GOPALPURI, INDIA, April 4, 2005: As many as 97 tribals, including 65 women, in a Chhattisgarh village reconverted to Hinduism recently. The villagers reconverted after a BJP leader washed their feet and gave them coconuts as a religious token. Villagers said that they had adopted Christianity as they were told that all their pains and sufferings would come to an end with their devotion to Jesus. Kaushalya, a villager, said she had started following Christianity as she was desperate for motherhood and was assured of positive results once she followed Christianity. “I had converted as I was suffering with pain. I had no kids for 11 years and had seen all kinds of doctors with no results. I was told that prayers (to Jesus) would relieve me of pains,” Kaushalya said. The villagers who had converted almost three weeks back say they now want to follow Hinduism. People from neighboring villages had also gathered on the occasion to adopt Hinduism. “We cannot live without our religion, and so we decided to reconvert to our religion,” said Punit Ram Sahu, a villager.
