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Ghar Wapsi

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Ghar Wapsi (Hindi, meaning "Back to Home") is a series of religious conversion activities, facilitated by Indian Hindu organisations Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu Makkal Katchi,[1] to facilitate conversion of Christians and Muslims to Hinduism and Sikhism.[2] It became a subject of public discussion in 2014.[3][4][5] The Bharatiya Janata Party's Yogi Adityanath has claimed this campaign would continue unless conversions to other religions are banned altogether in the country.[6] According to proponents of Hindutva, such as Sangh Parivar, the process is called "reconversion" of Christians and Muslims who were previously converted.[7] The process is viewed as Shuddhi or "purification" rather than conversion, since they state, through Ghar Wapsi, people from the other religions are returning to their "true" religion.[8]

The Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organised several Ghar Wapsi events in Telangana,[9] Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Goa.[10][11] The Indian Express reported that Scheduled Caste Manjhi families demanded better facilities along with education and healthcare before they converted.[12]

In a Supreme Court judgment, the judges ruled that reconversion to Hinduism will not prevent a person from accessing quota benefits and adopt the caste of his forefathers. The bench further held that "the Scheduled Caste persons belonging to Hindu religion, who had embraced Christianity with some kind of hope or aspiration, have remained socially, educationally and economically backward."[13]

Etymology

The word ghar is of Hindi origin which means "home".[14] The word wapsi means "to return".[15]

This term indicates the belief held by the organisations facilitating such programmes that most of the Muslims and Christians in India have descended from Hindus, and hence are returning to their "home" through reconversion.

Major instances

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

More than 8,000 people in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh converted to Hinduism from July 2014 - December 2014 under the Ghar Wapsi programme.[16] According to a VHP official, 1,200 people converted to Hinduism in a Ghar Wapsi event in Hyderabad.[9] In October 2019, 500 Christian Dalits in Andhra Pradesh were convinced to become Hindu and promise to never go to church again.[17]

Jharkhand

In April 2017, at least 53 tribal Christian families converted to Hinduism as part of the RSS's "Christianity-free" block campaign in Arki, Jharkhand. And at least seven other Christian families underwent a Shuddhikaran (purification ceremony) in Kochasindhri village.[18][19]

In March 2021, 181 Christians in Garhwa district were converted to the tribal Sarna religion.[20]

Punjab

Between 2011 to 2014, about 8,000 Christians in Punjab were converted back to Sikhism. Most of the reconversion was done in the Hoshiarpur district, followed by Amritsar and Batala.[21]

West Bengal

More than 100 tribal Christians were converted to Hinduism in the West Bengal's Birbhum district.[22]

In February 15, 2018 an Organisation called Hindu sanhati led by Tapan Ghosh organized “ghar wapsi” with 16 members of a Muslim family, who had “been re-converted to Hinduism”, being showcased on the dais of rightwing outfit Hindu Samhati.[23]

Uttar Pradesh

During Agra religious conversions 2014, it was claimed that 100 – 250 Muslims converted to Hinduism. In May 2017, RSS performed conversion of at least 22 Muslims, including women and children, into Hinduism in a secretive ceremony at an Aryasamaj Temple in Ambedkar Nagar district of Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.[24]

Tripura

In January 2019, 96 Tribal families that converted to Christianity 9 years prior, underwent Ghar Wapsi to reconvert back to Hinduism. The event took place in Kailashahar in Unakoti district in Tripura. The event was done by the Hindu Jagaran Mancham, an affiliate of the RSS, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).[25]

Kerala

In 2015, about 35 people were reportedly converted to Hinduism at an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Alappuzha.[26] In 2015, 35 people converted to Hinduism in Kottayam district. They were Dalit families who had converted to Christianity a few generations back.[27]

Tamil Nadu

In 2015, first ghar wapsi happened in Tamil Nadu where 18 Dalit Christians reconverted to Hinduism by a ceremony done by the Hindu Makkal Katchi.[28]

Gujarat

In 2020, 144 tribal Hindus who converted to Christianity many years ago converted back to Hinduism in Dang district, Gujarat by the Agniveer organisation.[29]

