My Book 'Orissa in the Crossfire-Kandhamal Burning' Now Available

[Guest guest]

" Orissa in the Crossfire-Kandhamal Burning' provides many vital details related

to the Hindu-Christian violence that has swept Orissa's Kandhamal district. The

book also highlights the history of Orissa and its tribes. While many have

familiarized themselves with the propaganda that has fictionalized the events

surrounding the Kandhamal crisis, few have had access to the facts. The true

history of Kandhamal and the struggles of its people deserve a fair hearing in

the court of public opinion. Is the Kandha religion sinister or sacred? Are they

bloodthirsty savages or a people of a noble and ancient heritage? Can the tribes

people of Kandhamal rise up out of their undeserved shame and be seen for who

they really are? Long labeled as `a cruel human sacrificing tribe of ruthless

savages' it is time the truth be revealed. It is time for the world to learn

about the Kandha `God of Light' and their Culture of Life.

Paperback, 452 pages

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/orissa-in-the-crossfire-kandhamal-bur\

ning/7879596

 

 

The book is available in hardcopy and as a download as well.

 

PREFACE

 

I arrived in India in early September 2008. It had been over four years since my

last visit. During my previous trips to India, I had travelled throughout the

Northeast part of the country. In Arunchal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland I had met

with many tribal people and was fortunate to gain first hand experience of the

culture and conditions prevalent in that part of the country. Northeast India is

abundant and verdant. Its people represent an amazing diversity of languages,

traditons and lifestyles. Unfortunately, despite the beauty and innocence of the

region it is plagued by political violence and economic disparity.

 

In early September 2008 I found myself in Northeast India. This time I was in

Hojai, Assam. Located near the Bangladeshi border it is an area of some tension

and like many towns of NE India, it is a frequent target for bomb blasts and

machine gun killings. I had been invited by the tribal organization VKA (Vanvasi

Kalyan Ashram) to participate in their Tribal Leadership Conference. During this

meeting I met with thousands of Indian people and with the representatives of

nearly every tribe of the Northeast including delegates from Sikkhim. The

diversity expressed by these various people emphasized the ideal of `Unity in

Diversity.' Here I met with the Buddhists of Tawang and Sikkhim, the Hindu

Tribals of Tripura and Manipura and the tribal followers of Danyi Polo. I also

met with various other representatives of the diverse tribal faiths of NE India

as well. Though Northeast India is home to many Indian tribes it is actually a

State to the south of India that is home to a majority of India's tribespeople.

This state is called Orissa or Odisha.

 

Coincidently, a mere two weeks before my arrival in India the tribes of Orissa

had gone on the warpath. According to media reports, countless Christian

churches were being burnt and worst of all Christians were allegedly being

hunted down and killed. The violence had erupted after an 82 year old Hindu Monk

dedicated to the upliftment of Orissa's tribespeople had been assassinated in a

most brutal manner. The day chosen for his assassination was also seen as an

intentional provocation. The day was Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna;

a holiday celebtrated across India. The location of the assassination also

caused great anguish to the tribespeople. A group of somewhere between 18 to 36

armed men had descended upon a local girls school, lobbing grenades and firing

machine guns into the air. The headmistress of the school was gunned down as she

attempted to shield the life of her mentor, the 82 year old monk and founder of

the school, Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. A visiting parent along with two

junior monks were also viciously slaughtered as the young students fled for

their lives.

 

Orissa was stunned by the violence and the entire State went into mourning.

Hindus throughout the world were outraged. Yet worst was to come. As a stunned

people began to confront the fact that the authorities had failed to protect its

citizens, the media began a campaign of calumny. Ignoring the brutal

assassination of a beloved spiritual leader as the root of the crisis the media

began to depict the response to the massacre as the story. Report after report

flooded the world media depicting the outraged tribal response as the actions of

blood-thirsty criminals and marketers of hate. Ignoring the hundreds of years of

anguish and the long simmering disputes between the local Kandha tribespeople

and the Christian converted Pana, the media and political left created an

artificial template lambasting the Hindus as the sole perpetrators of the

violence.

