State Level Advance Training Workshop
on Bhanamati & Miracle exposure was organized by Karnataka
Rajya Vigyan Parishad in collaboration with
V,G.Womens college, Gulbarga on the occassion
of Bhanamathi Eradication campaign. The workshop was catalysed &
supported by NCSTC
The workshop was inaugurated by Mr.Basavraj
Bhimalli, Chief Guest for the occassion was Mr.P.S.Shankar, Guests of
Honour were Mr. R.C.Dhotre, B.S.Soppin, Vajrakumar Kivade,Prof. Narendra
Nayak. The function was presided by Dr.C.C.Patil. Dr.Ishwaramath Co-ordinated
the function
The function was well attended by
invitees, guests & trainees from all over Karnataka.
The workshop was meticulously planned
by Prof. Narendra Nayak & his team. I went there as a observer &
ended being a participant, as the agenda was interesting & important.
It covered almost all the topics necessary for the activists to counter
the claims of the New age Gurus as well as to understand cases like
Bhanamati- a form of alleged”black magic”-supposedly practiced in
areas ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
The agenda included lectures by experts
in different subjects like Anatomy, Physiology. Biochemistry. Psychiatry,
Pathology,Surgery. Proponents of topics like Astrology, Vaastu,Ayurved
etc. were also invited to put forth their points of view for critical
evaluation.
After the inauguration Prof. Narendra
Nayak briefed the participants about the agenda and importance of the
workshop, followed by self introduction by the participants. It was
interesting to note that most of them were science teachers. After this
the post lunch session was by Dr. V.B.Nandiyal, Prof. of Anatomy. He
explained the functions of different organs of our body in layman’s
language.
The major lobes of the brain:- Temporal
lobe, Frontal , Parietal & Occipital lobes were explained with the
aid of slides. The functioning of Cerebellum, Cerebrum & Spinal
cord were explained in order to understand how slight damage to any
one of these parts of the brain can affect our body. In short the functioning
of the central nervous system, hormone secreting glands & cells
like Pancreas etc were explained. Pancreas secretes different hormones,
the most important of these are insulin & glucagon, which control
glucose levels in the blood stream said the Prof. also explaining the
location of the organs. Also the functioning of Pituitary gland, Thyroid,
Adrenal gland ,Skeletal system, Circulatory system, Muscular system,
cranial bones, Brain, lungs, digestive system & structure of the
body etc. was explained which was well received by the participants.
After this session Dr. V.S.Mali Patil,Asst.
Prof. of Physiology took over, he explained the functioning of body
organs in more detail. He spoke about the nervous system- Optic nerve,
facial nerve, and the other cranial nerves like Vagus, which is the
longest of the cranial nerves and it has branches to several major organs
and helps control heart rate etc. Spinal nerves-31 pairs of spinal nerves
branches which cover all areas of the body and some important ones like
the Radial nerve etc. Then Glands:- like Pituitary( this gland regulates
other glands throughout the body), Thalamus, importance of brain stem,
Hypothalamus(controls the endocrine system, it regulates sleep,sexual
function,body temperature etc.), the Lymphatic system(thymus gland,
spleen etc.),Respiratory system, components of the ear etc.
Day -2 First session by Prof. Narendra
Nayak (Every day he spoke for minimum 5 hours, so about him later as
it was discussion, explanation, demonstration, presentation, in short
he was doing everything possible to make participants more knowledgeable)
Second session- Bhanamathi & Miracles,
Role of Police department By l.Police Superintendent Mr Nagrajan M.N.
He was sincere enough to admit that it is difficult for officers like
him to stop Quackery as his own staff is also superstitious & they
believe in that some purveyors of superstitions have the power of curing
people. He appealed to the participants to educate the people by spreading
scientific temper so that once there is enough awareness then people
on their own will force them out of business
The next session of Dr. Shanta Patil
on Surgery made participants aware about the tests conducted & precautions
taken by the surgeons before the surgery so that there is no complications
later on & it also proved that people should not believe in so called
psychic surgeons performing bloodless surgery, as it is not possible.
9th July
Psychiatrist Dr. Phanate was very
informative. It must have helped the participants to understand the
phenomena like Bhanamathi. He also spoke about mood disorders, hallucinations,
delusions etc. I will surely consider this session as one of the best
interactive session in the workshop besides Narendra Nayaks sessions
and very important also for the activists.
Next session of Pathologist Dr S.S..Devalmamany
was about the importance of tests in diagnosing any diseases. In his
lecture he explained different aspects of disease process for eg. Etiology,Pathogenic,
Morphological change,Clinical significance etc. Also procedures of Cytology,
Histopathology were explained so that activists should try to understand
the importance of pathology in diagnosing disease.
After this a very important session
on First Aid was conducted by Dr.Mallan Rao, so that the activists in
case of emergency should be able to help others and save valuable life.
