What is wrong with the Christian community in India? Everything. So thinks the Sangh Parivar. Let us get the record straight.

Christianity has been in India for about 2000 years. It is on historical record. The first crime: It is not "desi" enough. The Aryan pastoralists, today's Sang Parivar, migrated into the Indian subcontinent from mid-central Asia roughly 3,500 years ago. It is also on record. No crime! They claim they are "desi." Only they!

Christian community expanded through European and indigenous missions. One big mistake they made was helping develop modern India with a patriotic touch. They set foot where angels fear to tread, so to speak. They engaged in healthcare, education, literature, the freedom struggle, and the like.

Christian believers believed that their Guru, Jesus Christ, taught them to live and act in a humanitarian way. Hence, they befriended those at the bottom of the social and caste ladder, reaching out to help them clutch at the straw of human dignity and not drown in despair and ostracism. They taught them about the right to life and dignity. What an anti-national crime!

They believed that, in helping India progress, education was an important tool on the path to an enlightened and liberated India. They saw extending schooling to marginalised and rural communities as a value-oriented, humanistic approach. They also played a foundational role in establishing modern education, from which many of India's luminaries emerged, including those of the Saffron Parivar. The crimes multiply!

With a thrust to democratise education, Churches and Christian organisations have run thousands of schools, colleges, and technical institutions across the country, a significant portion of which are located in remote villages and rural belts.

They believed women's roles and participation in the nation's democratic process needed strengthening. That meant breaking social barriers against female literacy by establishing schools and training centres dedicated specifically to girls. More crimes!

They established the nation's premier educational centres to provide quality education. Among them were CMS College, Kerala (1815), Serampore College, West Bengal, by Baptist missionaries (1818), Bishop's College, Kolkata (1820), Scottish Church College, Kolkata (1830), Wilson College, Mumbai (1832), Madras Christian College, Chennai (1837), St. Xavier's College, Kolkata (1860), St. Xavier's College, Mumbai (1869), Loyola College, Chennai (1925), and more. They set early benchmarks for collegiate education and critical thought. Carmelite, Don Bosco, Franciscan, and many other educational centres, started by the Church's various dioceses and religious institutes, also contributed.

From the Church's elite institutions, from across the length and breadth of India, emerged numerous stalwarts who became politicians, bureaucrats, administrators, space scientists, engineers, economists, jurists, cabinet ministers, educators, and what have you. How many of them were netted into the Christian fold, one wonders!

But the Saffron Parivar will point out that education was a missionary tool for conversion and spreading Christianity. Tell us, Sanghi bhais, who among the nation's luminaries were converted. Anyone among the following? What about the alumni of Madras Christian College, Chennai? To name a few: Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India's first Vice-President and second President, and a celebrated philosopher. Foreign Secretaries KPS Menon and AP Venkateswaran. Dr Raja Ramanna, the legendary nuclear physicist who played a pivotal role in India's nuclear program (Smiling Buddha). KS Krishnan, co-discoverer of the 'Raman Scattering' (working alongside CV Raman). Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, a key architect of the Indian Constitution and member of the Constituent Assembly. TN Seshan, the legendary former Chief Election Commissioner of India who overhauled Indian electoral practices. TN Ninan, a veteran economic journalist and former editor of Business Standard and The Economic Times. The foundational Statesmen of the post-independence era, namely RK Shanmukham Chetty and TT Krishnamachari, three of independent India's first four Finance Ministers, and Prakash Karat, a prominent CPI(M) leader and former General Secretary.

Dr Hamid Ali Ansari, former Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, was educated at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. Numerous others are alumni of St. Xavier's, Kolkata: Jyoti Basu (1914–2010), a towering figure in Indian politics and one of the longest-serving communist leaders in the country's history, who served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for an unbroken span of over 23 years, from 1977 to 2000. Kamal Nath, veteran parliamentarian and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Amitav Ghosh, one of India's most celebrated contemporary novelists, and Derek O'Brien, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).

