskrit poison and dividing the Saiva Mathams, thereby separating a  section in the name of “Tamil Saivam” and controlling them. A few Saiva Mutts,  who flirt with the Atheist Dravidian Parties, are allegedly backed by the  Church to go all out against Vedic culture, Agama Worship and Sanskrit usage.
6.Corrupting the  secretariats and officials of Vaishnava Mutts and Saiva Adheenams and  purchasing their lands through them, thereby liquidating their assets  immensely. Many Mutts have sold their lands to Christians.
7. Influencing the  Government to interfere in Temple affairs and harass the Mathams and Adheenams  through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department. Changing Hindu  traditions through government ordinances to suit their agenda.
8. Erasing “Hindu”  identity and establishing a “Tamil” identity through inculturation, Tamil  chauvinism and Tamil separatism, with the intention to totally Christianise the  state.   

Present status of Tamil Nadu
As far as Tamil  Nadu is concerned, the Church has established a clear nexus with all the  Dravidian parties and Dalit outfits, notwithstanding its hegemony over the  Congress party, which now owes its allegiance to the Vatican. As a result, all  four pillars of democracy are wreaking havoc on Hindus, Hindu temples, Hindu  culture, Hindu tradition and ultimately the Hindu identity of the state itself.

Dalits are rapidly getting alienated from the Hindu  fold due to the onslaught of Christian Missionaries and foreign-funded  Christian NGOs, as evidenced by the rampant conversions across the state;  thousands of ancient temples are left unattended to ruin by the HR & CE  Department as authenticated by the fact that thousands of ancient temples do  not have the resources to conduct at least one-time puja or do not have even oil to light the lamps; street temples are  destroyed by civic authorities in the name of clearing encroachments, but the  same space is allowed for vendors from minority communities to run businesses;  temple lands are sold or leased to atheist politicians and non-Hindus; shops  around big and famous temples are allotted to minorities for vending, a fact  seen at any famous temple in the state.

Hindus are made to discriminate against each other  through government-controlled ‘ticketing’ systems for worship in temples, and  recently the various charges increased five times; temple rituals are changed  as per the whims and fancy of politicians and bureaucrats; age-old traditional  festivals and religious traditions are changed through ordinances and  government orders, the change of Tamil New Year and stopping of Brahmma Ratham  ceremony in Srirangam Temple being apt examples; mutt heads and micro minority  communities like Dikshidars are harassed by design to take over temples under  their control.

Also, there is no sealing for purchase of lands by  the Church; Churches and Prayer Houses are allowed to flourish disproportionate  to Christian population; conversion activities by the Church are not checked;  no screening of huge foreign funds received by the Church and Christian NGOs;  no regulation of foreign-funded and Christian-dominated mass media which are  bent upon destroying Tamil Hindu culture as evidenced by the various programs  aired by channels like SUN TV, VIJAY TV and Kalaignar TV. Even Chennai  Doordarshan allows a flurry of evangelical programs violating its own code of  ethics, rules and regulations (3)

Hindus are not getting full justice from the  Courts of Tamil Nadu and the judiciary is influenced by the state government  while hearing issues concerning Hindus, as evidenced by the Rama Sethu,  Chidambaram Temple and many such cases. A case filed against Vijay TV for  hurting Hindu sentiments was dismissed without proper hearing. Another case  against the demolition of Street Temples was haphazardly handled by the High  Court and not taken to its logical conclusion (4)

Solomon-Samuel  Effect
The present situation in Sri Lanka is not  encouraging for Tamil Hindus. In fact, it is getting worse with the government  yielding to the Machiavellian agenda of the Church. President Rajapakse seems  to have a soft corner for the Church and Christian organizations, even while  exhibiting Sinhala chauvinism through some of his activities.
   
