Bhubaneswar: In a significant development in Odisha’s tribal-majority Malkangiri district, 17 families from Sodinguda village under the Kumarpalli panchayat of Mathili block have returned to their ancestral faith that is Sanatan Dharma after several years. A special “Ghar Wapsi” ceremony, organised with the support of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), marked their formal return to traditional religious practices.
The event was attended by community leaders, residents from Kumarpalli and neighbouring panchayats, and large gatherings of men and women. The families performed rituals in accordance with tribal customs before formally embracing their original faith. They also pledged to overcome past differences and live together harmoniously.
According to the families, they were converted to Christianity a few years ago due to the influence and assurances of local missionaries. Several members stated that Christian pastors misled them with claims of miraculous healing, asserting that their illnesses would be cured if they abandoned their ancestral practices. They were also told that adopting Christianity would lift them out of poverty and improve their financial situation.
The families shared that these assurances initially persuaded them to convert. However, after their conversion, they gradually felt isolated from their own community. They could no longer participate in traditional festivals, rituals, and cultural gatherings, which led to emotional distress and friction within the village. This resulted in recurring tensions that disturbed the region’s peaceful atmosphere.
Community elders and leaders had been persistently encouraging these families to return to their traditional faith for a long time. A series of community meetings were held, during which the families were made aware that neither health nor prosperity could be guaranteed through conversion. It was emphasised that such promises were misleading and aimed at separating them from their ancestral roots and cultural identity.
After repeated counselling and discussions, the families eventually realised the truth and decided to return to their original faith. “We now understand that abandoning our culture did not help us in any way. We are happy to return to the traditions of our ancestors,” said members of the families who underwent the re-conversion ceremony.
The Ghar Wapsi event was conducted with a sense of cultural grandeur at Sodinguda village. Hundreds of villagers, including men, women, and community leaders from Kumarpalli and Mahupadar panchayats, participated in the ceremony. All attendees took a collective pledge to preserve their shared heritage, maintain unity, and honour tribal customs and festivals.
During the meetings held over the past months, villagers expressed concerns about the rising influence of religious conversion activities in the region. They pointed out that abandoning traditional tribal customs for a different faith was causing social disturbances and weakening communal harmony. Community elders repeatedly conveyed that conversion had brought neither health improvements nor economic gains to the families, contradicting the assurances they had been given earlier.
The event was attended by the sarpanch of Kumarpalli and several tribal leaders. Gupt Durua, the VHP’s Mathili block president, along with various activists, participated in the ceremony, providing organisational support.
Ramachandra Nayak, the convenor of Bajrang Dal for Odisha (West), strongly criticised the role of Christian missionaries in the region. He alleged that missionaries often target vulnerable and economically weaker tribal families, misleading them with false promises to convert.
“Such activities create social discord, breaking families and turning brothers against each other,” he stated. Nayak emphasised the need for stringent enforcement of existing anti-conversion laws in Odisha to prevent conversions that occur through inducement, coercion, or deceit. “Strict enforcement is necessary to protect social harmony and avoid bitterness in society,” he added.
The return of these 17 families has sparked a wave of happiness in the region, with community members expressing relief that the social fabric of the village is being restored.
