Tiatoshi Longkümer
Kohima
World’s largest religious festival, the Kumbh Mela, has began in Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad in UP on the 15th January 2019. And it will end on the 4th March 2019, a 55 days Hindus religious bathing festival at the confluence of the river Ganges, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati. According to the media report, they are expecting up to 150 million people, including a million foreign visitors. 2019 Kumbh Mela religious festival was organized with an aim to make it a mega event spending an amount of Rs. 4200 crores by the Uttar Pradesh BJP government under the leadership of hindu priest turned Chief minister Yogi Adityanath. This was not the first time Kumbha Mela was held. It has been celebrated over the centuries for the hindus pilgrimage but we Nagas were never attracted by this event until very recently.
This year Kumbh Mela in Allahabad has drawn much of our attention, with a feeling of insecurity and suspicion in our mind. Our local newspapers have reported that about 373 people from Nagaland, probably Naga Christian majority, are participating in 2019 Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad between January 22 and 24. It was informed that these selected Naga delegates will showcase the Naga cultural heritage in Kumbh Mela during festivals under the initiative of Sanskar Bharati Nagaland (SBN) , and financially sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. The central and UP government has even constructed a simulated Naga “Morung” in the venue to represent Naga culture at Kumbh Mela. This news has ignited many questions among the leaders of the church and also in the minds of the people in Nagaland. What does Kumbh Mela has to do with the Nagas? Do the Naga Christians have any cultural lineage with the Hindu Kumbh Mela bathing festivals? Can’t the Nagas promote their cultural heritage in other festivals of India, rather than Kumbh Mela? Is there any compulsive guideline imposed by the center upon the state leadership? Many unanswered questions are awaiting for a reply. And I am sure many more Naga Christian citizens will raise new issues in this matter.
In such a time like this one when a staunch Hindu religious party, BJP is ruling India, the invitation of the Naga cultural troupe to Kumbh Mela does not only create a suspicious attitude in the mind of the Christian Nagas but they also feel threaten. I wish that the state leadership should also have shown their Christian stance clear by saying “No” to this kind of invitation. Ironically, money and power game happened to be more charming than our own faith. And this chemistry might have worked again for the Kumbh Mela decision. But apart from this fear factor or Naga Christian defensive attitude, is there any other way that we can convert this crisis into opportunity for the Lord?
I believe that Naga “Christians” representing in Kumbh Mela as a cultural troupe has opened a door of opportunity for evangelism, if the participants are “intentional “in this aspect. Officially a Naga contingent of 373 people is going to Kumbh Mela for cultural purposes but they can also be the best representatives for the Kingdom of God if they are convicted by their Christian faith. As we know, in every crisis there is also an opportunity. If one door seems to be closed, God opens the other door for us. Opportunities or crises are all the product of our mindset or attitude to the event. Naga Christians participating in 2019 Kumbh Mela can be taken as the biggest blunder in Naga Christian history for some church members. It can be seen as surrendering of our faith to the Hinduism under the political maneuvering of the BJP. It’s a time of lamentation for many believers in Nagaland. This reaction is also an intrinsic pattern of any religious community.
In the midst of defensive attitudes and reactions, we can also take advantage of the given opportunity for telling the story of our own faith, the salvific story of Jesus Christ. Had the SBN not purposefully selected to be a Hindu or Haraka team from Nagaland, I am sure more than 90 percent of the 373 team members will be Christians. The core of Christian faith is mission and evangelism, to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially to the unbelievers. Telling to someone that Jesus died for our sin and he rose again to give us eternal life to those who believes in him is a prerequisite mandate for every believer in Jesus Christ. Simple telling the story about Jesus will be such an opportunity for the Naga contingent, who are professed Christians, to the Indian and foreign Hindu pilgrimage. They are also seekers, searching for truth in life but has not found fulfillment for future life. And Christianity has the answer to all those who seek the truth and life. This truth and life will be witnessed by the Naga Christians in words and in deeds. I pray that at least 100 out of 373 members do this “intentional evangelism,” exploring opportunity to share the gospel, along with the exhibition of the Naga culture in Kumbh Mela.
Some may ask what Kumbh Mela has to do with evangelism. 373 members Naga team is to do cultural exhibition. It is a cultural troupe, not a gospel team. Yes, Nagas are going to showcase their cultural heritage at the Kumbh Mela Morung. But can an official church gospel team get permission to enter Kumbh Mela for preaching and to do evangelism. It will be foolish to do so. However, a big Naga team, majority are practicing Christians, was already invited by the organizer and financially sponsored by them, and are on the way to the venue. This would be like entering communist China with bibles during the time of rescue operation, or lay missionaries entering Kathmandu, Nepal for rescued operation work caused by the great earthquake in 2015. Indeed, in every believer’s life, gospel and culture go together. In every culture gospel has to be proclaim and in every gospel proclamation culture has to be respected. If Naga Christians feel shy to share the gospel in any given opportunity but feel very courageous to enjoy anything found in the world, then we have the biggest faith problem and we are just on the edge to fall away from Christian faith.
This problem boils down to the church’s teaching and practice transmitted to its members. If the church does not arouse “passion” for evangelism in the life of the congregation members, then our churches are simply cemetery to keep the epitaphs. If church leaders unable to motivate the members to enjoy dying for for something which they so much in love , than our Christian churches in Nagaland have become moratoriums for preserving death faith. Living church must motivate its members in such a way that any member must feel it’s her or his Christian birth right to share the gospel in any given opportunity wherever and whenever she/he goes. As some congregation members move around for their profession the rest of the congregation must be on their knees for them that they may be true to the Gospel. In the same way, the rest of the Naga Christians must be on our knees for the 373 Naga cultural team as they go to Kumbh Mela during January 22 to 24, that they may be the best missionary team to the Hindu seekers. That one day this Kumbh Mela may turn into a great mission centre by God’s power. Let us be positive for the Lord. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
