The lexicon meaning of the expression conversion in the present circumstances, in its modern culturo-theological sense perhaps means the turning of singers to God; a reversal from sinfulness to righteousness. Conversion in the more informal sense can also mean the action of bringing a person over, or the certainty of him being presented to a particular belief, especially to a religious faith.

Authentically speaking, conversions ought to be out of the ark as the idea of religion itself. Indian experience too, is not new to this particular phenomenon. The preliminary Vedic period must have seen congregations of henchmen from amidst the people who came into contact with Vedic societal structure. The puranas might not be the exact history, yet they have an unquestionable historic value. They speak volumes of stories about forest inhabitants and animist tribes which were introduced over to Vedic practices. It was in response to certain practices in Vedic times that the Buddha made headway to a new path that laid emphasis on benevolence and evasion of complicated and exorbitant rituals. Nearly synchronous to Buddhism, Jainism too in its early days sermonised a way of life dissimilar from the former orthodox faiths. There were diverse converters to the new faiths. Even monarchs embraced the new faiths. Chandragupta Maurya became a Jain, Bindusara had adopted Ajivak tradition and Asoka’s acceptance of Buddhism is debated to be either a customary acceptance or a wholehearted submission. In ancient times, Jains have been reported to have been massacred by Shaivites. Conflicts were also reported to have taken place between Jains and Vaishnavas. Scattered stories of isolations and ex-communications of orthodox upper caste Hindus during Asokan times and exploitations and sufferings of Buddhist sects like Mahayanis and Hinayanis after the fall of the Mauryans are also well recorded.

Debates, Crusades and Inquisitions

Religious liberty has on all occasions been readily available to people inhabiting in the region earlier called as Jambudwipa and now known as India. Everyone has the right to practise the faith of his choice and the clergyman can spread the gospel of his ideas and convert people according to their perspectives. The story of conversions in India has gone through many contours in Indian sociological history from being voluntary to being inspired from debates and being forced upon through inquisitions.

There are six primary schools of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta or Uttar Mimansa is one of the six schools. Ramanaujacharya was a proponent of Vishishtadvaita tradition (one of five Vedanta traditions) under the Vedanta. After being prosecuted by Cholas he went to Karnataka. He became successful to bring followers of Jainism in the court of Vitala Deva Raya (of modern day Karnataka) under his distinct views of Vedanta after a debate.

Basaveswara, the founder of Lingayat school, whose teachings were codified in Vachanas drew persons from all the castes to become Veerashaivas. As for dissemination, religious ideas proliferated in ancient times and early medieval times mostly through the means of monarchs, monks and merchants. Asoka sent Buddhist missionaries across the seas. The seeds of Hinduism were also implanted beyond boundaries of the land of its nativity. Evidences of Indian Hindu Chola traditions can be found as far as in South Vietnam.

With the rise of Islam, which first came to India via the Arab Traders on the western coast, there was no face-off. It was when the Mohammedans came as conquistadors the conversions took place under force and coercion as a follow-up of conquests. These acts symbolic of moral turpitude led to tremendous dissatisfaction and had socio-political reactions like militarisation of groups formed out of people from Sangama dynasty and Hoysala army which led to formation of Vijyanagara Empire. Origin of Maratha Empire under the aegis of Chhatrapati Shivaji had similar social causes for its origin. Nonetheless the periods of conversions were short-lived and appeared in bursts, most prominently when the Delhi sultanate was being established and consolidated.

Christianity in India dates back to the first years of Christian Era when St. Thomas arrived in 52 AD. The religious forbearance of that time permitted the first Christians to live in Kerala and carry on with their faith. Missionaries came to India long before the colonial rule.

The episode of Goan Inquisition generally remains an ignored chapter in medieval Indian history. After the advent of Portuguese in Goa, the trail of Inquisition arrived in India which had left a dent in the social life in Spain. It is believed that the inquisition was put in place by a missionary named Francis Xavier. It was targeted to punish those blamed of heresy or practicing old faith secretly after having converted to Christianity with capital punishment. The followers and the lineage of the people who came with St. Thomas were also believed to have been hunted down under Goan Inquisition on the charges of converting to Judaism.

