Dear Mr. Cyprian, Cogratulations for your bold statement. I fully stand by you. Being a devout Hindu myself, I can say with confidence that Hindu culture and beliefs does not approve of anything that the saffron brigade and their likes do and propagate.
I feel sad that a section of misguided people denigrate and malign everything that all religions tell us. regards to all To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:29:20 +0530Subject: Re: Hindustan Times: Conversions at the root of carnage in Orissa Jharkhand Forum Please stop the 'academic' discussion. I am a born Christian, as you may guess from my name. And, hold your fanatic breath, I am a tribal too. Who should know better if my ancestors were Hindus or not? They never were. And I am proud they weren't (even if I weren't a Christian). I still follow my ancestral religion, customs and traditions. I pray to the 'tribal' God (sic) and Christian God too. Todate they have not quarelled with one another. Neither has the Church told me not to pray to a 'tribal' God. Why should anyone else have a problem with that? Incidently, I feel doubly fortunate not to have fallen prey to the Vanwasi Kalyan Ashramites, who seem to develp ulcer calling me an Adivasi. The Saffrons want me to 'return' to Hinduism, right? Watch out! Return, you said? What return? Where return? Who is the oldest dweller of the soil, the blood curdling fanatics or Adivasis? Is that not why my 'Adivasiyat' has been recycled into 'Vanvasiyat'? If I wish, I may embrace Hinduism right now (online, if Vedas certify it as valid). May I ask the Saffron brigage if they will grant me a Brahmin's status and make me the chief pujari at Puri temple or Akshardham temple or what have you? If yes, I may start typing an application letter right away. But don't tell me to hate other religions and their followers. That's not the Hinduism I may love to convert to. I studied Hinduism and several other Indian religions. None taught me to hate others. I can recite and comment on some shlokas of Bhagwadgeeta off the bat. I even meditate on them. I loved watching 'Ramayan' tele-serial and have already read the Hindu epics with relish. I love to participate in spiritual discourses of some Hindu sects (certainly not those sponsored by the Brigade). Which edition of Hinduism are you talking about? Cyprian Ekka---
