Same day, two shows: Kalam, RSS

Come New Year, Kolkata will host two simultaneous events that promise to kick up religious heat. Coinciding with the international Jesuit Al...

Come New Year, Kolkata will host two simultaneous events that promise to kick up religious heat. Coinciding with the international Jesuit Alumni meet from January 21 is an RSS rally to be followed by a week-long worker8217;s meet scheduled to be addressed by the RSS chief K S Sudarshan.

The RSS8217;s Kolkata chapter said that Sudarshan will be in Kolkata from January 21 the day the Jesuit meet is being inaugurated by President Abdul Kalam. Yesterday, Sudarshan, speaking in Nagpur, had attacked the Jesuits meet calling Kalam8217;s decision 8216;8216;very unfortunate.8217;8217;

Today, he got strong backing from the local RSS unit headed by Jyotirmoy Chakraborty. Speaking to The Indian Express, Chakraborty said that he agreed with Sudarshan8217;s view that Jesuits were 8216;8216;Pope8217;s soldiers who take an oath prescribing violent and barbaric means to decimate all those who do not follow Roman Catholics.8217;8217;

But the RSS has no protest planned, said Chakrabarty, adding that everything will depend on Sudarshan. Although he refused to disclose what the Sangh chief8217;s programme was, sources said a march is planned by several thousand RSS cadres on January 22 which will end at the Shahid Minar maidan in the city and will be addressed by Sudarshan.

He will also hold closed-door meetings with RSS workers of different regions and visit Rajgunj and Durgapur. Meanwhile, the Jesuits in Kolkata declined to respond to the RSS8217;s attack on the President.

8216;8216;At this moment I can only say that the overwhelming majority of the organizers of this event in Kolkata are Hindus,8217;8217; said a Jesuit Father and added that the people behind the event included personalities like General retd Shankar Roy Chowdhury who is the president of the organizing committee. Gen. Roy Chowdhury could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

The VIth World Congress of the Jesuit Alumni in Kolkata has been titled as the 8216;8216;Summit of Joy.8217;8217; The underlying theme for the event has been chosen from Rabindra Nath Tagore: 8216;8216;Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.8217;8217;

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This is the first time that an Asian country has been chosen for the event, the earlier ones being held in Spain, Italy, France and Australia. And why Kolkata? The organizers at a meeting earlier in November had outlined their reasons. Kolkata is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious city and has a rich cultural heritage. 8216;8216;It has a unique form of unity in diversity8212;a divine quality that makes it God8217;s own land.8217;8217;

Besides, the Sydney Congress in 1977 of the World Jesuit Congress chose Kolkata for the meet in 2003 in response to a joint offer by three alumni associations of Kolkata8212;the St. Xavier8217;s School Old Boys8217; Association, St Xavier8217;s College Calcutta Alumni Association and St Lawrence Old Boys8217; Association.

And why is Kalam the chief guest? A booklet prepard for the event explains the reasons. It describes Kalam as: 8216;8216;A true Jesuit in his spirit, he has inspired India to dream and aspire for strength and self-reliance. Born in Tamil Nadu, Abdul Kalam studied at Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram and graduated in Science from St Joseph8217;s College in Tiruchi. He has inspired India with a new mission and his presence at the meet would inspire us to strive and adhere to the convictions inspired by the Jesuit search.8217;8217;