The ceremony was marked by elaborate Hindu religious rituals. These included various poojas (prayers), along with homa-havana (sacred fire offerings), which are traditional purification rites conducted during major religious occasions. These rituals symbolically cleansed and welcomed the participating families back into the fold of Hinduism.
The families involved in the reconversion hailed from several nearby villages, including Nagasandra, Gandhinagar, Kadirenahalli, and Kodigenahalli. Their participation in the programme was seen by organisers as a reaffirmation of their ancestral faith and an embrace of their cultural roots.
This ceremony comes amid a growing focus on Ghar Wapsi efforts by certain right-wing groups and political leaders in Karnataka and other parts of India. The idea of ‘Ghar Wapsi’ is rooted in the belief that individuals who have adopted other religions—particularly Christianity or Islam—are originally of Hindu lineage and should be encouraged to return to Hinduism.
Earlier this year, in March, prominent right-wing ideologue and founder of the Yuva Brigade, Chakravarthy Sulibele, sparked widespread debate with his bold remarks promoting the idea of Ghar Wapsi. Speaking at a programme organised by a Hindu group in Mangaluru, Sulibele said it was time to shift attention away from what he described as “love jihad”—a controversial term used by some groups to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women through marriage—and instead focus on aggressively promoting reconversion into Hinduism.
He urged Hindu youth to be trained specifically for this purpose and encouraged the use of modern tools, such as social media platforms, to promote and publicise Ghar Wapsi initiatives. “The time for a change has come,” he said during the event. “From now on, we will speak about Ghar Wapsi. Let our young people be empowered to facilitate the return of others, especially women, to Hinduism.”
Sulibele’s remarks provoked sharp criticism from several quarters, including civil society groups and political opponents, who viewed his comments as an attempt to legitimise religious conversions under the banner of reconversion. Critics argued that the emphasis on converting individuals—particularly from minority communities—could deepen religious tensions and promote division.
However, Sulibele’s supporters defended his position by framing Ghar Wapsi as a corrective measure, meant to reverse what they perceive as historical or coerced conversions away from Hinduism. They argued that the act of reconversion should be seen not as proselytising but as a form of cultural reclamation.
The recent Ghar Wapsi event in Chikkaballapur is being seen by political observers as part of a broader trend, where religious identity and reconversion drives are becoming central to the social and political discourse in parts of India. With the involvement of political figures like Ravinarayana Reddy, such events are also gaining greater visibility and legitimacy within certain sections of society.
Whether framed as religious freedom, cultural restoration, or a political strategy, the increasing frequency of Ghar Wapsi programmes points to evolving dynamics in India’s religious landscape, where faith, politics, and identity continue to intersect.