Reception

Many Hindus in India, especially those affiliated with Hindutva-oriented organisations such as the BJP and RSS, are supportive of Ghar Wapsi efforts to counter what they perceive as mass conversions to Islam and Christianity and to a lesser extent Buddhism (neo-Buddhism), among Dalit Hindus in India. Secular groups and political parties are critical of Ghar Wapsi, when it is done with the state's support, as they say that it threatens freedom of religion in the country.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ "First 'ghar wapsi' in Tamil Nadu, 18 Dalit Christians 're-converted'". Indianexpress. No. 31 January 2015. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  2. ^ "In Punjab, Sangh works for 'return' to Sikhism as well; SAD fumes". The Indian Express. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Ghar Wapsi continues in Kerala; 58 more embrace Hinduism". Rediff News. No. 25 December 2014. 25 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. ^ "'Ghar wapsi' only way to end terror says BJP leader". Hindustan Times. 25 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. ^ VHP to hold 'ghar wapsi' for 4,000 Muslims in Ayodhya in January, Times of India, 24 December 2014
  6. ^ "Ghar wapsi to continue till conversions are banned: Adityanath". The Hindu. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  7. ^ Katju 2015, p. 21-22.
  8. ^ Vijayan & Gabriel 2015, p. 23.
  9. ^ a b "Faith matters: 'Ghar Wapsi' boom in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh". Deccan Chronicle. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  10. ^ "VHP plans 'ghar wapsi' in 5 Kerala districts today". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  11. ^ "RSS to Facilitate 'Ghar Wapsi' of Goan Catholics". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Education, healthcare before ghar wapsi". The Indian Express. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  13. ^ "SC ruling on reconversion: It's a stamp of approval for ghar wapsi, says VHP". Firstpost. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  14. ^ "A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English". dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  15. ^ Platts, John T. (John Thompson) (1884). "A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English". dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  16. ^ "'Ghar wapsi' not conversion: Togadia - Nagaland Post". Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  17. ^ Carvalho, Nirmala (25 October 2019). "Andhra Pradesh, nationalists push Christians to mass conversion to Hinduism". Asia News.it. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  18. ^ Roy, Saurav (10 April 2017). "RSS converts 53 families in drive to make block in Jharkhand 'Christianity-free'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  19. ^ Gupta, Mohak (11 April 2017). "53 families converted to Hinduism: RSS in Jharkhand wants block to be Christianity-free". India Today. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  20. ^ Singh, Sudhendra (15 March 2021). "ईसाई बने 181 लोगों ने की 'घर वापसी', पांव पखार कर सरना धर्म में हुआ स्वागत". Navbharat Times. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  21. ^ "In Punjab, Sangh works for 'return' to Sikhism as well; SAD fumes". The Indian Express. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Ghar Wapsi: More than 100 tribal Christians converted to Hinduism in West Bengal".
  23. ^ "16 of a family put on display at Bengal 'ghar wapsi' event". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Ghar Wapsi: 22 Muslims convert into Hinduism in Faizabad, UP". Oneindia. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  25. ^ "'Ghar Wapsi' bid in Tripura: 96 Christians 'reconverted' to Hinduism". 21 January 2019.
  26. ^ "VHP holds 'ghar wapsi' for 35 tribal Christians in Kerala". 5 January 2015.
  27. ^ "35 'reconverted' in Kottayam district". The Hindu. 16 February 2015.
  28. ^ "First 'ghar wapsi' in Tamil Nadu, 18 Dalit Christians 're-converted'". 31 January 2015.
  29. ^ "Gujarat: 144 tribals 'reconverted' to Hinduism in Dang". City: World. Indian Express. TNN. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  30. ^ Rajeshwar, Yashasvini; Roy C. Amore (9 May 2019). "Coming Home (Ghar Wapsi) and Going Away: Politics and the Mass Conversion Controversy in India". Religions. 10 (5): 313. doi:10.3390/rel10050313.

Further reading

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