Conversions and Women emancipation

Conversions, although kept on occurring throughout the subcontinental history, few people were as renowned characters as Pandita Ramabai in this long tale. Born in a Marathi hindu Brahmin family, Ramabai had adopted Christianity in England. On her association with the later Brahmo samaj organizations in Bengal and Maharashtra, she was given copies of Vedas by the prominent Brahmo Samaj exponent Keshub Chandra Sen. She read them and many other prominent Hindu Texts. She was conferred the title of Pandita when a group of faculty of Calcutta university examined her knowledge of the Sanskrit religious and ethical texts and were in awe of the extent and depth of her understanding. She became a prominent spearhead person of women’s emancipation in later 19^th century India. She founded Mukti Mission in Kedgaon in Maharashtra which went onto become a prominent centre of women education and emancipation in Western India.

The bulk of the people alleviated by Pandita Ramabai’s efforts were from the poorer and tyrannised classes. It was similar to the cases during the initial days of birth of Christianity, Islam and even Buddhism. Generally when a movement of emancipation of downtrodden, exploited and excommunicated people occurs, it tends to take the shape of a new religion. Most prominent cases in this regard are the cases of Buddhism and Judaism.

Dangs district in Gujarat, had troubled records in 1998-99 over conversions. That period witnessed violence among Hindus and Christians during the Christmas time. It was alleged that many tribals were converted to Christianity under various kinds of luring like identity cards and arrangements of ration cards. Various organizations under different religious denominations blamed one another under the dimensions of inconveniences to communication. The conversions have assuredly shown an escalation in numbers of converted and associated killings if we go by the data provided by the socio economic review, a budget related publication of the state government.

Fundamental Rights related to religious freedoms enshrined in the constitution:

We will have a fleeting look at what the constitution speaks about the freedom of religion prior to coming to a closure on this.

Articles 25 to 29 are in solicitude with the right to freedom of religion. Article 25 reads the right to freely profess practise and propagate religion. Article 26 reads out the freedom to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes. Article 27 and Article 28 provide that no taxes shall be levied for promoting any particular religion.

Article 29 provides that no citizen can be denied admission to any educational institutions run or aided by the state on grounds of religion, caste or creed.

Any attempt to deliberately undertake to convert another person to any other or to one’s own religion would impinge on the freedom of conscience. India has seen many incidents where on one hand conversions have been forcefully carried out and on other hand arrests being made when people voluntarily changed their religion which is allowed under the article 18 of UN declaration of Human rights and Article 25 of our constitution. There have been many cases where people dish out their own frontier justice by lynching some people simply on the basis of doubt of his efforts to convert someone. Our country has faced labyrinthine cases pertaining to conversions where the perspectives are so glaringly different among the conflicting parties that can leave a sound mind baffled to some extent.

Is there a way forward

Dialogue is the only way out for encouraging better cognizance between conflicting parties as the rolling out of disinformation is mainly responsible for harmful disagreements. Declaration of accurate information and proclamation of the different stand-points are necessary to contain the dispute. Rituals, theologies and institutions are unparallel and different among the different religions. The footing of a well informed dialogue should include a desire to acknowledge others’ points of view and courtesy for the others’ integrity. The objective should be to encourage the spirit of settlement and recalibrate the understanding to minimise disputes in the society.

Coercive conversions can never be sanctioned. But prohibiting conversion is a two edged weapon. It may constructively restrict the proselytising practices which is needed, but may also cease such missionary activities which carry out social welfare works of certain kinds without any intent of conversion. It can also put an end to the root of a vital freedom of choosing one’s religious identity and orientation.

There are many major aspects that most debaters in this subject matter fail to notice or try to avoid. Revd. Valsan Thampu had elaborated on a particular point in matters related to conversion that scripturally none can convert another human being. Discerning this issue as symptomatic of a potential national disease which entirely includes human flesh and where services can be acquired and traded in the market, should be the prime concern for the nation as a whole. A debate should be famed by upping the decibels it brings into being, nevertheless by a shared quest for truth in order to uphold and practice natural justice in matters of religious freedom.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.

Editor Opinion, Biswarup Mukhopadhyay has given important inputs for the article.