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Question 1
Q. 1 : You have 'taken it for granted that the Indian Christians are originally Hindus'. But the original people of India are Dravidians, the Hindus have come to India originally as Aryans. Is not Hinduism also a foreign religion to India? and Hindus foreigners?
Ans. : There is, of course, a story of Aryan migration in history. Scholars have spent much of their time and energy examining the theory that the Aryans migrated to India from somewhere, some three or four thousand years ago.
Personally I hold that if there was any migration it was from India to outside, not from outside to India. I reject the hypothesis which maintains that Hindus are foreigners and India was a no man's land inhabited by only aboriginals. Following this theory all foreigners can be put on par with the Hindus. So the theory is repeated ad nauseam. Admitting, for argument sake (only for argument sake) that Hindus came from outside, the fact remains that Hinduism has grown -With the history of this country and has become an inseparable part of this country. Hindus have throughout history, fought for this country, defended this country and died for this country. Here they grew as a people, a great race, propounded various religious beliefs and a philosophical system, evolving a high culture, and have beautified this country. The identification is total. We just want you to recognise this total identification. Without India Hindus have no other place to call their own and if there are no Hindus there is nobody to fight and die for this country as the motherland.
After independence the Government have been distributing the Tamrapatras to the freedom fighters. Whenever it has been possible for them to confer Tamrapatras on a Muslim gentleman or a Christian they would always be enthusiastic because they are searching for such gentlemen desperately. Please look at the list of the recipients and count how many Christians have secured it. Well the less said the better.
Nor do I hold Indian Christians foreigners. What is the meaning of the term Indian Christian? Analyse, the phrase. It is a Hindu who has (or whose forefathers had) embraced Christianity. Here the word Indian means Hindu, that is, you are basically a Hindu. Similarly, who is an Indian Mussalman? It is a Hindu who has (or whose ancestors have) embraced Islam. Here again Indian connotes Hindu. Have you ever come across the expression Indian Hindu? Never, for the simple reason that the world believes that Indian means Hindu. If so, can a Hindu be a foreigner in India?
Author : Shripaty Sastry
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