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VHP
reconverts 50 tribal families to Hinduism
WSN Network
Bhopal: Fifty tribal Christian families were reconverted to Hinduism
at Dewas, 170 km from Madhya Pradesh’s capital, in a ‘‘ghar wapsi’’
ceremony organised by the Shree Sampraday Seva Samiti, a Maharashtra-based
front engaged in reconversions, and the VHP.
This is the first such ceremony to be held in MP after its division.
The ceremony that started at 9 am brought some 50 tribal families
from three states — Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra — to the
Malwa office of VHP on Wednesday. VHP Malwa region convener Narendra
Jain said, ‘‘These tribal families, who had converted to
Christianity, expressed their wish to return to the Hindu fold. With
Thursday being ‘Pitramoksh amavasya’, and Navratri starting from
Friday, this was an auspicious day for their ‘ghar wapsi’.’’
Swami Ramanandacharya Maharaj, the head of the Shree Sampraday Seva
Samiti, was the organiser of the ceremony. ‘‘We extended our support
to the programme because we believe in the same cause,’’
Ramanandacharya said.
The ceremony, which went on till 2 pm, rituals were carried out
according to Hindu traditions, Jain said. He said the tribals from
Madhya Pradesh who reconverted are from Betul district.
After the ceremony, Ramanandacharya asked VHP and other Hindu
organisations ‘‘to wake up to the situation’’, protect tribals and
provide health services, educate and a regular source of income to
them. He said poverty drove them to embrace other faiths.
More than 7,000 persons, including a large number of VHP activists,
gathered at the Chimnabai Girls Higher Secondary School at Dewas
amid tight police security. Posters of the reconversion ceremony
were put up all over the town and the girls’ school ground was
decorated with colourful ‘‘shamianas’’.
Mantras were chanted and ghee poured into the holy yagna fires as
the heads of tribals were tonsured as part of the purification
ceremony..
17
October, 2007
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