Panaji :‘Petals Innovative Machines Pvt. Ltd., Verna, Goa has become the centre of activity for Christians for conversions of Hindus. Most of the staff members in the company are Hindu. A Christian missionary visits the company two times in a week and teaches workers about Christian religion. As the owner of the company is Christian, the activities are carried out with his knowledge and approval. The company had organized a ‘Retreat?cum-Training Camp’ at Damodar Hotel, Madgaon. When the workers wanted to know details about the training to be imparted in this training camp, company did not divulge anything. The concerned officials are maintaining lot of secrecy about the whole thing. Although the company has organized the training camp, more than the members of management, missionaries are prominent in making all the arrangements for the training. These missionaries are meeting each and every worker and personally inviting him to attend the camp.
It is a practice in this company to start the day with a prayer. Two times in a week, a Christian missionary visits the company, meets the workers, tells them a story from Bible and makes them pray. All Hindu workers are also joining the program. Whenever the employer visits the company and talks to the workers, he talks more about Christianity than the work. A few days ago, a camp on ‘leadership development’ was organized by the company for its heads of the departments.
In this camp, a Christian missionary was present on all the days i.e. for two weeks. He presented a copy of the Bible to everyone and made everyone read a page from the Bible. In the books provided to the participants of the camp on the last day of the camp, there was an article on how to develop leadership qualities among missionaries and the books were mainly on Christianity. Thus the main objective of the company in holding such camp was spreading Christianity. Hindus are afraid to talk about their religion in the company. When the management came to know about a worker worshipping a machine on the day of Dassera by offering flowers to it, he was asked to remove flowers and other puja material. The Christian missionary talked bad words about Sri Krushna and Sri Ram. Twicw in a week, lectures are conducted by missionaries for workers which start with offering a prayer to Jesus. It is impressed upon the workers that we all are unhappy, there are a lot of obstacles in our lives and we have committed a lot of sins. But only Jesus can save us, He is very kind and will forgive us. He rules this world. One can go to heaven by surrendering to Him. A few months ago, these missionaries had told workers that they would be given a lumpsum on conversion to Christianity and a fixed amount every month thereafter. The missionaries also gifted the workers with a ‘Cross’ and told the workers that by if spreading hands while praying, the prayer would reach Him faster. All Hindu workers are very much annoyed with such activities in the company.