 

It was in the midst of this crisis that I arrived in Orissa to investigate the

circumstances surrounding the violence. I arrived in Bhuvaneshwar, the capital

of Orissa, on September 15, 2008. The monsoon season was in full swing. The

worst floods in nearly 70 years washed over the land. The state highway was

washed out several times and thousands of people were left homeless. Amazingly

life went on as usual with very little interruption. I had a couple miraculous

escapes as we drove around Orissa crossing bridges only hours before they were

swamped by the swollen rivers of the region.

 

During my 5 weeks in Orissa I met with many people on all sides of the issue.

Most people were forthright and clear about the issues plaguing the people. Many

of the people, in fact, most of the people I met with had excellent solutions to

the problems at hand. However the violence and disparity experienced by the

people of Orissa and India at large has created a kind of chaos and instability.

Thus India moves from one crisis to the other. The greatest obstacle in the way

of India's progress is the state of denial that is endemic to country. Without

understanding the true foundation of the problem it is almost impossible to

provide any solution. The truth is most often buried and manipulated by vested

interests. Any effort to reveal the truth is highlighted as a `communal' or

`prejudiced' effort. Victims are ignored and culprits are emboldened as the

various political players entrench themselves in the suffering of the people.

India's people are categorized and cataloged and thus divided againt themselves

by language, religion, ethnicity, caste and clan. Government benefits are given

out and fought over. Many take advantage of government largesse based upon their

greed as the truly needy are left on the way side. India's tribal people have

been left far behind as some of India's non-tribal citizens expertly and

criminally manipulate the system. In this way tribal lands and rights are being

accessed by non-tribals to the disadvantage of the tribals. Long embittered,

India's tribes are only now attempting to regain lost ground. Their struggle has

been a long one and is ongoing.

 

In this report I have attempted to present the facts as they happened. I have

referenced many experts in both the history of the region and personally

interviewed the leading investigating journalists and other informed parties in

regard to Orissa's tribal crisis. I was also quite fortunate to have met with

and interviewed the world's leading experts on India's tribal condition. I am

grateful to the faculty, staff and students of North Orissa University's Tribal

studies program. It is the only one of its kind in the world and is located in

the heart of Orissa's tribal country. In particular Professor Laxman Sahu of

NOU's Tribal studies program and his students were very enlightening. I also

gathered much information from Orissa's Tribal Museum experts and was delighted

to see the many artifacts from Orissa's living cultures. The experts from the

Governments Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes (ST-SC) Dept were also

generous with their time and I am grateful to them for their help. These many

expert views on Orissa's tribal condition are irreplaceable and crucial towards

gaining an accurate understanding of Orissa's socio-political conditions. I am

also grateful to Janmejay Sahu and Sanjay Jena for their hospitality, assistance

and guidance during my stay in Orissa.

 

The information in this report is primarily based upon the testimony of the

leading academics of Orissa, authoritative and verifiable news reports and my

personal observations obtained during interviews and during my interactive

visits to various locations during my fact-finding mission to the region.

 

" Orissa in the Crossfire' not only provides many of the vital missing details

related to the Hindu-Christian violence that swept the Kandhamal district of

Orissa in 2008, it highlights the history of Orissa and its tribes. Forgotten by

most is the fact that Orissa was once a great naval power. Its ships plied the

ancient seas from Japan to Rome. However today, Orissa is one of India's poorest

regions. Ironically it was once one of the wealthiest kingdoms of the ancient

world. Its city of Puri has long been a place of great significance and it

remains as an epicenter of devotion and faith for countless millions.

 

While many have familiarized themselves with the propaganda that has

fictionalized the events surrounding the Kandhamal crisis few have had access to

the facts as they are. It is my hope that the these truths and facts can now be

accessed. The true history of Kandhamal and the struggles of its people deserve

a fair hearing in the court of public opinion. Let us not add to their anguish

by ignoring, negating and vilifying their cause and their cries for justice. Let

the tribes people of Kandhamal rise up out of their undeserved shame. Long

labeled as `a cruel human sacrificing tribe of ruthless savages' it is time the

truth be revealed. It is time for the world to learn about the Kandha `God of

Light' and their Culture of Life.

Brannon Parker

November 7, 2009