Orissa violence: Genesis Behind The Hatred

D N Singh It is not for nothing that the most peaceful sanctum of Orissa is now a powder keg. Kandhamal virtually burnt for days and the innocent people of this district were caught in the web of a religious conflict.Things have changed for Kandhamal. The lush green landscapes no more inspire the visitors and there is no more respite in the niches of this beautiful place. As we drove into the interiors of riot-hit Tikabali area, we could see thick smokes billowing out of two hills. Houses were burnt and the structures of worship were destroyed. That was the scene in many places and they were so ubiquitous as not to surprise us. We decided undertake a quest for the reality behind the whole disquiet, the destruction and the schism that has torn Kandhamal apart. The hatred, in fact, had been simmering since long and the signs of the impending conflagration were witnessed last December when the late Swami was attacked by hooligans a day before the Christmas. That was a warning on which the administration should have acted. Instead it was the spark that has turned to a flame today, engulfing the entire district within hours and has also spilled out to other districts. History has it that, way back in 1827 the English made inroads into Kandhamal, landing first in a place called Ghumsar. Its climate was the initial attraction, as it was perfect for spending the summer. However, slowly the passion for nature turned into a passion for social reform, and they tried to get closer to the poor people. It needs no be mentioned that in Kandhamal (earlier name Phubani) district the Kandh tribes and the dalits constitute the major part of the population with the Kandhs predominating. Lure or whatever, the dalits were the ones who first showed their inclination towards Christianity and in 1894 the first Church was built in Digi in Kandhamal. Well, that was the beginning. Many more churches were later erected in quick succession, and soon even the remotest interiors came to be dotted with Prayer Cottages; a clear signal that, a missionary zeal was pervading the hills. Today, in the district of Kandhamal there are about 1014 churches and Prayer cottages all counted. Going by 2001 census, the converted Christian population has shot up to about one lakh twenty thousand in Kandhamal. This is out of the district`s total population of 6, 46,912 (2001). A schism was born and the religious divide bred unwanted seeds of social polarization. But it has its root in another bitter reality. The tribals and the dalits were at logger heads for years over economic resources, mainly over land ownership which had led to a riot in 1994 when the peace-loving tribals lost their cool and took on the dalits with a vengeance. Seventeen people got killed during the two month long clash. The converted Dalits, perhaps, wanted to have the cake and eat it too. They launched a campaign two years back pressurising the state government to give them ST status, so that they could enjoy the benefits the Kandhs were getting. Which was not acceptable to the tribals, who apprehended that they would be fully cornered by the Christian dalits. Then a sizable population of tribals embraced Hinduism. The situation provided the grain for the politicians and they played their nasty tricks and the district of Kandhamal, already caught in the vortex of conversion and re-conversion, was turned into a tinderbox. In 1959, the VHP had its outfit here at Chakapad where Swami Lakshmananand Saraswati was given the charge of protecting the essence of Sanatan Dharm. Besides the religious preachings, the swami had also ventured into social and educational sectors to see that illiteracy should not be the vulnerable point for the Missionaries. The swami simultaneously helped many converted dalits and tribals back into the Hindu fold, which obviously widened the social divide and the animus. What has happened during last few months is already history. The people have paid the price for a game played by politics. One community is in the hideouts or in relief camps, and the other on prowl on the hotbeds of unrest. The tranquil exaltation in the lush green hills have extinguished into a silent terror. The basic problems of Kandhamal, however, remains unaddressed. Behind all the divides, the crux of the issue is poverty and unemployment. A place where over 85 per cent people live below the poverty line, a district where average literacy rate is not more than 30 per cent, a place where the majority looks up to the forest for livelihood; the common man in Kandhamal is like a greezy sandwitch wrapper fluttering in the breeze of lures; be it Hinduism or Christianity.