Shuddhi is Sanskrit for purification. It is a term used for reconverting those that are deemed to have converted away from Hinduism back to Hinduism.
Shuddhi movement
The socio-political movement, derived from ancient rite of shuddhikaran, or purification was started by the Arya Samaj, and its founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati and his followers like swami Shraddhanand, who also worked on the Sangathan consolidation aspect of Hinduism, in North India, especially Punjab in early 1900s, though it gradually spread across India. Shuddhi had a social reform agenda behind its belligerent rationale and was aimed at abolishing the practise of untouchability by converting outcasts from other religions to Hinduism and integrating them into the mainstream community by elevating their position, and instilling self-confidence and self-determination in them. The movement strove to reduce the conversions of Hindus to Islam and Christianity, which were underway at the time. In 1923, Swami Shraddhanand founded the 'Bhartiya Hindu Shuddhi Mahasabha' and pushed the agenda of reconversion, which eventually created a flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims as Muslims were the recipients of the violence.. Mahatma Gandhi made a comment on Swami Shraddhananda in an article titled 'Hindu-Muslim-Tensions: Causes and Resistance' in the May 29, 1922 issue of Young India. Gandhi further wrote Dayanand that "he narrowed one of the most liberal and tolerant religions of the world." Swami responded to Gandhi's article that "If Aryasamaji is true to themselves, then the allegations of Mahatma Gandhi or any other person and invasions also cannot obstruct the trends of Arya Samaj." Shraddhanand followingly kept moving towards his goal. The main point of contention was the reconversion of Malkana Rajputs in western United Province As a result, the movement became controversial and antagonized the Muslims populace and also led to the death of the leader of the movement, Swami Shraddhanand in 1926. After Swami Shraddhanand died this movement continued. On 23 February 1928, many Catholic Gaudes in Goa were re-converted to Hinduism notwithstanding the opposition of the Church and the Portuguese government. This was carried out by a Hindu religious institution from Mumbai known as Masur Ashram, the converts were given Sanskrit Hindu names, but the Portuguese government put impediments in their way to get legal sanction for their new Hindu names. 4851 Catholic Gaudes from Tiswadi, 2174 from Ponda, 250 from Bicholim and 329 from Sattari were re-converted to Hinduism after nearly 400 years. The total number of the converts to Hinduism was 7815. However, in Northern India this movement faced stiff opposition from Islamic organisations and the SunniBarelvi organisation All India Jamaat Raza-e-Mustafa in Bareilly city, which attempted to counter the efforts of the Shuddhi movement to convert Muslims to Hinduism in British India.
