CHANGLANG, PAPUMPARE & ANJAW: Arunachal Pradesh Sona Padam is writhing in pain. The 20-year-old who got married last year has a rare skin disease on her right arm that has blackened the skin and swollen it to an extent that she cannot use “The Hindus have done this to me, my in-laws, my own people. They got this done through an occultist,” she alleges.Sona is an Adi tribal from Arunachal Pradesh, a state that is home to 26 major tribes and more 100 sub-tribes. Taboos superstitions and rituals prevail, and sacrificing bovines for the most minor of ailments is par for the holy course.Sona’s parents, too, resorted to such sacrifices to help her heal but without luck. “We almost become bankrupt because of such rituals,” shrugs her mother, a traditional weaver, sitting at Sona’s bedside with a hand fan.Today, Sona is recuperating at the Tangsa Baptist Churches Association’s Bethel Prayer Centre at Jairampur, a town in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh — with a prayer on her lips and The New Testament in her hands. “Jesus will heal me. I am told the holy water they are giving me has divine powers,” she says.To be sure, the promise of “healing power of Christ” and the prospects of better education have been driving the believers of indigenous faiths in Arunanchal towards Christianity. It’s been happening for some time now, with visible results. The difference today, though, is the current climes. A government buoyed by the platform of Hindu nationalism rules in both the state and the Centre. And at the helm of the saffron ship is the ideological and organisational big brother, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS ).“The missionaries’ work is a national threat. Indigenous faith will have to be taken forward. The Sangh has been successful in supporting and inspiring these movements. Self-awareness is key for realisation of where they come from,” says Sandeep Kavishwar, RSS pracharak, and joint organising secretary, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (NE), a service arm of the Sangh working in tribal areas. The church, of course, has a different take. Christian missionaries were not allowed to enter Arunanchal decades ago, points out Tame Hakam, a pastor at the Catholic Church of Itanagar. Tribals of Arunachal went to Assam in the 1950s and 1960s for education, he adds. “We were poor and illiterate till then. When they came back, the first Church was built at Ziro (in Lower Subansiri district).DONYI-POLO : A revivalist religious movement started by activists led by Talom Rukbo in 1986 to fight against conversion, it believes in worshipping the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo). Households display a flag with a red sun on a white ground. A rainbow symbolises the faith. The place of worship is called “ganggin” . It is followed by Adi, Galo, Apatani, Nishi and Tangin tribes.It is the church that taught us to preserve our dialect and language.” The past three-four decades have been productive for the church. Consider: In the 1981 Census, followers of indigenous faiths (termed as Others in the census) were a little over half of the population, at 51.6%. By 2011, it was down to 26%, according to the most recent census.RANGFRAA: An animist belief system that worships Lord Rangfraa, which is supported by Hindutva groups. The Rangfraa idol looks like Shiva. It is followed by Nokte, Wangcho and TangsasThe Christian population — largely Roman Catholics —incontrast has surged from 0.79% in 1971 to 31% by 2011, in the process becoming the largest religion. Hindus come in at 29%, unimaginable for the Hindu nationalists, and for many within the BJP and the RSS. “The Hindu population is reducing in India because Hindus never convert people,” Union Minister for State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijuju had famously said on his home turf in February.The missionaries for their part will point to another set of statistics: the 1951 census showed 0% Christians and 0% literacy. The literacy rate is 65.38%, as per Census 2011.The main prayer hall of Bethel Prayer Centre has scores of converted tribals following biblical recital of “the mother”. “We preach in the language they understand. We were praying for peace, harmony, security and health of the entire nation,” says R Jujuli, the mother. Liturgical services at most of the Arunachal churches are not conducted by priests but by young converts who work as catechists.Established in 2009, the Bethel Prayer Centre serves asadeaddiction centre and offers free accommodation, counselling and prayers to the ailing and the infirm. “The missionaries do not ask us to practise costly rituals or change our lifestyles, languages or even our wardrobe. Many of the converted tribals, like me, have not even been asked to change names. We have received the gospel of Jesus, enlightenment, education. My own Nyishi tribesmen were rude, uncultured and a warrior tribe. The church has made us better people. What is wrong in that?” asks Hakam, the pastor, who calls himself a Nyishi Christian and refuses to call Christianity a foreign religion. “Christianity was born in Central Asia.How can it be foreign?” Hakam’s faith appears unshakeable, particularly when it comes to healing crusades. “Once, a woman came with crippled legs; we all prayed for her and she was cured. A tribal woman who was told by doctors she will never bear children had twins once she became a Christian and attended a healing crusade.” So is medical science futile? “Miracles happen. It is all a matter of faith,” avers Hakam. It isn’t as if all tribals are enthusiastic about conversion. Many believe this has been at the cost of indigenous customs, beliefs and cultures.