48
HINDU-CHRISTIAN
COMMUNALISM: AN ANALYSIS OF KANYAKUMARI RIOTS
GEORGE MATHEW
There is a common belief that south
Our argument is that when a militant 'missionary' religion makes an
entry in a traditional society (with a traditional religion) tensions are
inevitable. If the new religion comes with the support of political power and
with a distinct cultural identity, the tensions become serious creating
permanent cleavages in society. However, if the 'receiving religion1
has the capacity to absorb the 'new religion' into its social structure, and if
the new religion is willing to adapt itself to the new milieu, harmony and
peace between the religious communities are possible. Cultural symbols bereft
of religious
content can play a significant role in this process of integration. The nature
and character of the State play a crucial role in the expansion or otherwise of
a new religion and in determining the quality of the relationship between the
religious communities.
POLITICAL POWER AND PATRONAGE
The earliest confrontation Hinduism had with a religion born outside
Indian culture was Christianity.2 Christianity first came to Indian
soil through the trade link the
______________
Dr. George Mathew is Assistant Director,,
Christian Institute for the study of Religion
and Society (CISRS),
49
first Islamic experience was again in Malabar through trade
connections with Arabs. The Muslim community struck root by Arab traders
marrying Indian women and by conversion. These 'Mappila
Muslims' as they are known, lived in harmony with the Hindus and Christians of
Kerala and religious strife was unknown.
We get a different picture when Christianity and Islam came to
The English East India Company which established its power helped the
Protestant chruches to take root and grow in Travancore and Madras Presidency. Mass conversions took
place in southern Tranvancore and Tinnevelly
from among the Nadar (Shanar)
and Parai-yan (Sambavar)
communities as a result of the work of the London Missionary Society and the
Church Missionary Society. In 1818 alone, 3000 Shanars
embraced Christianity. Later, when
ATITUDE OF THE GOVERNMENT
We now take a look at the 50-year social history of Madras Presidency
ending 1847 to get insights into the conflicts and tensions prevailing at
that time between Hindus and Christians. I have
taken the data from R.E. Fryken-berg's excellent
study of the Christian missions under the East India Company in Tamil Nadu. According to Frykenberg, a
unique form of Hindu-Christian commu-nalism developed
in Tamil Nadu with advent of Protestant Christianity.
These communal struggles were between Christian communities and between
Christians and Hindus. All the aggrieved communities found the government
(State) guilty. Tinnevelly was the centre of these
conflicts where Nadars were joining the Christian
fold in great numbers. Since Nadars had considerable
strength also in
What was the nature of the Government (State) in the eyes of the
people? Frykenberg says the Indian Empire was, in
actuality, a Hindu Raj. The fact that the Company
with few Europeans had to rule over so many people called for appealing the
'natives' rather than alienating them. Therefore the Company propitiated the
deities in each large and small locality and participated in their festivals.
Rituals and symbols associated with great temples were honoured.
Such arrangements were formalised in Regulation VII
of 1817 by which the Company took up the responsibility of maintaining each
deity. Thus the British were more 'interfering1 in the local
religion than 'natural' as those in
Christian communalism grew on the charge that the Tamil Christians were
not getting a 'fair deal' from a Christian government. In 1801 Christian
communities had appealed to the East India Company's government that due to
their conversion, they were being persecuted and, on grounds of conscience,
their lives and property were threatened. These converts had
50
told the
If it were under the government of
heathen kings that this injustice were shown to Christians. It would not
be a wonder: but under the government of Christians and their servants,
Christians should suffer injustice, and that by their means the increase of
Christianity is prevented, is to - us a
matter of astonishment .
ORGANISED MOVEMENTS
An organised movement of Hindus to protect
their 'position' in society was brewing when they saw that the new religion had
acquired special power and status. In 1817 the Hindus of B.lac-ktown
had complained to the government against the aggressive attitudes of Christians
which threatened Hindu religious customs. They wanted to stall the Christian
attempt to build a church and school in
In Tinnevelly, a mass
movement and 'aggressive leadership 10 provoked reactions from the
Hindu community. Oppression, outrage, violence and persecution took place.
There were petitions before the Government, often with exaggerated claims and
counter-claims.
