Page 56 - English Tehelka Issue 1&2

OpiniOn
dilemmas
HumrA
QurAISHI
The Delhi-based writer
and columnist’s books
include kashmir: the
Untold story. She co-
authored a series of
writings with the late
Khushwant Singh and
her short stories are
part of anthologies.
The views expressed
are her own
The Christian
community
has given us so
much, foremost
education. Convent
schools charge low
fee for imparting
education in
English and moral
values to students
Tehelka / 31 january 2018 56 www.Tehelka.com
56-57 Opinion Humra.indd 2-3
sOciety
Why are Christians was too dark, and they had no lights
that would help them take the
being attacked in India? shots they needed. However, since
some footage was left over, they
decided to use it for interior shots.
When the film was developed
later, the shots of the dormitories
There is no open condemnation of hounding of the Christian inside were found to be clearer
community even as we acknowledge the existence of an indirect and brighter than those taken in
sunlight. The first thing I asked
official sanction and backing of the police-politician nexus Mother Teresa was if this was true.
She replied, ‘But of course.
Such things happen all the time.’
s I celebrated Christmas population have been coming through. And she added with greater inten-
a few days ago, I thought Hindutva brigades issued warnings to sity, ‘Every day, every hour, every
about the attacks on Christian families in Uttar Pradesh’s single minute, God manifests Him-
Christians in various Aligarh against singing of carols or cel- self in some miracle.’ She narrated
locales of the country. In ebrating Christmas in schools. In Mad- other miracles of the days when
A fact, there’s been an on- hya Pradesh’s Satna district, Christian her organization was little known
going hate campaign unleashed against students and priests were attacked and and always short of cash. ‘Money
them by right-wing outfits: first it was all beaten by Hindutva brigade, relaying an photo: tehelka archives has never been much of a problem,’
the hype that Christian missionaries are atmosphere of utter fear. In fact, the situation can be she told me, ‘God gives through His
indulging in mass conversions which Sadly, there is no open condemna- termed so very obnoxious that • Violence prevails Hounding of Christians people.’ She told me that when she
stood vetoed by vital facts and figures tion of this, even as we realize that this even Mother Teresa’s Missionaries cannot take place without official approval started her first school in the slums,
showing that the country’s Christian hounding of the Christian community of Charity is not spared by these she had no more than five rupees
population was decreasing and not cannot take place without an indirect brigades. The nuns have dedicated in the way in which she did. with her.
increasing. Then came the vicious official sanction of sorts, and not with- their entire lives to look after the “In my study in my cottage in But as soon as people came to
propaganda against the very celebra- out the backing of the police-politician needy and homeless, the sick and Kasauli, I have two pictures of the know what she was doing, they
tion of Christmas. nexus. Yet we are not crying hoarse the dying. In one of their hospices people I admire most — Mahatma brought money and other things.
I recall rather too distinctly that after against this ongoing hate propaganda they tend to the dying and even Gandhi and Mother Teresa… It must The first institution she took me to
the hounding and killings of Christians against a community that has given us perform the last rites in accord- have been more than thirty years was Nirmal Hriday. It was in 1952
in Orissa’s Kandhamal tribal belt in so much; foremost, education. I have ance to the religious beliefs and ago that I was asked to do a profile that the Calcutta Corporation had
2008, I had interviewed several victims to acknowledge that with their middle faith of the dead. Tell me how of Mother Teresa for The New York handed the building over to her.
and it was shocking to hear accounts of class resources, my parents couldn’t many amongst us will be able to Times. I wrote to Mother Teresa Orthodox Hindus were outraged.
how fear prevails in tribal pockets, more afford to send my siblings and I to a reach out to the dying and the seeking her permission to call on Four hundred Brahmin priests at-
so around Christmas time. They’d told public school, so we were enrolled in disadvantaged? her. Having got it, I spent three days tached to the Kali temple demon-
me they have to keep celebrations ab- Lucknow’s Loreto Convent, where the In fact, once when my friend late with her, from the early hours of strated outside the building. “One
solutely low key; so subdued that even Irish nuns charged students very basic Khushwant Singh had even asked the morning to late at night. Noth- day I went out and spoke to them, ‘If
singing and music is kept out so that affordable fees. Yet they gave us so much Mother Teresa — “Tell me how can ing in my long journalistic career you want to kill me, kill me. But do
right-wing goons on the prowl do not in return, in terms of education and you touch people with loathsome has remained as sharply etched in not disturb the inmates. Let them
burn their homes or church properties. values. With nostalgia tightening its diseases like leprosy and gangrene? my memory as those three days die in peace.’ That silenced them.
Coincidentally or not, ever since the
right-wing government came to power hold, I recall the tranquility and calm Aren’t you revolted by people filthy with her in Calcutta… Before I met Then one of the priests staggered
in. He was in an advanced stage of
spread around the school chapel. I was
with dysentery and cholera vomit?” her, I read Malcolm Muggeridge’s
at the Centre, it gets somewhat apparent there almost every afternoon but, mind She had gently replied, “I see Jesus book on her, Something Beauti- galloping phthisis. The nuns looked
that hurdles are made to come in the you, nobody tried to convert me from a in every human being. I say to my- ful for God. Malcolm was a recent after him till he died. That changed
the priests’ attitude towards Mother
convert to Catholicism and prone
self, this is hungry Jesus. This one
this to a that!
way of Christmas celebrations. In 2014,
hadn’t the government cancelled the My generation of middle-aged Indi- has gangrene, dysentery or cholera. to believe in miracles. He had gone Teresa. Later, one day, another
December 25 holiday, ‘converting’ the ans owe much to the missionaries. We I must wash him and tend to him.” to make a film on Mother Teresa for priest entered the Home, pros-
trated himself at Mother Teresa’s
the BBC. They first went to Nirmal
day to Good Governance Day, and then
Whilst on Mother Teresa, its
can converse and communicate in Eng-
had come up with all those silly excuses lish because we were taught by selfless apt to quote Khushwant Singh. He Hriday Home for dying destitutes feet and said, ‘For thirty years I
as cover ups. nuns and priests, who dedicated their has written extensively on her and close to the Kalighat temple. have served the Goddess Kali in her
temple. Now the Goddess stands
entire lives for us. Yet, we are ungrate-
after reading those details you are
“The team took some shots of
This past Christmas though there
was no ‘good governance day’ (after all, ful enough to not veto the Hindutva sure to sit and wonder the extent of the building from outside and of its before me.’ ”
where are traces of good governance?),
brigades’ vicious propaganda against
Mother Teresa’s selfless service. Yes, sunlit courtyard. The camera crew
news-reports of attacks on the Christian the missionaries. only a saint could have reached out was of the opinion that the interior letters@tehelka.com
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12/01/18 4:15 PM