Some of those who benefited from St. Stephen's College, Delhi are: Shashi Tharoor, author, diplomat, and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament; Kapil Sibal, celebrated advocate and former Union Minister for Law and Justice, Human Resource Development, and Communications. Salman Khurshid, senior politician, advocate, and former Minister of External Affairs. Naveen Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha. Sucheta Kripalani, freedom fighter and India's first female Chief Minister (Uttar Pradesh), and Jarbom Gamlin, former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam attended St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), where he studied physics and graduated in 1954 before moving on to the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) to study aerospace engineering. Later, he became President of India. Girish Karnad, renowned playwright, actor, and filmmaker, completed his early higher education in institutions shaped by Western collegiate foundations.

St. Xavier's School and College in Mumbai (Bombay) hold a long-standing legacy of producing prominent figures across business, arts, science, sports, and public service. Notable alumni include: Alyque Padamsee, iconic theatre personality, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, Adi Godrej, industrialist and Chairman of the Godrej Group, Anu Aga, billionaire businesswoman, social worker, and former chairperson of Thermax, Deepak Parekh, veteran banker and former chairman of HDFC, Shabana Azmi, veteran actress and social activist, Vidya Balan, award-winning Bollywood actress, Anil Kapoor, prominent Bollywood actor, Zeenat Aman, iconic actress and former fashion model, Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior journalist, and well-known media personality, Kavita Krishnamurthy, legendary playback singer, Homi Sethna, renowned nuclear scientist and key figure in India's peaceful nuclear explosion (Smiling Buddha), Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India and eminent jurist, Fali Sam Nariman, prominent constitutional lawyer and jurist, Sunil Gavaskar, legendary former Indian cricket captain, and Neerja Bhanot, a senior flight purser who gave her life saving passengers on hijacked Pan Am Flight 73, 1986, posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, and many other celebrities.

Justice PV Rajamannar, the first Indian Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, was educated in Christian collegiate systems. Those who benefitted from education at St. Mary's, Mumbai, were Zubin Mehta, world-renowned orchestra conductor; Azim Premji, billionaire businessman and philanthropist; Boman Irani, acclaimed Bollywood actor and theatre personality; Sooraj Barjatya, prominent Bollywood film director; Goolam Essaji Vahanvati, former Attorney General of India; AG Noorani, eminent Constitutional expert; Homi K. Bhabha, renowned post-colonial scholar; MM Somaya, Hockey captain of the 1988 Olympic team and Olympic Gold medallist, etc.

Among those who sought excellence in education at Notre Dame Academy, Patna, are: Neetu Chandra, Bollywood actress and producer (film Garam Masala), Pranati Rai Prakash, Bollywood actress and supermodel, Shambhavi Choudhary, Politician and Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Rashmi Singh, acclaimed author and lyricist, etc.

Don Bosco institutions across India, such as those in Mumbai (Matunga), Chennai (Egmore), and other cities, have a rich history of shaping prominent figures across politics, sports, cinema, business, and arts. Piyush Goyal, Union Cabinet Minister and prominent leader (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Udhayanidhi Stalin, politician and former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (Don Bosco, Egmore), Dayanidhi Maran, former Union Minister and Member of Parliament (Don Bosco, Egmore), Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Assam, Ravi Shastri, former Indian cricket captain and national team coach (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Farokh Engineer, former legendary Indian Test cricketer (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Shreyas Iyer, International Indian cricketer (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Dinesh Karthik, Indian international cricketer and commentator (Don Bosco, Egmore) , Viswanathan Anand, Chess Grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion (Don Bosco, Egmore/associated institutions), Vijay Amritraj, International tennis legend and sports commentator (Don Bosco, Egmore), Mir Ranjan Negi, former Indian hockey goalkeeper and coach (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Washington Sundar, Indian international cricketer (St. Bede's / Don Bosco network), Aditya Mehta, World Snooker Champion (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Mahesh Bhatt, acclaimed film director, producer, and screen writer (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Akshay Kumar, Bollywood superstar and actor (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, legendary Bollywood actors of the Kapoor family (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Mahesh Babu, Tollywood superstar and film producer (St. Bede's / Don Bosco network), Suriya and Karthi, Prominent South Indian actors (St. Bede's / Don Bosco network), Yuvan Shankar Raja, renowned music composer and playback singer (St. Bede's / Don Bosco network), Hariharan, legendary Indian playback and ghazal singer (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Mahesh Manjrekar, actor, director, and filmmaker (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), Sajid Nadiadwala, prominent Bollywood film producer and director (Don Bosco High School, Matunga), and many others.

