Dear Senthil, I just want to respond to one point from your comparison of activities of both Missionaries and Hindutva group. What you have mentioned is not apparently based on direct and critical observation of the facts in specific context and specific places, with a researchers perspectives. A layman's perspectives in fact based on hearsay as appears in the poorly presented analysis. The situation indeed differs from place to place, therefore should not be generalised only with a little observation. Here my humble submission is to come to the context of Kandhamal context, from where the whole discourse is continuing in the listserve.
I am largely agree with your observation on missionaries activities but at the sametime have a problem with your misleading observation by saying that "none of the hindutva organisations denigrate the tribal culture". In Kandhamal the entire Kandh community are Hinduised except a Primitive Tribal Group- Kuttia Kandhs of Belghar. In every hamlets of Phulbani subdivision have Trinath Mandap (Temple), worshipping Brahma, Bishnu and Maheswar, are constructed in government fund in the name of community centre. None of the deity was known to the Kandhs. The traditional marriage practices and rituals, naming ceremonies,etc originally practised in the Kandh culture have been banned in the name of "reforms" through tactfully appropriating Kui Samaj by the Hindutva forces, which you can find reference from the Kui Samaj *riti and niti *published in 2004 with its fifth edition. Vegeterianism has been strongly promoted.Youth dormitory is abolished through resolution. The marriage by choice and other forms customary marriage of Kandhs have been stopped, if so happen the person/ family concerned will be penalised and boycotted, seem to be strategically establishing hardcore Hindu patriarchy. Slowly the Hindutva forces have conspired to cleanse the original cultural traits and practices of the Kandhs. *Danda Nritya and Thakurani Yatra were entirely strange to Kandhs and Kandhamal, a Hindu festival massively celebrated at Ganjam, Gajapati and Nayagarh District of Orissa,* is massively celebrated now by the tribals, forgetting their (Kandhs) most famous Meriah Festival. Everything is appropriated in Hindutva model by misappropriating the whole Kandhs community of Kandhamal. A strong dissidents within the Kui Samaj opposing this culture cleansing strategy of the Hindutva forces like the VHP Baba, the voice of which are sidelined by the media as well as the nasty political forces. The tribal deities are replaced with Hindu Gods and Goddess. The Kandhs are now decorated with Chandan and Tilak. So like Christian fanatics Hindutva forces have also strategically hijacked the culture of the tribals. The only difference between the two is that the Hindutvawadis is using a *culture cleansing* method with intolerant cannibal strategy by injecting the ancient ideas of the so-called Aryans are superior and others are slaves. The concept of untouchability was completely strange to the Kandhs is now practised widely making the Casteist Hindutva brigade success in their continued mission of routing hatredness in the minds of the very progressive peace loving tribals. Now I leave this for all of you to judge who has denigrated and who has not denigrated the tribal culture. With regards sricharan
