There
have been eight major crusades from 1095 to 1270 organized by the Roman Church
to bring the lands around Jerusalem
under control. Minor crusades were also organized against pagans and heretics
and for other purposes. All of them
failed. Now the Catholic Churches in Kerala have started a crusade against the
Kasturirangan Report which is meant for preservation of the Western
Ghats. Their strange bedfellows in this are the Communists and
some political parties.
If
you ask any of them what the problem is, prompt answer comes “The Report is
against the farmers”. Don’t ask how because none of them seem to know the
answer. The Report says, “It is because of the harmony between people and
nature in the Western Ghats that we recommend policies to promote green growth,
sustainable and equitable development across the Western
Ghats region.” (Quoted from TOI, Nov. 17, 2013)
Apparently
the Church and its partners have started the agitation against the Report
without really studying it. The Bishops of Thamarasserry and Idukki started the
blaze. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council subsequently declared support to
them and then set up a committee to study the Report. Probably actions like
these gave rise to the phrase – setting the cart before the horse.
A
couple of days back the media carried pictures of the Thamarasserry Bishop
wearing a Gandhi cap and announcing to the people that there would be
bloodshed. Actually, his Chancellor was there when blood was shed in Thamaraserry Town earlier in the month. That priest
watched the gory events in which many policemen were hurt, several vehicles
were destroyed and some government offices were burned.
Blood
had been shed earlier too. The Bishop should learn a bit of local history and
understand how Christian presence was established in his area. Powerful local
timber mafia prevented the settlers from Travancore cultivating the land they
had bought in the place. This was around 1940. It was after Jose Kallivayalil
with his contact from the Governor of Madras down the line, money and man power
entered the scene and defeated the mafia in a long fight the Christians could
operate there. Jose Kallivayalil also built a church for them. (See http://stjosephshs.webs.com/parishhistory.htm)
In
Idukki, farmers from the foot hills moved to the High Ranges
in the 1920s. Jose Kallivayalil’s father KC Abraham Kallivayalil (Konduparampil
Pappen Chettan) bought about 7000 acres from the Vanjipuzha Chief and
distributed it among landless farmers from Palai area on sharecropping basis.
(See: Remembering
grandfather). They were the first ones apart from the big plantations to
utilize such lands. KC Abraham too built a church, at Peruvanthanam for his
people.
None
of these two groups encroached on government lands. The trees in Idukki which were
(and are) protected by the Cardamom Hills Reserve rules were left untouched. In
the North Kerala area the forests which were
denuded by the timber mafia were utilised for eco-friendly cultivation.
The
forefathers of those whom the bishops are leading to agitation were people
committed to the soil. They toiled and sweated and created a brighter future
for the present generation. Don’t let religion mess with that. The Church
certainly has better things to do than joining hands with some politicians to
protect unlawful quarries, sand mining, encroachment and illegal resorts.
First,
study the Report. If there is any deficiency or mistake, it can be discussed
and corrected. This is not the early Middle Age for crusades.
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