Carmel institutions across India—including prominent schools and colleges run by the Apostolic Carmel and Carmel congregations (such as Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru, Carmel Convent schools, and associated institutions)—have an extensive legacy of producing notable figures in cinema, business, politics, sports, and journalism.

We meet the following: Deepika Padukone, global Bollywood superstar and international model (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Anushka Sharma, leading Bollywood actress and producer (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Anushka Shetty, major South Indian cinema superstar known for Baahubali (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Poonam Dhillon, veteran Bollywood and television actress (Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh), Sargun Mehta, popular actress, model, and producer in Punjabi and Hindi cinema (Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh), Vasundhara Das, renowned playback singer and actress (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Mamta Mohandas, award-winning South Indian actress and singer (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Nithya Menen, acclaimed pan-Indian film actress (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Nicole Faria, supermodel and winner of Miss Earth 2010 (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, billionaire entrepreneur, founder and executive chairperson of Biocon (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Margaret Alva, veteran politician, former Governor of Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, and former Union Minister (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Nirupama Rao, distinguished diplomat, former Indian Foreign Secretary, and Ambassador to the United States (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Mary Roy, renowned educator, women's rights activist, and social reformer (Mount Carmel institution alumnus), Aparna Popat, multiple-time National Badminton Champion and Olympian (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Ashwini Ponnappa, ace Indian badminton player and Commonwealth Games gold medallist (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Faye D'Souza, prominent independent journalist, news anchor, and media personality (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), Radhika Pandit, popular South Indian film actress (Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru), and many others.

Across India's broad landscape, many more Church institutions have helped shape India's destiny by educating and forming India's great many personalities. Those among them should reveal how many were coaxed, coerced, or forced to convert to Christianity.

Not to be outdone, several prominent leaders belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received their foundational education at Christian missionary institutions. Lal Krishna Advani, a founding father, veteran BJP leader, and lifelong RSS Swayamsevak, studied at St. Patrick's High School in Karachi (pre-partition). He frequently spoke publicly about his formative years there, expressing deep gratitude for his Christian teachers and principal, Father Modestine. MS Golwalkar, the second sarsanghchalak (supreme chief) of the RSS and its primary ideological architect, received his early education at a Christian mission school (1926 graduate of Mission High School) before attending Madhav Science College and Banaras Hindu University. And Subramanyam Jaishankar (Minister of External Affairs), to name a few.

Arun Jaitley, the late stalwart, senior BJP cabinet minister, and prominent student leader, completed his schooling at St. Xavier's School in New Delhi. Vasundhara Raje, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, attended the prestigious Presentation Convent, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. Smriti Irani, prominent BJP leader and former Union Minister, completed her schooling at Holy Child Auxilium School in New Delhi. Arun Shourie, prominent ideologue, author, and former Union Minister associated with the wider ideological fold of the Sangh Parivar, was an alumnus of St. Xavier's School, Delhi.

At state and national levels, several second- and third-tier leaders, parliamentarians, and bureaucrats rooted in the Sangh Parivar ecosystem attended missionary-run convent or diocesan schools. These institutions were among the most reliable and sought-after centres for English-medium elite education in small towns and metropolitan cities. Did they opt for Christian missionary education for religious instruction? They chose these institutions primarily for their academic rigour and emphasis on English-medium education.

One would invite the Sangh Parivar and the RSS, in particular, to tell us how many of these national leaders and other big personalities or beneficiaries, including Advani and co., were coaxed, coerced, allured, forced or brainwashed to convert to Christianity. The nation wants to know the facts. Tell the nation what is foul and what is fair, and how Himalayan was the Church's crime.