Author: Our Special Correspondent
Publication: The Hindu
Date: November 1, 2002
URL: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/11/01/stories/2002110106720400.htm
Hindu religion did not subscribe
to untouchability, which was prevalent in some pockets of rural areas,
said the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswathi, here today.
Talking to newsmen, he said untouchability
existed owing to illiteracy and could be eradicated only by educating people.
The Kanchi Mutt was taking steps to eradicate the social evil, he said.
Referring to a recent court ruling
that anyone with the requisite qualification could be made a temple priest,
he said even now there were thousands of temples in the State where non-Brahmin
priests performed pujas.
People belonging to different communities
visited these temples and received `prasadam' from them. The mutt was giving
training to people of different communities on conducting pujas.
Denying that he was instrumental
in bringing the Tamil Nadu Bill banning forcible conversions, the acharya
said he supported the Bill, for it had good features. At present there
was no bar on people carrying out charitable activities and they had every
right to do so. The Bill objected to it only when it was done with a motive
to convert people, he said.
Earlier addressing a meeting, organised
by various Hindu organisations, in support of the law, the acharya said
"mass conversion" would create imbalance in the society and "spoil" the
culture of the country. It was not aimed against any particular religion,
as feared by some people, but would cover all, including Hindus.
The Bill did not prevent any individual
from converting to other religion, if he wanted to. But it took cognisance
of `mass conversions' through `coercion or allurement'. Forcible conversion
was objected to not only by Hinduism, but by other religions too. "In fact,
no religion advocated forcible conversion," he added.
