Reconversion is his only mission

The attacks on churches (many of them just thatched sheds) by the Hindu Jagran Manch and other organisations have brought sudden national attention to the Dangs, but it is this Swami’s work that has been the kernel of Hindu resurgence in the region.

For the 48-year-old Swami it has been a long journey from his native Kamerpukur village in Hooghly district (West Bengal) to the Dangs. “I have travelled the length and breadth of this country but I never felt so attached to any place. Now I don’t want to move out from here. I feel attached to the Dangi people. They are so innocent, so simple,” he says.

By visiting “half of the villages” in the district, distributing laminated pictures of Lord Hanuman, whom the tribals worship readily, the Swami says he has been strengthening Hinduism and preventing the tribals from converting to Christianity.

Swamis keep their past secret. But reluctantly Swami Aseem Anand reveals that he did his M Sc in Physics in 1974 from Burdwan University, that he idolised Swami Vivekananda and was attracted to the work of the Ramakrishna Mission. “I was in search of some institution which works among tribals”.

That search came to an end in 1977 when he learnt about an organisation called Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, with headquarters in Raigard. He found the ashram, with branches in tribal areas all across the country, ideal to work with.

After working for three years in Purulia, the Swami moved to the Bastar area in Madhya Pradesh, then to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and then to the Dangs.

The Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, an offshoot of the Ashram, is run in different states under different names. The Swami was made its religious head in 1992, and it was about that time he made his initial visits to the Dangs and stayed with a tribal in the Sawardam Kasad village.

That was when he realised that since worshipping Lord Hanuman came easily to the tribals, the deity could be used to keep them in the Hindu fold and even win back to Hinduism those who had become Christians.

Swami Aseem Anand says he realised this was important work as “almost 35 per cent” of the tribals had already been converted by the missionaries. As many tribal families as possible were provided with pictures of Lord Hanuman — “costing Rs 50 each” — to keep alive the religion in their minds. The Swami says he felt this would be especially effective with tribals on the verge of converting to Christianity. Also he wanted converted tribals to become Hindus again. He rattles off recent figures. “Eight families of Kandal Khadi, 22 families of Jamanbeer. And yes, after December 25 all residents of Dhogali village have re-converted to Hinduism.” The Swami makes the reconversion symbolic by having the tribals take a dip in the hot springs of Unnai.

Why reconversion? Simple. “Because Christianity and anti-national activity go hand in hand. See what happened in the North-East”!

And about his affiliations? He wants to make it clear that he is independent. “I have no relation whatsoever with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Jagran Manch,” he asserts. Neither does the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad.

However, BJP State Youth vice-president Devarshibhai Joshi says the Parishad is close to the RSS.“Our ideology is the same, our objective is the same, though we may have some differences”.

The Swami, however, does not hide the fact that he had attended the Hindu Jagran Manch rally at Ahwa on December which turned violent.“ I was invited by the Manch”. The Swami is in two minds now. “My ticket is booked for Andaman & Nicobar. I have to go on January 19. But so much is happening here that I may have to cancel my planned visit,” he says.