Sir Montgomery, the then Collector of Tinnevelly,
had remarked: 'In cases such as these now under notice, where the religious
passions and angry feelings of the parties towards each other are brought into
full operation, the difficulties commonly felt are increased tenfold.' The
social reasons for the Christian converts' attack on 'heathens' and the effort
of 'heathens ' to thwart the spread of Christianity, according to Montgomery,
were the growing independence of the lower castes which form the Christians,
and the government's withdrawal from the management of the temples. The spirit of agitation and 'party feeling continuously stirred up
by church leaders caused continuous unrest. The Collector put .the blame
on the Christian attitude by saying:
The intolerant bearing of this class of persons (church leaders)
towards the heathen and the notions which they inculcate(d)
into the minds of the their ignorant hearers of the temporal advantages
which (would) follow a change of
creed...put(ing) themselves forth as the champions of
every aggrieved or aggrie-;
; ving
Christian, thus making (each) cause the cause of party of opposition. 12
Communalism continued to grow. In 1845 with the support of Vibhuthi Sangam and the Veda
Siddhartha Sabha (the Hindu organisations
formed to protect Hindu interests) a large crowd of several thousands attacked
the prayer halls, schools, houses and properties of Nullor
Congregations. Hundreds of houses were destroyed, property and livestock taken,
men severely beaten and women violated. About a hundred Hindus were arrested.
Large crowds turned out along the route from Tinnevelly
to
There were tensions because the authorities wanted to introduce
Biblical
51
knowledge in education. The first public examinations for entry into
the 'unco-venanted1 civil service were held
in March 1846. Hindu candidates boycotted it when they learnt that some of the
questions related to the Christian religion, its superiority, influence, etc.
By now the Hindus realised that the term 'heathen'
was derogatory. Large scale protests began. In 1846 at a massive public meeting
in
CONFLICT AMONG CHRISTIANS
The report on
communalism during this period would be incomplete without a look at
the communal tensions
and conflict among Christians
themselves. This
intra-Christian
communalism was the result of
caste in the churches. Although lower castes joined Christianity in large numbers
through the mass movement in
The new generation of missionaries found that caste within Christianity
was un-Christian and intrinsic to Hinduism. Dr.Daniel
Wilson, Bishop of
KANYAKUMARI: DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
Kanyakumari
district in Tamil Nadu was
carved out of Travancore-Cohin State in the 1956 State re-organisation
comprising its four
southern talukas of Thovala, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode. This district, according to
the 1981 census,
has c population of more
than 14 lakhs (ir 1971 it was 12 lakhs), but the latest community breakdown
is not available. The 1971 census shows that Kanyakumari had 7 lakh Hindus,
4 lakh 30 thousanc
Christians and 52
thousand Muslims. It is unofficially
stated that today the gap between
Hindus and Christians is closing fast. 18 Mr.L.Ganesan,
divisional organiser of the RSS,* says that the
Hindus account for 49 per cent of the population and Christians for around 45
per cent. Rev. Arokiaswamy, the Roman Catholic Bishop
of Kottar, corroborates this. But some other estimates show that now the
percentage of Christians in Kanyakumari has gone up
to 45.6 per cent while it was only 40 per cent ir the
1960s. ^ The increase in the Christian population is attributed, besides
natural birth, to the intensive conversion activities of Christian groups like
Pentacostals.
There were reports that fundamentalist Christian
groups with 'foreign
money' had stepped up their 'proselytising1 activities.20 Today Kanyakumari has
the highest Christiar population in the State.
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Among the Christians, the Roman Catholic Church has about 4 lakh followers while the
When two religious communities of more or less equal strength with
distinct religious practices co-exist within a given territory two situations
can arise: (a) they try to live peacefully because one cannot 'devour1
the other; (b) perpetual conflicts can occur when either of the communities
suspects 'subterranean forces' at work in favour of
the other community which may pose a threat to the existing community
equation.
QUALITATIVE CHANGE
After militant conversions to Christianity declined by about the 1930s
because of political factors21 Hindus accepted the emerging situation.
In the changed atmosphere nationalism became a new factor in the life
of the people. This had implications for
the religious sphere. Hindus considered themselves to be more nationalistic and thereby more
patriotic thar other religious minorities like
Muslims or Christians. The suspicion about these religions in the
Hindu psyche was because they were majority religion; in powerful countries and
in a 'hostile neighbouring country. The Hindus though
that the onus was on the minority to prove their patriotism. The ideological
position of the RSS vis-a-vi Muslims and Christians
must be see in this context.