“Missionaries offer medicine, food grain and cash to the needy on the back of strong funding from outside. Earlier, we were all one. There was no disharmony. But now converted tribals — our own brethren till a couple of years back — look down upon us,” says N Songtheng, a Lisu tribal working for the preservation of indigenous faith. Hindu organisations clearly a see a nefarious plan in the missionary work. “They are working for conversion; we are working for education. Their plans are treacherous… Tribal culture ought to be preserved with the same zeal that missionaries display while converting tribals,” says Bindu Nair, a Hindi teacher at Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya, Changlang.The photograph of a former RSS sahkaryavah Eknath Ranade — often called the underground sarsangh chalak for his activities when the Sangh was banned in the wake of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination — hangs on a wall of the staff room alongside Swami Vivekananda’s.As does the BJP government. In August, the state cabinet approved the establishment of the Department of Indigenous Faith & Cultural Affairs (DIFCA) at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu. “The indigenous communities of the state are getting disconnected from their rich culture and languages due to globalisation and exposure to external influences.In Photo: Sona Padam is an Adi tribal. She has a rare skin disease on her right arm. She blames it on “occult” practised by her in-laws and is trying to get healed at a Christian centre. Seen in her hand is a copy of The New Testament.As such, there have to be specific steps to preserve and protect them from disappearing into oblivion,” the CM said. But the Christian community was quick to smell an agenda. Toko Teki, general secretary of the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) said the move to create such a department was targeted at the Church. “The locals were getting attracted to Christianity due to various local problems...The government should not interfere in religious matters and treat all religious groups equally,” Teki asserted.Bowing to the pressure of the Christian community, the cabinet decided to drop the word “faith” from the proposed department. A Facebook page titled “Fight for Tribals Tradition” has been created to garner support for the new department. Hundreds of photos with tribals holding placards — such as “My name is Khojjon Sumta. I am from Tangsa community, district Changlang. I strongly support DIFCA” — have been posted.Tribal disdain for the missionaries isn’t difficult to spot. “They call us shaitan (demon), our roots rotten. They scorn at us and convert innocent tribals either by allurement, force or coercion,” says Tajom Tasung, the newly elected president of Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh from the Donyi-Polo faith. Others even claim missionaries have a nexus with Naga terrorists who support them in their mission in return for moolah.In Photo: The Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya at Jairampur. There are 36 such schools in Arunachal. Posters of Swami Vivekananda and RSS sahkaryavah Eknath Ranade hang in its staff room.The church duly rubbishes the allegations. “People who put such blame on us are bad spirits. Christianity or Christian preachers never force anyone to convert. Christ is the saviour of mankind. It’s only through our preaching that people are convinced, never by force, coercion or allurement,” says Reverend Dr Nyakdo Tasar, president, Arunachal Pradesh Christian Revival Church Council. Tasar points to the changed living conditions of tribals to illustrate the good work of the Church. “Tribals of Arunachal led lives like animals. But when the messengers of Christ came to the state, there was a remarkable change in their living style. Ask anyone here what was their lifestyle before the missionaries entered the state and how they lead their life now.”The line between altruism and enticement is often not too thick. “The moment they come to know of a sick person, they approach his home and make him change religion, often offering money for conversion,” alleges Kanzai Taisam, a youth leader working for the revival of indigenous faith in Arunachal.Even as Arunachal is the largest state in the Northeast, it has just 14 hospitals and 18 degree colleges across its 21 districts. The anti-conversion legislation of 1978 aimed at curbing conversions and a refusal to issue inner-line permits — mandatory for outsiders entering the state — don’t deter Christian missionaries. “The anti-conversion law was never enforced as its rules have not been framed,” says Kavishwar.A prevalent perception — and not just in the Northeast — is that the Congress and its policy of appeasing minorities may have contributed to the strides taken by the missionaries. Arunachal Pradesh BJP president Tapir Gao attributes the high conversion to poverty, innocence, lack of education and medical facilities