Why I am a convert... and more

Conversion is about growth: intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, rationally

Willy-nilly, the Bajrang Dal’s murderous attacks in Orissa have opened up the debate on conversions. It is thus worth delving into the subject further to bring sanity to the
argument. Let me begin by discussing my own conversion. I have converted several times, and I expect the process to continue indefinitely. Currently, I am a Hindu agnostic.

Every time I read a new book, learn a new skill, develop a new insight, experience a new emotion, or find myself connecting to an uplifting ideal, I become a slightly different person. I am converted. Sometimes, the conversion happens due to a spiritual insight. Other times, it’s just a new way of looking at issues.

Born into a Brahmin family, my first conversion was to Brahminism — which I defined as the pursuit of higher levels of truth and knowledge. A Brahmin becomes one not by being born one, or by wearing the sacred thread, but by the high value he places on true knowledge.

My next conversion happened when I read Ambedkar; I discovered that he was an even better Brahmin than me; he pursued knowledge even more obsessively. And from his perspective of looking at Brahminism from the bottom of the social heap, I realised that a Brahmin who looks down on others is no human being at all. Ambedkar pushed me towards thinking about reforms in Hindu society.

Then I read Christ’s message, and realised that an existence without love and concern for the underprivileged is meaningless. I converted again, but without rejecting each one of my earlier conversions. I merely modified them. I read about the core message of Islam, and came to understand that human society cannot exist in peace without greater equality and justice.

Then I came back to reading Hindu ideas and found that the concept of dharma and karma also appealed to me. Dharma, to me, is about doing one’s duty. It is about taking individual responsibility without developing a sense of victimhood. Karma, to me, is about action and consequence. Karma is not about justifying injustice and blaming a past life for current misfortunes, but about realising that one ultimately reaps the consequences of one’s own actions or inaction. If you are rich, your job is to help the poor or you face the consequences of your inaction. If you are poor, your job is to pick yourself up from poverty by any means at your disposal - if you don’t, you can’t just blame the rich.

Conversion thus is about constant growth — intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, rationally. Seen from this angle, the narrowness of religious or denominational faith should be obvious to anyone. I can internalise Christ’s message by helping my neighbour; I don’t need to be baptised. If I fight for equality and justice, I am sure Prophet Mohammed will recognise me as a true Muslim; changing my name from Jagannathan to Jehangir (both mean more or less the same thing) will not make me one. I also like the way Sikhism has synthesised some of the better elements of Hinduism and Islam. I like Buddhist rationality and Jain non-violence.

Unfortunately, most religious organisations are interested in temporal power and thus it matters to them whether I call myself Jagannathan, John or Jehangir. And in this kind of conversion, we will indeed have social tensions. To all those who don’t believe this, I would ask a simple question: if tomorrow the whole of Saudi Arabia converts to Hinduism, will it upset Muslim society in India or not? When an individual’s (or group’s) external conversion leads to negative energies in society, it is time to question the whole idea. Socio-economic and politically-induced conversions largely have a negative effect on social cohesion, and this is probably why Gandhi was steadfastly opposed to conversions of this kind. He saw it as a mug’s game, where conversions lead to changes in community headcounts, but little else. Constitutionally, any kind of ban on
conversions goes against human rights, but that doesn’t mean society is better off exercising this right.

Email: r_jagannathan@dnaindia.net