out of orissa

8-8
Our journey through Orissa has taken us now to Udiguri, a town who has been severely hit by the violence of last year. Here at the kuidina peace and justice organization, we heard the stories of victims who were chased from the homes, threatened with death if they returned as a christian. We heard of efforts by people to get protection from the government, even recieving written authorization for security from the human rights commission, receiving nothing and instead being chased into the jungle and forced to hide for 3 days without food or water. We also heard how people are now being forcibly relocated from the camps, set in a field, but with no provisions, no shelter, nothing. The government wants to put on a good face by formally ending the camps and saying the problem is over, but meanwhile they are doing nothing to ensure the security of the people. This is what we are being reported. people have lost faith in the government. Meanwhile, some of these same victims are reporting that they have not recieved any moral or spiritual support from church leaders. Up till now, not one priest or pastor has visited the village where this man was chased away from.

listening to the stories of these men and women, one can't help but feel helpless. This is not a situation which money can solve or relief can solve, even though that is even still desperatley needed. What is needed is for the government to take its proper role of ensuring the security of all its citizens. The sad thing is that this violence has a history dating back to the 1980's and has not been confined by its worst manifestation one year ago. We heard just yesterday that another activist has been attacked. Even now the lawyers fighting the cases are being threatened. 



8-9
It seems strange, just two days before the festival celebrating the birth of ram krishna and ten days before the one year anniversary of Swami Lakshamanda to be leaving orissa. There is an air of fear and apprehension in the air as to whether the attacks will happen again. Just last night we have heard of some isolated incidents against certain christians. While I should feel justified in leaving for my safety sake (in fact we booked our trip and tickets without these dates even in our mind and we are in no danger where we are staying), but instead I feel like so many of the church leaders from across denominations who had the money to move out of Kandamal while their people were left behind to face the fate of persecution. Yesterday we had a chance to visit a few camps and to hear the stories of those who are still living in fear and in squalor. Some of these christian communities are living only yards from their village, but still do not have the resources to rebuild or the confidence to return. We have heard from church organizations like caritas that they are in the planning stages of rebuilding, but those people we met with didn't mention that. One community of 53 families that we met said they cannot return. They were told by the RSS leaders of their village that they could only return if they converted, which they are unwilling to do. The peoples faith here is rather admirably, even if at times i find it to be fatalistic. These people do not need charity or mercy. They need and deserve and are owed Justice and Justice only. The christians here have a right to live in security and have a right for fiscal retribution from the government who neglected to protect them during the conflict despite direct commands from the human rigths commission to do so.

Staying with at the kuidina for Justice and peace organization, I have begun to get a completely differnt picture of the conflict. It was easy in Brahampur to see this as a question of Dalit christians versus tribal hindus who had been influenced by the hindutwa ideology. On the ground, however, I began to realize how much these categories of Dalit and tribal are constructions of a post independence india. Instead, we see how the kui peoples cultural tradition is being systematically trodden upon both by westernization and sanskritization. Instead, particularly with the brahminic hinduization of the people, we see how a caste system foreign to their society has been imposed. Furthermore, one can see the injustice of government categorization which does not recognize indigenous animisitic religion as something unique or set apart and instead places it under the category of Hindu, just as Jain, Sikh, and buddhism are as well. One sees how an "inclusive pluralistic" religion becomes used as a hegemonic cultural force. I hope that this blog is not being read in any way as anti-hindu, for that is neither my sentiment nor my intention. Instead it is trying to recognize and affirm the deeply particular identities of people and culture wherever they may be found. Any effort to call the kui historically as hindus (I say historically,  since the coming of the railroads has brought "evangelization" efforts by hindu groups to bring "backwards" people into the fold) simply because of a govt distinction is pure intellectual laziness. 


Michael Le Chevallier
MDiv candidate 2011
University of Chicago
email/skype: mike.lechevallier@gmail.com
Cell: (+91)9537158645