and the catalytic work of the Congress. At the same time he stresses on the need for preservation of indigenous faiths. “The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee has had a long history in being a catalyst for reducing the indigenous population.The tribals were innocent people but now I feel people are more aware. There is a resurrection of indigenous faith; many are coming back to their tribal fold — which is a good thing,” adds Gao. Gegong Apang, the longest serving Congress CM of the state — he is now with the BJP — refuses to acknowledge such allegations. “Charges of giving a free hand to missionaries are baseless,” he told ET Magazine.Lately, followers of three indigenous faiths — Donyi-Polo, Rangfraa and Amik Matai — have been making efforts to stop conversions and save their native culture.They are also bringing about reforms to age-old practices such as saying no to sacrifices and engaging youth to spread the movement. The first active indigenous faith movement was started in 1986 by Talom Rukbo in whose memory December 1 is celebrated as Indigenous Faith Day or Religious Freedom Day. “Rather than working separately, we are working to unify the three indigenous faiths, which would make them more powerful in taking on the mighty church,” explains Khomseng Khomrang, a religious leader of Rangfraa movement from Changlang. The Rangfraa is an animist belief system of Arunachal. Changes are becoming evident owing to the small yet significant steps being taken. Against the many and big edifices of churches, one finds small “ganggin” or places of worship of indigenous faith. There are 450 such places across the state.Does the Sangh plan ghar wapsi for converted tribals to bring them back into the fold of Hinduism? “Hindus’ mentality is not for conversion. We believe in positive affirmation and not conversions. It is for the people to realise what is happening to them and stop getting converted. We are working as a catalyst to create that awareness to help them return to their tribal roots and nothing more,” says Kavishwar.The first churches of Arunachal Pradesh are believed to be built in 1920s. Arunachal has thousands of churches across the state. Asia’s biggest statue of Jesus is present in Miao town of Changlang district.Excerpts from an interview with Reverend Dr Nyakdo Tasar, president, Arunachal Pradesh Christian Revival Church Council:That is false. Christian preachers never force anyone to convert. We just preach the acts of Christ. It’s only through our preaching that people are convinced, never by force, coercion or allurement.It is very important to understand why we spread Christianity. It is in this way we realise God. People from even neighbouring states such as Assam are not allowed to enter Arunachal and need an Inner Line Permit. All this is because Arunachal is still inhabited by tribal people. They were living like animals. But when the messenger of Christ came to the state, there was a remarkable change in the living style of the people. You may ask anyone what was their lifestyle before the missionaries entered the state and what is the situation now.I don’t know why people of other faith are blaming Christian missionaries. But we know that those who are making false charges are not good. See what Mother Teresa has done for mankind and how Graham Staines was murdered by fundamentalists. We believe God is peace. Those who are blaming us are creating disharmony.Healing crusades are for physical and spiritual healing. They save people from demonic influence and curses. Its purpose is healing and deliverance.Doctors believe in science and tests and chemicals and examinations. When science fails, faith helps. It is not possible to cure every ailment with medical science. It is at this point that we call upon God and ask people to surrender totally.Excerpts from an interview with Sandeep Kavishwar, RSS pracharak and joint organising secretary, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, NETalom Rukbo officially started the indigenous faith movement. The Sangh Parivar has been giving logistic and moral support to existing movements. In regions that did not have any such movements, we have motivated others to make a start.Earlier there was mistrust. Now, they know that the Sangh is fully with them.Some 450 prayer houses have been built over 40 years in the state in contrast to thousands of churches in the state.It is a national threat, hence a national issue must be made to of it. When the public pressure will increase, automatically it will become an issue.Numerous such incidents and proof exist that have been published over a period of time.We do not believe in talkingnegative about these people. Positive aspects of our movement will have to be highlighted. Indigenous faith movement will have to be taken forward. People can be brought together through prayers. This way, they will get organised and get united.We are following the constructive way. I am sure people will dodharm ka paalan. This may take time but changes will surely happen.s?No, for small gains the Sangh does not believe in giving Hindus the minority status.Full-time pracharaks are only 10 -12 but local workers should number around 10,000.We only give impetus to samaj ka jaagran (mass awareness). Our focus is in creating awareness in all pockets of the society.