RSS PERCEPTIONS
In the post-independence period Christian 'missionary' activity was
continued by Indian Christians. Baptism to admit Hindus into
In Kanyakumari
district, conversion to Christianity were taking
place. As a reaction to Christian expansion, the RSS .became well established.
Toda^ they have 110 hakas, branches the highest for
such a small area with a relatively small Hindu population. The^ draw
reinforcements from
53
according to Mr.L.Ganesan, is to 'safeguard
the Hindu temples' and protest their rights from the 'aggressive1 church.2
3
The Christian groups used to distribute Christian literature at bus
stops, in buses, trains and even at Hindu festival gatherings, addressing the
Hindus ('Oh sinners') at street corner meetings and painting 'Jesus comes' on
the walls of Hindu houses.2 The Hindu revivalist organisations
did not lag behind. During the months of December 1981 and January and February
1982 poster campaigns were conducted by the Hindu Front, RSS, Hindu Youth
Front and Viswa Hindu Parishad.
Hindus feared that there was a move by the Christians to change the name of Kanya-kumari district to 'Kanni
Mary1 (Virgin Mary). They also complained that the names of about
127 villages were Christianised.
RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS AND INSTITUTIONS
In a plural society, religious conflicts occur around religious symbols
and religious institutions - either when the rival community tampers with them
or when a particular community uses them without regard for the feeling of
other communities. The proliferation of wayside shrines and temples without any
rhyme or reason created the same 'subterranean threats' to the other community.
These are done to acquire power and status through financial and organisational gains to individuals and groups. The
gullible common people are used as their instruments and commu-nalism
flares up as the result. (We have seen that 150 years back in the vicinity of Kanyakumari, how on the question of schools, churches,
temples and certain terminology, communal clashes took place.)
The events which triggered the long chain of clashes between Christians
and Hindus in Kanyakumari in 1982 also were centred on Symbols and institutions The
disappearance of a cross in November 1980, following the quarrel between two
boys in Ksandathatuvillai village made that area the
scene of communal clashes. In February 1982, on the closing day of the World
Week of Prayer,
a Christian procession was taken out through the
'Monday Market" in Nagercoil and a Christian
merchant placed an illuminated cross at the traffic island in the centre of the
town. The cross was removed after the procession. Soon after, a local Hindu
farmer installed a Ganesa idol at the same traffic
island and started daily prayers. This was objected to by the Christian
population. On the Mahasivaratri day, five days after
the installation of the idol, the authorities removed it. Removing an idol on
an auspicious night was a sacrilege and mass hysteria was whipped up with
slogans of "Hindu Unity' A hartal was
declared and shops were closed. Hindu-Christian clashes followed in the neighbouring villages.
When the project acquired a Hindu character Christians claimed that
Francis Xavier also had meditated on the rock. Twice Christians removed the
pedestal and plaque of the Vivekanand centenary on
the rock and replaced it with a wooden cross. Hindus, in turn, threw away the
cross.(According to tradition, revenue records and dwaswom records, the rock belonged to the Kanyakumari temple. ) The Christians gave up but retaliated
by obstructing the ferry service run by the Vivekananda Kendra to the rock
Memorial. The reasons given for the eight-year old Ferry
dispute (settled in 1981) was a piece of land and the danger dredging
posed to their homes. But the real cause was deeper. Had Vivekanada
been projected as a symbol of Indian nationalism local or national support of
people of all faiths for the centenary memorial would have been possible. One
can safely presume that enlightened Christian leadership would have gladly
associated with the project as a mark of their nationalist feelings. But, when
religious meaning was imputed to an otherwise national symbol, the chasm
between the communities widened and suspicion and fears were fanned.
COMMUNAL VIOLENCE
When communities suspect each other, rumours
can play havoc. The Mandikadu Bhagwati
Amman temple 'Masi Kodai'
festival, with a customary bath of devotees in the sea is an important
54
occasion in Kanyakumari. A rumour spread on the first day of the festival in 1982 that
women returning after their bath were molested by men who had assembled in the
nearby Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Already a tense
atmosphere prevailed with loud speakers blaring from the festival area and the
Church. On March I, a crowd had collected at the church and police had
to fire 46 rounds killing 6 persons (unofficially 14). Widespread violence,
looting and arson followed in the coastal villages of Rajakkaman-galam,
Eethanozhi, Kallukatti, Pillait-hope and Nagercoil town.