His demonstrations were good enough to understand the technique of using
first aid. After this fire walking and car pulling was demonstrated
by our group from Tamilnadu
10th july
Dr. Meenakshi Bali was speaking about
superstitions in Hyderabad & Karnataka -She attributes this to ;-
1. Predominance of feudal, semi feudal
elements
2. Illiteracy due to superstitions
3. She also made reference to superstitions
in social life and religious practices.
4. Belief, value system she said are
based on the environment in which one grows
5. She also mentioned about theistic
and atheistic schools of belief in India
She concluded by saying that we can
survive only with the help of science, but willingness is not there.
• Very interesting session was next
on the topic ‘Common behavioral disorders of adolescent girls &
women by Dr. Nalini G. Namoshi.
• Adolescence or Teenage (13 years
to 20 years) is an important period in one’s life. During this period,
there is rapid physical growth with secondary sexual features, converting
a girl into a woman. There is mental growth but it is not as fast as
physical growth.
• Thinking controlled expression
of emotions, proper understanding of the environment, decision making
intelligence, ability to satisfy the needs within the limitations of
various social and moral norms evolve.
• Interest in opposite sex, sexual
desires and expressions try to find suitable place in one’s life.
The individual has to face important examinations in the field of education,
get better marks competing with others, select a course, a vocation
which determine one’s future.One has to find one’s way to understand
the reality and clarify one’s goals.
Adolescent get entangled in these
issues and struggle to succeed. They have to sort out their identity-confusion.
They have to cope with their elders and the traditional (some meaningful,
some absurd) values, beliefs and practices. Thus adolescence is a period
of turmoil, confusion and uncertainties. Because of these biological,
psychological and social changes, adolescents more so girls are more
prone to develop mental health problems. The common ones:
ANXIETY DISORDERS : -
• Apprehension, vague fears, uneasiness,
poor concentration and memory, indecisiveness, doubt and conflicts,
boredom, irritability, initial insomnia, poor appetite, increased frequency
of micturition, diarrhea, burning sensation in the chest or stomach,
increased heart beats, breathing difficulties, increased perspiration,
joint pains, weakness, Headache, easy fatiguability, sexual inadequacies
are the complaints with which adolescents with anxiety disorder present
to doctors. Most of them wrongly believe that they have physical weakness
or illness and tonics, vitamins and injections would help them
• IDENTITY CRISIS : The adolescent
being not clear about her role and status in the family or in the society;
suffer from insecurity, inferiority and helplessness.
• PERFORMANCE ANXIETY : Every parent
expect their children to get first rank, should succeed in the competitions
and put enormous pressure on them. They give big incentives for success
and threaten with punishment for failures. They make the children to
worry excessively about their performance
• REALITIES OF LIFE AND FANTASIES
: The big gap between the fantasies and realities of life can induce
lot of anxiety.
• LACK OF SEX EDUCATION : As no
formal sex education is given in our
society, sex has become a taboo. Asking
questions about sex is prohibited. There are innumerable misconceptions
which make the adolescents to develop unwanted fears and guilt about
normal physiological things like white discharge, irregularities in
menstrual cycle and flow in girls. Female children and adolescents are
subjected to sexual abuse
HYSTERICAL CONVULSIONS AND DISSOCIATION
DISORDERS :
These are common in female children
and adolescents who (a) do not know how to express their desires or
problems (b) who are afraid to communicate to others (c) who do not
get the required help and support from others and feel neglected. Hysterical
symptoms are formed through an ‘unconscious’ process. Though many
hysterical symptoms involve one or many organs in the body, they do
not cause any damage or structural change in them. Hysterical disorder
is usually a dramatic, sudden onset and lasts for short period. The
symptoms appear in front of people and draw their attention. They may
occur at specific time and place only. The individual remains symptom
free during other times or when she is alone.
Common Presentations are :
Falling and having involuntary movements
of the limbs for any other body parts. Falling and remain non responsive.
Weakness or paralysis of the limbs.
Inability to talk. Abnormal sensations
in the body. Hurried respiration, belching or hiccups. Memory loss :
inability to recall events. Attacks of abnormal behaviour and talk.
Possession by evil spirits, god or holy saints.Fatigue : Loss of self
identity and finding oneself in new places.
OF COMMON PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OBSERVED
IN WOMEN :
1. Inferiority feeling, lack of self-confidence,
excess shyness. Fearfulness, feelings of insecurity and uncertainty.
Worrying, getting upset easily, irritability and anger, jealousy. Decreased
or lack of interest, boredom. Sadness, crying spells.Feelings of hopelessness,
helplessness and worthlessness.Indecisiveness. Conflicts and confusion.
Lack of concentration, poor memory. Sleep disturbances. Appetite disturbances:
eating more or eating less. Decreased / lack of sexual desire and satisfaction,
or aversion to sex.
These were some of her observations.
