Even as I was planning to enjoy a lazy day without trying to reach my laptop, an article caught my eye from today’s (Sunday 8th Oct 2017), Times of india, Calcutta Times on ‘Black magic and phases of the moon.’ (see link). I decided to break my resolve and express my opinion on it.
God, its form and shape, or its very existence has been debated over for as long man existed. Even if the existence of god was disputed, people world over readily believed in ghosts, evil spirits and related afflictions being the cause of their woes, thus enriching exorcists, tantric (healers) and astrologers.
The trend is not only limited to India and exists all over the world. Birmingham Crown Court sentenced one Gassama, a Gambian, who duped three English women of close to $200,000, the high amount he claimed to sacrifice crocodile and cows, back in Africa to relieve them of their ills. Three men in Dubai have been accused of conning two Algerians out of nearly Dh3.5 million after convincing them they were under a black magic spell, arrested and jailed by the Dubai Criminal Court.
A visit to the annexe of any Shakti temple, like Tara peeth or Kalighat, where curative havans and exorcising rituals are conducted, would reveal the extent of people’s faith in reaching for any mumbo-jumbo as a cure for their various ills.
Recently in Mallapuram, Kerala, the police promptly concluded that the decomposed body of Vazhayil Sayid, recovered was result of black magic. Similarly, the recent murder of a 9 year-old-girl, Nurulla in Bengaluru ended in the same conclusion by the police.
The Kerala Nadavuthul Mujaheedeen in June this year, have arrived at a consensus that Black Magic, Sorcery and evil eye are genuine. They claimed that most scholars of Ahlu Sunna (Sunni) have concluded that ‘Sihr,’ black magic, and their related evils is a reality.
The unbridled advertisements both in print and electronic media can reflect the degree of man’s desperation in turning to such entrapments and falling prey. It does not just confine to lovelorn youths, but to top corporate honchos and politicians as well.
Online, exhortations are rampant these days, charges ranging from Rs.500 to upwards of a lac, depending on how much can be extracted from each one! Vashikaran Kriya, enticing someone is the most popular in demand followed infrequently with requests to cause bodily harm or cessation of lives of enemies. Safely however, these are beyond the powers of these fake messiahs, save extract monies.
Maharashtra has an Act barring these practices and the Law commission in West Bengal too is planning to legislate prevention of such practices. Recent cases in West Bengal of an old lady by his son and a family sacrificing their daughter for prosperity on the advice of such evil black-magic practitioners, and regular lynching of hapless women, misconstrued as witches, should raise alarm and accelerate the laws required for prevention of evil-practices.
Enacting laws, must clear the hurdle of religious intolerance counter attacks, and may take ages to implement. Until then we can watch helplessly at such loathsome articles and classified Ads in both TV and print media.
Sampath Kumar
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31812&articlexml=BLACK-MAGIC-AND-PHASES-OF-THE-MOON-08102017107012
