By Sandeep Sahu
Look who is pointing fingers at us! In a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, Asif Ghafoor, the public relations director of the notorious Inter Services Agency (ISI) of the Pakistan Army, used the occasion of Christmas to single out Odisha for special mention as an ‘anti-Christian’ land while wishing ‘Very Merry Christmas’ (sic) to Christians across the world. In a tweet to mark the occasion on Wednesday, the major general said; “Very Merry Christmas to Christians in Pakistan, across the globe and especially to the ones in the state of Odisha and alike under the Hindutva obsessed environment.” Coming from a country where the man who assassinated a leading political personality – for nothing more serious than seeking mercy for a Christian lady condemned to death under the blasphemy law - was feted, garlanded and showered with rose petals by lawyers, of all people, this is laughable to say the least.
Someone should tell the demonstrably ignorant or deliberately mischievous general (the second looks more likely) that Odisha is one state that has steadfastly refused to play ball even as state after state has surrendered to the hyperbole of the Hindutva rhetoric. While even a state as culturally assertive as Assam has been lured by the sweet talk and promise of a foreigner-free Assam by the Hindutva forces, the Land of Jagannath has stood like a rock, refusing to join the bandwagon. All attempts to polarise the people along religious lines have bitten the dust here as other states have succumbed.
But howsoever painful, the general‘s tweet does provide an occasion for us to reflect on why this tag of ‘Christians in danger’ keeps coming back to haunt us. It is an albatross that Odisha has been carrying around on its neck for far too long. Two incidents, nine years apart, have sullied the fair name of the state in the eyes of the world and earned for it the dubious – and completely undeserved – distinction as a place where Christians are butchered, persecuted and discriminated against. The first of the two incidents took place on a chilly winter night at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district on January 22, 1999 when an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two minor sons were burnt alive by a band of Hindu fanatics while sleeping inside a jeep. And the second was a month-long killing frenzy beginning late August in Kandhamal that saw at least 38 Christians killed.
Anyone who knows something about Odisha knows these two incidents were aberrations rather than a true reflection of the way the state treats its minorities, Christians in particular. Staines and his sons, we must remember, were killed by a small group led by Rabindra Kumar Paul alias Dara Singh, a man from Uttar Pradesh who did not have the slightest idea of the syncretic, assimilative culture that has distinguished the state over the centuries. It was a ragtag band of gullible local tribal youth brainwashed by an outsider who found a fertile ground in this predominantly tribal area to carry out his nefarious communal agenda.
And anyone who has studied the Kandhamal riots in some depth knows that it was more of an ethnic battle between the Kandhas and Panas that took a violent turn than a case of religious intolerance. If Odisha, as the rest of the world seems to believe, is a state where Christians are routinely killed and maimed for being Christians, someone should explain why Sundargarh, which also has a sizeable Christian population, has never seen anything like this.
It’s a travesty of truth, really. For, it is hard to think of a state – or a country - that is more tolerant, more inclusive and more assimilating than Odisha. Not for nothing has the Land of Jagannath has been a confluence of all religious faiths and denominations for ages. The all-inclusive spirit of the Jagannath cult has permeated so deeply into the psyche of the state that antipathy towards any religion is anathema to the people here.
Painful as they are, these two incidents should open our eyes to the perils of allowing communal forces to take centre stage, even momentarily, and prepare us never to lower our guard against the evil designs of these forces. The truth is: Odisha is one of the safest places on earth for minorities of all hues, not just Christians. And we must zealously guard our centuries old reputation sought to be besmirched on the basis of just two aberrations.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same)