Teaching English in a religious school “offends Hindu sentiments”

In Madhya Pradesh, a misunderstanding during an educational activity was exploited by Hindutva groups to attack the school of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth. Bishop Athikalam declared that this was “shameful violence against women who have served the community for fifty years, working for the growth of the nation.”

Sagar () – Once again, a normal situation in a Catholic school in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is being exploited by Hindu fundamentalists to create discord. On 22 July, a complaint was filed against the headmistress of the Vandana Convent School of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth in Guna, after a crowd of dozens of ABVP activists stormed the premises of the institution and forced the headmistress to “apologise” for having “hurt religious sentiments”.

Distorting what happened in a normal educational activity, the local newspaper Patrika The school said the principal, Sister Catherine Vatolly, “snatched the microphone from a student because he had recited a Sanskrit shloka or a verse from the Gita.” Following the news, the Hindutva-linked association demanded that the school be closed or that students be allowed to recite the “Jai Shri Ram” invocation every day in the school assembly. In a BJP-ruled state, the district education officer in Guna, CS Sisodia, also issued a precautionary notice against the school, threatening “action.”

However, it is all based on a false reconstruction of the events. The school says that the incident occurred during a planned activity to improve English language skills. The principal had asked two pupils, who had just been elected captains, to give a “proper speech” in English during the morning school assembly. When one of them started speaking in Sanskrit, Sr. Catherine interrupted him. “I thought he was speaking in Hindi,” the nun explained, “so I asked them to speak only in English. I said it twice, but I think they didn’t hear me and kept reciting the shloka. I then took the microphone and explained to the assembly that a speech must have an introduction, a content and a conclusion. I gave them time until Saturday to properly prepare their speeches. After that, school activities continued as usual, until the next day, when the school was closed. Patrika published the distorted news.”

Following the news, a mob incited by the ABVP invaded the institution for two hours, threatening retaliation for “anti-national activities and humiliation of Hindus.” “I replied,” continues Sister Catherine, “that my only intention was to ask the students to make speeches in English to develop their skills. I have never hurt anyone’s religious sentiments and I will not do so, because I respect all religions.”

Bishop of Sagar, Mgr. James Athikalam, bitterly commented on “This violence is shameful and fits into a larger pattern of targeting Christian schools,” she explains. “For the past 50 years, Vandana Convent School has been serving the community and the state and has worked for nation-building. Most of our students come from the majority Hindu community and have made a name for themselves in all fields of life. The Sisters of St. Elizabeth have dedicated their lives to the holistic development of children through education. To see them treated in this manner is very shocking.”