While this incident is increasingly uncommon there have been cases of
people, especially from the lower echelons of society, converting to minority
religions in quest of greater economic, social, and, at times, religious satis-
faction. From the Paravars along the Kerala coast who were baptized
by Francis Xavier in the sixteenth century to such tribals as the Nagas and
Mizos of the Northeastern Himalayan foothills, who became Baptists and
Presbyterians in the twentieth century, disenfranchised groups have turned
to Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism when given the opportunity. In parts
of Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, in particular, groups have come
forward as family or caste units in particular villages to espouse an alterna-
tive religion. This was the case in Meenakshipuram, Tamil Nadu in the
1980s when a significant portion of outcaste persons “became” Muslim in
quest of greater dignity. This was the case in the late 1800s when a number
ofsha ̄na ̄n.s(toddy tappers) in Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, unable to get
into temples of caste groups above them, converted to Christianity. These
sha ̄na ̄n.sassumed the caste name na ̄t.ars(lord of the land); their women
insisted on wearing blouses to cover their breasts (prior to that time, many
low-caste women were obliged to remain unclothed above the waist). The
Christian converts changed the name of their towns to Nazareth and
Bethlehem,et al.^19
Perhaps the single most dramatic act of conversion is that which occurred
in Maharashtra subsequent to 1956. The Mahars, constituting nearly 10
percent of the population of Maharashtra, had been suffering the fate of most
“untouchables” or dalits: they were unable to use public wells in their own
villages or let their shadow fall on caste persons. One of their number, B. R.
Ambedkar (1891–1956), had suffered similar indignities as a youth. But he
went on to receive a doctorate and law degree and helped to write the Indian
constitution. He also fought for the rights of his fellow Mahars even clashing
with Mahatma Gandhi, as to whether to make the rights of untouchables
a central aspect of the freedom campaign. For much of his adult life,
Ambedkar had been studying Buddhism and eventually came to believe that
in Buddhism there was a sense of the equality of all persons, a spirit of compas-
sion, and an opportunity for all persons to fulfill their own possibilities.
Accordingly, in 1956, a few months before his death, he renounced Hinduism
and adopted Buddhism (as he reinterpreted the Buddhist dhamma) as his
religion.^20 Many of his fellow Mahars and other dalits joined him, and until
today Buddhism (or neo-Buddhism, as it is sometimes called) is the fastest
growing religion in Maharashtra. In Mumbai, the third most popular religious
community now (after Hindus and Muslims) is the Buddhists, occupying the
place held by Roman Catholics prior to the 1980 census.
Some “conversions” have been less dramatic. There are Muslims, for
example, who, after working in the Persian Gulf for a few years where they
Religion in Contemporary India 213