  To understand the Christian domination of the  polity, one needs to go back to the early 1950s. Solomon West Ridgeway Dias  Bandaranaike, born to Anglican Christian parents, converted to Buddhism for  obvious political reasons and raised the evil concept of ‘Racism’ in the run-up  to the general elections in 1956. After forming the ‘Sinhala Maha Saba’ in  1936, he backed the United National Party, enjoyed ministerial positions, and  in 1951 withdrew from UNP and formed his own ‘Sri Lanka Freedom Party’ (SLFP).  He announced the “Sinhala Only” policy, adopted it as electoral strategy in  1956, and swept the southern electorate. He became Prime Minister and  immediately made ‘Sinhalese’ as the Official Language, despite the fact that  Tamils (excluding Muslims) constituted 25% of the Island Nation’s population.

Meanwhile, Samuel James Velupillai Chelvanayakam,  a member of the ‘Ceylon American Mission’, founded the “Federal Party” aka  ‘Tamil Arasu Katchi’ and lost the Kankesanthurai seat from which he contested  the 1952 elections. Later, SWRD Bandaranaike’s “Sinhala Only” cry galvanized  the Tamil population behind SVJ Chelvanayakam and helped him win the 1956  elections.

The immediate fall out of the ‘Sinhala Only Act’  was the ‘Gal Oya Riots’ in which hundreds of Tamils died in the eastern  province. Eventually, Bandaranaike negotiated with Chelvanayakam and concluded  the “Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact”. But failure to implement the pact on the  advice of the United National Party led to the infamous “1958 Riots” from 22  May to 27 May 1958; violence, arson and loot spread across the Island.  

The government called in the military to quell the  violence and restore order. But sporadic violence continued and at last in  1958, the government passed The Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act - which provided for the use of  Tamil language as a medium of instruction, of examination for admission to the  Public Service, for use in state correspondence and for administrative purposes  in the Northern and Eastern Provinces – which formed a part of the  Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact. The passing of this Act eventually led to the  murder of Bandaranaike by a Buddhist Clergy in 1959.

Samuel Chelvanayakam died in 1976 after 20 years  of politics from 1956 to 1976, during which he achieved nothing. He never lived  in the Tamil dominated North-East, but in Colombo, practicing as an Attorney at  Law; his family spoke only English at home. He picked up Tamil later and was  the first to call for an “Independent Dravida Nadu” on either side of the Palk  Straits. Being Christian, he worked towards fulfilling the agenda of the  Church, which ultimately led to the marginalization of the Tamil people from  the Sri Lankan mainstream.

Chelvanayakam’s co-founder of the Federal Party  was another Christian, EMV Naganathan, whose daughter Anne Nirmala Naganathan  was married to Chelvanayakam-Emily Grace’s son Samuel Chandrahasan. Chandrahasan  didn’t prefer to stay in Sri Lanka during the entire period of conflict, but  focused more on the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. A soft-spoken person, he had  good contacts with both DMK and AIADMK leaderships. Reliable sources from Sri  Lanka and Tamil Nadu say that, apart from being a fervent Dravidian ideologue,  he is a member of the Church of South India and Ceylon American Mission,  because of which Christian Missionaries and NGOs had whale of a good time  ‘harvesting’ in the refugee camps across Tamil Nadu.

Rajapakse’s moves
President Percy  Mahinda Rajapakse is contemplating elections for the Northern Province, which  has been demerged from the erstwhile North-eastern Province. Sources say  Rajapakse’s Sri Lankan Freedom Party, founded by SWRD Bandaranaike, intends to  field Chandrahasan as its Chief Ministerial candidate and government  missionaries are expected to ensure his victory.

It must be noted  that the erstwhile ‘Federal Party’ is the present TNA (Tamil National  Alliance), which was supportive of the LTTE, as both were backed by the Roman  Catholic Church. While the Northern Province is 80% Hindu, Rajapakse has  appointed five new Government Agents (District Collectors) out of which four  are Christians, namely Emelda Sukumar for Jaffna, Nicholaspillai for Mannar,  Mrs. Ketheeswaram (a Born Again Christian) for Killinochi and Mrs. Charles for  Vavuniya. With Samuel Chandrahasan as Chief Minister, Christian dominance will  be complete in the Hindu majority north.

