Satras all set to check conversion threat in Majuli

GUWAHATI, January 22: The conversion of about 140 families into Christianity in the Mising dominated Jengraimukh areas of the world's largest fresh water island Majuli, which is also known as the nerve-centre of Assamese Vaishnavite religion and culture, has made the Satras, - the seats of Vaishnavite religion, to sit up and chalk out their own strategies to check the inroad of Christianity. The island has at present 22 Satras located on it. Agitated villagers of Barpamuwagaon, Kumarbari, Jengraigaon and Namani Cherpaigaon of Jenraimukh have also forbidden the entry of Christian missionaries into their villages. No doubt, several of the families, like those of Tepuram Pegu, Dulum Pegu, Matsyaram Pegu, Biju Pegu, Prabin Pegu, Ram Kumar Pegu and Umesh Pegu of Namani Cherpaigaon and other villages, have come back to Vaishnavism recently. When this correspondent visited Jengraimukh a few days back, Padma Pegu (50), a peasant of Lakhimi Chuburi in Barpamuwagaon and Thaneswar Goswami (48), a teacher in Jengraimukh College and also a social worker, alleged that taking advantage of the devastation caused by floods every year in the island, the Christian missionaries are alluring the gullible Misings to take to Christianity. The missionaries even provide some of the poor families with concrete dwelling houses and cash and seeds for farming purposes, they said, adding, this has become the regular exercise undertaken by the missionaries of both the Catholic and Baptist Churches in Jengraimukh areas for the past about three years. It is worth mentioning here that for the past three to four years Majuli has been under the grip of a serious crisis as the annual floods have been robbing the islanders of their crops and many paddy growings areas are turned into barren ones by the floods, while many areas are eroded away by the river Brahmaputra - one of the mightiest rivers on the earth. There are four Churches operating on the island. Three of them, i.e. two in Barpamuwagaon and one in Namani Cherpaigaon, are Baptist Churches, while the one at the Jengraimukh St Paul School, is a Catholic Church. These Churches were set up in the 1980s. Padma Pegu (51), a teacher in the Namani Cherpaigaon Jengraimukh High School, and a leading member of the Takam Mising Baptist Kebang of the North Bank Baptist Christian Association, however, dismissed all allegations of the Churches luring the Misings to Christianity as unfounded. Infact, Pegu said, in 1996 Father George, ex-principal of Jengraimukh St Paul School, appealed to some NGOs to extend help to the flood-affected people of Jengraimukh. Some of the NGOs reciprocated to the appeal and sent some relief materials like rice and paddy seedlings and also erected some dwelling houses damaged by the floods. Pegu, also the president of Majuli-based voluntary organisations Rural Economy Development Society, Sanjoy Ghosh Memorial Trust, Karpunpuli Development Society and Jengraimukh Farmers' Development Society, blamed the discriminatory attitudes of Satras towards the tribals for the Misings' opting for Christianity in a growing manner. To substantiate it, he cited his own example of being treated as an untouchable in the Narasimha Satra in 1982. Pegu converted to Christianity in 1986. Moreover, Christian missionaries are also trying to develop the languages of the tribals. Already the Bible and the New Testament are translated into Mising language, Pegu said. Nanigopal Dev Goswami, the present Satradhikar of Dakhinpat Satra, which has a following of about 10 lakh all over the State, when met, said that the State Government's policy towards the Satras has reduced these religious institutions into infirm ones. "Now we are poor, facing problems even in managing our day to day activities, while the Churches are drawing funds from every where," said the Satradhikar. Known as one of the four Rajagharia (patronised by the king) Satras of Majuli, Dakhinpat Satra was forced to give up 35, 770 bigha 2 katha 4 lecha of its land in 1973 by the State Government's land acquisition policy. But the Satra is yet to receive the compensation promised by the State government against the land. Similarly, another major Satra of the island - Bengena Ati Satra, which had 35,000 bighas of landed property till 1970s has been left today with only 100 bighas of land. This Satra is also to receive the compensation for the portion of land acquisitioned by the Government. The Satras are not receiving the interest on the compensation amounts, but only lump sum amounts as annual relief, that too in a delayed manner. "But still, the Satras can not ignore the challenge coming from the Churches and we are determined to rise upto the situation," he said. The Satras are also trying now to give up the conservative approaches and have decided also to educate and spread their Bhakats (i.e. disciples following Satra rigorism) among the common people, the Satradhikar said. He also regretted that lack of support from the rulers to spread Vaishnavism among the hill tribes led to many a conflict among the hill tribes and the plains people of the State immediately after independence. Such indifference of the Congress leaders made Late Pitambar Dev Goswami, a former Satradhikar of Garamur Satra, a renowned social reformer and a veteran freedom fighter, to severe his links with the Congress, the Dakhinpat Satradhikar said.