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Paul Vadakumpadan, Guwahati says,

To Auschwitz and Back (1)
By Fr. Paul Vadakumpadan sdb

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Guwahati, Jul. 22. I set foot in an Auschwitz gas chamber good sixty years after the death of Adolf Hitler. Fortunately! If I had entered there when that monster was alive, I would by now have been part of history. An international association of missiologists to which I belong held its plenary sometime back in Poland. No one goes to Poland without visiting Auschwitz and Jasna Gora and of course, Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.

To Auschwitz and Back (1)

Fr. Paul Vadakumpadan sdb

I set foot in an Auschwitz gas chamber good sixty years after the death of Adolf Hitler. Fortunately! If I had entered there when that monster was alive, I would by now have been part of history. An international association of missiologists to which I belong held its plenary sometime back in Poland. No one goes to Poland without visiting Auschwitz and Jasna Gora and of course, Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.
The camp I visited is called KL (konzentrationslager in German) and is not far from Wadowice. The place is now well preserved as a memorial to the holocaust victims. During Hitler`s time, it was under the control of the SS, which stands for Schutzstaffel, meaning Protective Echelon. It was a kind of paramilitary wing of the Nazi party. It specialised in racial hatred and worship of Hitler. At one time it reached 250, 000 men.

Hitler`s diabolical plan was to eliminate Jews, Gypsies, as well as other Polish and Russian prisoners. A Polish village called Oswiecim was chosen as the site of the gigantic factory of death. In fact, there were about 40 camps in the area. We visited only Auschwitz and Birkenau. KL Auschwitz was started in 1940. The average number of prisoners at a time was about 15000. In all about 1.1 million were killed. Most prisoners were Jews, brought from different parts of Europe.

I bought a book from a souvenir shop at the site. The Polish salesgirl, while returning the change told me shukriya (in Hindi thank you). I was impressed but on further reflection, I saw something more between India and that place. I could not avoid the thought that the National Socialism of Hitler and the Hindu Nationalism of the Sangh Parivar have something in common. I hope and pray that the latter, like the former, has been confined to history. If so, we have every reason to feel proud of Indian and Hindu culture. I hold my breath as I await the results of the next general election. Once I wrote about Narendra Hitler Modi. Hopefully I will not need to do it again. It will be my pleasure instead to write about Modi`s countryman, Mohandas Jesus Gandhi. We have had enough violence in this country. We don`t need more, especially of the Fascist variety.

Communalism and sectarian thinking are not limited to politicians and their ilk. The word sectarian refers to division based on religion. No wonder, religious persons too face the temptation to sectarian thinking and action. Some have even succumbed to this temptation. Pity! Why make such great sacrifices as demanded by poverty, chastity and obedience and then surrender to an evil that is exactly the opposite of the gospel way of life? It is almost like losing both this world and the next!

If National Socialism of Hitler represented the worst in exclusive thinking in human history, Indian democracy represents the best in inclusive thinking. May it flourish and bear much fruit. If Hitler and Pol Pot represented the worst in human nature, during the past hundred years, Gandhiji and Mother Teresa represented the best. It is exciting to be close, at least in history, to such wonderful human beings. (to be continued)

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