However, latest reports say Nicholaspillai has been  removed following complaints by a senior Muslim Minister that he was working  with the Roman Catholic Bishop to deny rights to returning Muslims. The only  Hindu Government Agent from Mullaithivu district has been transferred to Mannar  district in place of Nicholaspillai and a Mannar Christian named Pattinathan  has been appointed GA for the predominantly Hindu district of Mullaithivu. Four  out of five GAs being Christian is deliberately disproportionate to the Hindu  Northern Province. This shows Rajapakse’s scheming and dangerous mind. 

Church planting  activities are already on the rise in the north, starting from Mannar, exactly  opposite Rameswaram; evangelization of the north would be complete soon.  Chandrahasan, with his close rapport with the Dravidian parties and Church  backing, is likely to revive the call for “Tamil Nationalism”, a return to the  politics of his father.

This may probably be intended to ensure a  Dravidian monolith on either side of the Palk Straits, which would certainly  impact on Indian security interests. Both evangelization and Tamil Nationalism  would undermine Buddhism. Rajapakse cannot feign ignorance on all this. This  move by Rajapakse raises questions about his intentions.

The fact that Rajapakse is ‘not clean’ can be  confirmed by his latest move in the field of academics. He is bent upon making one Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole  the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna, though he is a rabid Christian  with anti-India / anti-Hindu bias. Despite strong protests from Sri Lankan  Hindu academicians and intelligentsia, it seems Rajapakse will be successful in  placing Ratnajeevan Hoole at the University of Jaffna, which stands on the  erstwhile Parameshwara College, a Hindu institution founded by the great Hindu  leader Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan. Ratnajeevan Hoole has viciously attacked Sir  Ponnambalam Ramanathan through his writings (5)

References: -
(1): - http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1324
Myth of Christian contribution to Tamil – 1, 21 Jul  2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1325
Myth of Christian contribution to Tamil – 2, 22  Jul 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1326
Myth of Christian  contribution to Tamil – 3, 23 Jul 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1327
Myth of Christian  contribution to Tamil – 4, 24 Jul 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1328
Myth of Christian  contribution to Tamil – 5, 25 Jul 2010

(2): - http://www.newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=29&id=8961
`Baptising'  Thiruvalluvar to `besiege' the Hindus!;  07 July, 2008
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1220
Mythical Thomas  Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church – I, 13 May 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1221
Mythical Thomas,  Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church – 2, 14 May 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1222
Mythical Thomas,  Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church – 3, 15 May 2010

(3): - http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1168
Christianisation of  Chennai Doordarshan's Podhigai Channel – 1, 7 Apr 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1170
Christianisation of  Chennai Doordarshan's Podhigai Channel – 2, 9 Apr 2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=891
Electronic Media  and Hindu Sentiments – I, 26 Oct 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=892
Electronic Media  and Hindu Sentiments – 2, 27 Oct 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=895
Electronic Media  and Hindu Sentiments – 3, 28 Oct 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=940
Electronic media  and Hindu sentiments – A sequel, 20 Nov 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1003
‘NIJAM’ (TRUTH):  The true face of SUN TV-I, 25 Dec 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1004
‘NIJAM’ (TRUTH) –  The true face of SUN TV-II, 26 Dec 2009

(4): - http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=940
Electronic media  and Hindu sentiments – A sequel, 20 Nov 2009
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1504
Anatomy of ‘justice’ in our courts – I, 18 Nov  2010
http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1505
Anatomy of 'justice' in our courts – II, 19 Nov  2010

(5): - http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2010/12/prof-hoolevice-chancellor-of-jaffna.html
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/04/post_512.html

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