Bhubaneswar: In a significant religious development, nearly 40 members of six tribal families in Ganpur Panchayat, located in Keonjhar district’s Ghasipura block, formally returned to their original faith that is Sanatan Dharma during a collective ‘Ghar Wapsi’ ceremony. The families, who had converted to Christianity a few months ago under the influence of Christian missionaries, acknowledged their decision as a mistake and have now chosen to embrace their traditional culture and Hindu roots once again. The families who returned to their original faith belong to the Munda and Santhal tribes.
The Ghar Wapsi ceremony was organised in the presence of local villagers and karyakartas of the Dharma Jagaran Samanyay in Keonjhar district.
Local MP representative Shivendra Chakra, senior functionaries of Dharma Jagaran Samanyay, and community leaders extensively interacted with the converted families in the days leading up to the event. They emphasised the importance of reconnecting with ancestral traditions, which ultimately convinced the families to return to Sanatan Dharma.
Among those who participated in the Ghar Wapsi ceremony were Keshav Munda, Gida Hembram, Ravi Munda, Lab Munda, Kush Munda, Hari Munda, and Durga Hembram, along with several others. As part of the ritual, the families were presented with pictures of Bhagwan Jagannath and other deities, symbolising their reacceptance into the Hindu fold. They also took a collective oath to follow traditional rituals, customs, and festivals in the future along with their families and relatives.
During the ceremony of Ghar Wapsi, the families shared details of how they had been influenced into conversion. According to their accounts, when some members of their households were suffering from poor health, Christian missionaries arrived in their village and persuaded them that turning to Jesus Christ would cure their ailments. Misled by these promises, they abandoned their native culture and faith. However, after conversion, they claimed to have felt increasingly disconnected from their traditions, unable to participate in community festivals or practice nature worship, which is integral to their tribal identity.
One tribal girl who returned to Sanatan Dharma expressed her deep sense of relief and happiness, stating that after adopting Christianity, she had felt miserable because she could not celebrate her community’s festivals or worship nature in the way her ancestors had. “It is a matter of great joy that we have come back to our original faith. Now we can celebrate our festivals with our people without any restrictions,” she said.
The families further revealed that their alienation from cultural practices left them distressed, which motivated them to accept the guidance of Dharma Jagaran Samanyay workers. These karyakartas encouraged them to consider the importance of preserving their ancestral traditions, eventually leading them to embrace the idea of ‘Ghar Wapsi.’ After the ceremony, the families described feeling “a sense of inner joy and peace.”
The event also included assurances from the returning families that they would now work to encourage others in the tribal community, who may have converted due to similar circumstances, to return to their roots. “We will make efforts to bring back those who were converted under similar pressures,” one of the returning members said.
The ‘Ghar Wapsi’ ceremony was attended by local leaders and dignitaries, including MP representative Shivendra Chakra, senior Dharma Jagaran Karyakarta Sharat Chandra Swain, Prashant Chakra, Prashant Bishwal, and social activists such as Anjan Behera, Hapi Patra, Bikash Chakr, and Rabindra Pattnayak. The gathering concluded with celebrations and the distribution of sweets to welcome the families back into the Hindu community.
