25 theologians gathered together in the spectacular environment of Shembaganur to discuss and deliberate on the burning issue of Fundamentalism and Hindutva. The three- day Seminar (22–24 April) was organized under the aegis of the Forum for South Asian Jesuit Theologians (FSAJT). FSAJT was constituted as a body in October 2014 with the objective of building a platform for the Jesuit theologians of the Assistancy to come together and respond to the current issues.

The Seminar consisted of eight well-researched papers approaching the reality of Fundamentalism from various angles.

The first paper “Fundamentalism in Religion”, presented by Fr. Michael Amaladoss, explained the origin and meaning of the term and showed how fundamentalism grew in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism during their historical development. Fr. Amaladoss highlighted the historic tensions between fundamentalism and secularism and stated that the theological response can focus on restraining Christian fundamentalism and proselytism. He drew from Pope Francis’ insistence on “doing good” and Adolfo Nicolas’ insight of shifting the focus from “the Truth to the Way”.

The second paper, presented by Fr. Leonard Fernando, dealt with “Communalism and Fundamentalism in the Early Christian Centuries”. This paper highlighted the religious belief system of the Romans, how they looked at Christianity and how Christians looked at gods and goddesses of other religions, and worship offered to them. Through this paper, he showed how the communalism and fundamentalism that we condemn today was very much prevalent in the first centuries of the Christian era. This paper led to discussion regarding the co-relation between spirituality and religiosity.

The third paper, presented by the social scientist, Fr. Ambrose Pinto, entitled “Caste, religion and Hindutva: A Critical Study” showed how Hindutva ideology is essentially an ideology based on a caste pyramid promoting brahminic hegemony. From its inception, RSS considered the ‘lower-caste assertion as dangerous as the ‘Muslim threat’. Fr. Pinto succinctly explained the social engineering of Dalits and the strategies used to co-opt them. He focused on three factors that have helped caste consolidation leading to BJP victories: (i) Hindutva politics and caste identity (ii) Willingness to concede leadership and (iii) Role of the visual media. He was hopeful about the future and advocated mass movements for doing away with caste based discrimination.

The fourth paper, “Inroads of the Sangh Parivar into Tamil Cultural Soil: A Critical Appraisal” presented by Fr. Maria Arul Raja, identified various strategies of the Parivar’s attempts to make inroads in the Tamil soil. Four nuanced strategies include (i) Exclusion through inclusion, (ii) Violence through the discourse of non-violence, (iii) Fragmentation through uniformity and (iv) Anarchy through law and order. Our strategy according to Fr. Raja should be (i) Inclusion through inclusion, (ii) Non-violence through non-violence, (iii) Unity through plurality and (iv) Harmony through empowerment. Fr. Raja compared and contrasted the Sangh Parivar’s ways of accumulating power with the subaltern ways of democratizing power.

The fifth paper, an experience-based paper and presented by Fr. S. Arockiam, was entitled “Influence of Caste-Hinduism on Tribals and Dalits of Kodai Hills”. It presented the cultural practices of Tribals and Dalits before the onslaught of Hindutva forces and in its aftermath. Fr. Arockiam observed that although there have been signs of social, economic and political liberation among Tribals and Dalits, they are losing out on human and cultural values. This paper led to discussion on the agency of the people in choosing what is best for them.

The sixth paper, “The World of the Koknas: A crucial struggle for identity in the process of Hinduization” by a budding field theologian, Fr. Joel Noronha, presented the rich undocumented religio-cultural heritage of Koknas (Maharashtra) which is largely based on oral tradition. Because of the rapid process of Hinduization, this unique tradition faces the threat of isolation and danger of assimilation. The identity of Koknas is getting redefined through changes in government records, through socio-religious processes and through rural development processes. Fr. Joel expressed the need for change in our missiological strategies to counter this process. He suggested that the way forward is through collaboration which can include the Hindutvavadis also.

The seventh paper, “Hindutva Redefining Hinduism” presented by Fr. Anil D’Almeida, traced the origin and historical development of Hindutva and explained how Hindutva is a response of Hinduism to create an identity through political means. Fr. Anil explained how Hindutva projects triumphalist Hinduism and blatantly celebrates superiority of Hinduism. Quoting Ashish Nandi, he lamented, “Hindutva is the death of Hinduism”. Fr. Anil expressed the hope that there are sufficient resources present in Hinduism to fight the evil of Hindutva.

In the eighth and the last paper entitled “Muslim co-existence in pluralistic India: Revisiting Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the context of emerging fundamentalist trends within Indian Islam”, Fr. Victor Edwin explained the fundamentalism in Indian Islam today seeking to retrieve the utopian ‘Golden period’ of the Muslim past. He went on to elucidate Maulana Azad’s theological and political efforts towards the peaceful co-existence of Muslims in religiously pluralistic India. Finally, he highlighted the Quranic foundation for co-existence with others. Through the last two papers, the assembly came to appreciate the positive elements present in Hinduism and Islam.

The theologizing session concentrated on four broad aspects:

(i) Ways of empowering marginalized people to critically encounter Hindutva forces; helping our fellow Jesuits and Catholic faithful to realize the gravity of the situation.

(ii) Renewed missiological theory and praxis in the changing circumstances; its christological and ecclesiological implications and our priestly role.

(iii) Content and methods of teaching Indological courses in our philosophy and theology faculties.

(iv) Would a faith response [theology, celebration, spirituality, apostolic witness, process] to Hindutva and fundamentalism be more comprehensive than a mere theological (individual as well as corporate) response? What are the various components of such a response?

The three-day Seminar was a fruitful and enriching experience for all. A big thanks to the Rector, Minister and community members of Sacred Heart College, Shembaganur and hearty congratulations to the Convener Fr. P. R. John and the Coordinators Fr. Stanislaus Alla and Fr. Anil D’Almeida for their meticulous organization!

• Edwin Rodrigues, S.J