Chikmagalur: Rambapuri Jagatguru Awards Dharma Prabodhana Chatura Title on Ronald Colaco
News & Pics: Ruby Moses, Chikmagalur
Daijiworld Media Network – Chikmagalur (SB)
Chikmagalur, Sep 29: Ronald Colaco, state president of Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations (FKCA) was invited by Rambapuri Jagatguru Swami of Panch Mutt to share his thoughts in one of the largest state religious conference on People’s Awareness and Human Religion for Karnataka's biggest community, Lingayat here on Sunday September 27.
On the occasion Shri Jagatguru honoured Colaco with “Dharma Prabodhana Chatura” title in recognition of his yeomen services rendered to the humanity irrespective of religion, caste and creed.
Speaking on the occasion, Colaco claimed to have been following the principles of human religion as a true Christian having complete moral right to argue on the matter before any gathering of whatever religion. He explained about the yeomen services rendered by the Christian missionaries, priest and nuns in the field of education, healthcare and social service in India which has contributed largely in building up literacy among the rural and urban masses and thus resulted in the overall economic development of our country.
Quoting Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, Colaco said that at the time in India where ‘Gurukulashram’ was in practice for gaining education, learning had become the sole property of the uppercaste and Rajputs whereas all other communities where deprived from learning. The Christian missionaries as well as priests and nuns opened large number of educational institutions in remote villages and as a result I (Kuvempu) could learn and become a national poet.
Colaco regretted that the reward has been bestowed upon Christian community in return to their selfless service to the humanity were humiliation and insult in the name so called forced conversion from a small group of people. Colaco stated that there can only be voluntary conversion and can never be any forced conversion. He further said that when the mind, heart and the body of a person is in full control of respective individual, no one can monitor or have control on such individual as to which God he prays.
He further stressed on the point that people can only get attracted to a particular religion, after experiencing some care when most needed or when their children are provided with free education or any other kind of help during difficulties and most importantly equal treatment in the places of worship. When the downtrodden people are economically poor, educationally backward & socially discriminated within their own community; it is quite natural that they can tolerate the economic and educational backwardness but not social discrimination within their own community.
Focusing educational institutions managed and run by Christian priests and nuns all over the country, more so some being over 125 years, he said that if they had to resort to mission of conversion at least 1 to 2 per cent of millions of student population studying in such institutions could have been converted to Christianity. Which meant 50 to 60 per cent of the population in India would have been Christians. But in reality our population has come down from earlier census figure of 2.34 per cent to 2.25 per cent during 2001 census. Colaco insisted on the need for communal harmony, peace and right to live with dignity with utmost care for humanity by respecting the people of religion.
Since 1992 Colaco has personally donated to the construction of more than 22 temples and Muneshwara Temple at Bangalore North taluk had been completely constructed and donated to the Bovi community.
The conference was attended by over 10,000 people from all the religions. Former minister Sagir Ahmed, MLA C T Ravi, MLC D M Putte Gowda, FKCA state general secretary Michael Baptist and state convenor Denis D'Silva among others were present.