After a fortnight of the first firing, 3 more persons lost their lives - 2 in
police firing at Keelmanamelkudi and one in the
communal clash in Kovalam village. Churches, temples,
hospitals, balwadis and convents were destroyed. The
worst affected were the fishermen whose huts were set on fire-680 of them in Pollam-thurai. Many catamarans, fishing nets and other
apparatus for fishing were reduced to ashes. (Each catamaran or net costs Rs 3000-4000). Their drinking water wells were poisoned
with diesel oil, hundreds were hurt and thousands were arrested. Essential
supplies were cut off to the villages of the fishermen.
The pattern in the communal clashes all over
COMMON CULTURAL HERITAGE
Christianity and Islam by nature are hierarchically organised
religions. Hinduism is not. Christian churches, though organised,
give outsiders the picture of division based on 'faith' and tradition. If the
'already organised' churches forget their
denominational differences and come together at least symbolically, other
religions will see that as a threat. In Kanyakumari,
although the World Week of Prayer was an annual feature, the procession was organised for the first time, and the participants were
from about 40 churches belonging to different denominations. 7 The Hindu
suspicion and fears were confirmed. By the same token, when an unorganised religion like Hinduism raises slogans of Hindu
unity and facilitates the growth of militant organisations.
Christians see a threat. This is all the more because Hindus are the
overwhelming majority in the country. The Hindu Revival Conference held at Nagercoil on February 13 and 14, 1982 and the procession
they took out on February 13 precipitated a 'situation' of tension and
conflict.
In 'old societies' even when a 1 'new' religion takes root, the common
cultural heritage cannot be wiped out for the adherents of the 'new' religion.
However, when the protagonists of the 'new' religion1 born and
brought up in an alien culture, bringing the new faith to the 'old societies'
try to transplant the cultural milieu, there will certainly be common bonds of
cultural expression locally between the 'old1 and the 'new'. These
common cultural heritages will appear on the religious consciousness level
also. This explains why the followers of different religions respect and even
worship at each other's sacred places. The fishermen of Kanyakumari
were traditionally afraid of the sea god, even after they bacame
Christians centuries ago. The Christian fishermen used to call St.Lucia, Kannamma and considered
her the sister of Bhagwati Amma.
They believed that during the Bhagawati Anman Festival at Mandai Kadu, there would I be a good catch of fish. They made
offerings at the Bhagwati Amman temple and their song
was:
Kadal Vazhi Vantha Kannamma
Therai Vazhi Vantha Bhagwati
The Hindus used to make offerings to 'Sakayamata'
church (
55
of Perpetual Help). This cultural anth-roppological
fact is not an epiphenomenon. None of these religious people would like to see the
relations between the communities destroyed. Their religious faith based on
their experience is basic to their ''being'. Then how does communal conflict
arise?
CONCLUSION
The radicals, the CPM, (Communist Party Marxists) Naxalities
and Action Groups support Christians against Hindu revivalist organisations. For the radical elements, the latter are
extreme reactionaries keeping the ignorant masses under oppression. Among
Christians they see some signs of a progressive force in spite of the inequalities
in the churches. In Kan-yakumari the CPM, had
categorically accused the RSS of attacking the fishermen. Various 'action
groups' some -inclined to the Vinod Mishra faction of CPM, supported Christians. It may , be recalled that, in Kerala, the number one enemy of
the RSS is Marxists. What about minority solidarity? Muslims in Kanyakumari came to the rescue of Christians. This happens
in other situations too.
Christians cannot make
It can be urged that when economic development and independence grow
communalism will decline. Kanyakumari is one of the
economically developed districts of Tamil Nadu.
Perhaps that helped to limit the clashes to a few days. The growth of radical
politics and a rapid rate of economic growth will certainly help communities to
live in cooperation and peace.
Whether it is under the Company Raj or under
today's secular, democratic and socialist Republic, religious communities will
clash if their conscience, status, power and space are threatened. The threat
can be real or imaginary. The crux of the matter is: all must observe the rules
of the game respecting the basic humanity of man. Today, this is the meaning of
secularism - the main professed characteristic of the Indian Consitution. After all, secularism is faith in man and not
faith in the plurality of gods.
The Hindu gentry of
A country which has rich cultural traditions can use these cultural
symbols for social and political integration if the symbols used are bereft of
religious meaning and located in the national framework. Such an opportunity
was lost in Kanyakumari. Swamy
Vivekananda is not just a Hindu saint. He was one of the pillars of Indian
renaissance and an able son of modern