A Hindu man from Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram has decided to donate his house worth Rs. 2 Crore after being fed up with children who have converted to Christianity. A resident of Munusamy Avenue, Kanchipuram, 85-year old Velayatham fears his children, 2 daughters and a son would not perform his last rights as per Hindu rituals. In a bold step, he has thus decided to donate his house to the Kumarakottam Murugan Temple, his clan deity.
As per reports, Velayudham who retired as a health inspector in the TN state government owns a 2,680 sq. ft. house worth Rs. 2 Crores. While talking to a local Tamil daily Dinamalar, he lamented that he had built this house with hard-earned money. He informed that all three of his children have married Christians and have converted to Christianity, so there is nobody left in the family to perform his final rites as per Hindu tradition.
He said, “For me, being a Hindu, the last rites have to be as per Hindu tradition. All three children converted to Christianity. So, to me, they are not going to do the funeral rites according to the Hindu system.”
Isolated by his family, Velayatham further stated, “Even if I die after becoming a Christian, for me they will not do the funeral. Thus I have no desire to give my property to those who have converted to Christianity.” Currently, two of his children live in a portion of his house. For them he said, “They can live here as long as myself and my wife live. But the moment we die the temple administration will take over the house”.
According to Velayatham, he has handed over the sale deed to the HRCE minister and the house will be taken over by the temple administration after the couple’s demise.
Family disputes over religious conversions have been reported for a long time. Last year, Karnataka MLA G Shekhar had stated in the assembly that his own mother has converted to Christianity and she now objects to Hindu rituals performed in the house.
Earlier in June last year, a Dharam Pratap Singh from Gwalior who became ‘David’ had refused to cremate his mother as per Hindu rituals. The body was taken in custody by the granddaughter of the deceased lady, who travelled 1100 km to perform her last rights.
In 2018, Thabir Panda, a resident of Gajapati district, Odisha was beaten up by his wife and mother-in-law for refusing to convert to Christianity.