Next in the afternoon a visit to the
anatomy museum was organized for the benefit of participants the purpose
was to have a first hand experience about our organs. The participants
could observe the organs and those interested were encouraged to physically
handle them.Many of us took this opportunity to have a feel of the organs
removed from the dead bodies. Dr. Nandiyal was kind enough to escort
us & explain the functioning of the organs & reply to the queries
raised by the participants. It was a treat, first hand knowledge of
how a real organ looks like & to know how it feels, though it was
the formalin hardened specimen that were in the museum.
Wednesday
Dr. Ambika Prasad explained astronomy
and astrology. Astronomy was explained in great details which included
right from sky mapping to the latest findings. While referring to astrology
he said astrology is an art based on science and astrologers take holistic
view. The lecture was more interesting for those participants who are
sky observers.
Then there was a lecture by Vaidya
A.M.Prabhu Gudda on role of ayurveda in treating mental disease. When
questioned, he was sincere enough to admit that they don’t have proper
scientific data of mentally ill patients treated by ayurvedic medicine.
He also admitted during the lecture that he was not sure how the ingredients
in the plant act on the body of the patients to cure him of the disease
Dr.Y.S.Nelagan Prof. of Microbiology
spoke on the importance of microbiology, in his lecture he briefed
participants about different type of bacterias, viruses present in our
body, in the environment, good and the harmful effect of them and also
methods to counter the bad bacteria, precautions to be taken to avoid
food poisoning etc. Next lecture was by Arch. Shashikala Mama on Vastu
science she said VASTU IS ENVIORNMENT ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE What
is Vastu ? Is vastu a shastra? Research of our ancient culture
reveals that there were 4 Vedas, 6 shatras, 18 puranas, 24 Upanishads.
And vastu is not listed among any of these compilation or listing. That
means vastu is not among the listed shastras.
Perhaps it is the manipulation of
the clever mind of the pandits who propagate vastu as shastra to call
themselves as shastri or vastu shastri, perhaps to watch greater significance
or value addition to their qualification in the name of shastra.
Is vastu science or vigyan? Science
is based on tested truth and is built on proven facts.: the place where
a person lives and work is called vastu. According to Indian ancient classical text vastu means
appropriate land for house, The five elements of vastu are Sky,Air,Fire,
Water,Earth.
The co-ordination of 5 elements of
the nature Earth, Fire, Air, and space with the human activities and
how to manage and use to natural forces solar power.
Then comparing this with the architecture
she said.As an architecture student, I went back to my books. I came
upon a map of ancient Indian civilization to the indus valley about
5000 years ago. When the Aryans came to the country they travelled along
Taxila to Harappa to Mohenjodaro and so on. Moving from a north- westerly
to an easterly direction and going down to the south. It is worthwhile
to note that all the rivers flowed from north to south, from the northern
Himalayas down to the slopes and into the ocean. Aryans settled down
on the western banks of rivers. Since the rivers flowed from north to
south, the new settlements were located in such a way that they could
draw water upstream from the river. The sewage line flowed downstream
to the south, this was natural, and southern part of the towns were
the cremation ghats were located to ensure that the ashes flowed downstream
and away from the city.
Such an environmental aspect of ancient
Indian town planning has lead to the myth that south belongs to God
of death, and it is followed as blind ritual in the name of Vastu. Every
author of vastu in the forward writes on one way or the other such kind
of statement. That the vastu principles were formulated by our Ancient
Indians to take the maximum advantage of sunlight/ air and orientations
and environment around for the benefit of natural way of living for
better health and prosperity. From the above statement, it is clear
that vastu principles were formulated as: Guide for natural way of living.
Guide for living in tune with the environment.
Guide for taking advantage of natural
light and ventilation. It is obviously clear that essence of vastu advocates
that living style and dwelling should be such that advantage can be
derived from the natural environment, surroundings and natural light
and ventilations for better health and pleasant feelings. It means”
Advantage from nature and surrounding environment” is an important
theme aspect of vastu.
Since nature and environment is variable
from location to location, the application of orientation at physical
level become dependant on the variable location and relevant environment
and hence applications of principles vastu at physical material level
or variable and flexible to the extent to achieve the main objective
of taking
advantage of nature. The requirements,
of sun light in the north Himalayan region is much more to give protection
against the cold winds whereas in the desert zone and in the zone of
equator sunlight is required to be shielded to over come the discomfort
of heat and glare. The above examples illustrate that in different locations
different types of dwellings are required to be worked out to achieve
the common factors of taking advantage of natural light and ventilation
and surrounding environment for natural way of living.
Environment oriented architecture.
”Vastu principles pertain to application
of the knowledge of environment” Or vastu can be termed as “ Environment
oriented architecture” ( This is what she said is written about Vastu
although as an architecture she may not agree with it)
Then the next lecture was by Adv.
Yakkeli V.S on role of Judiciary. He said there is no law to stop people
practicing so called Bhanamati etc. but they can be prosecuted under
existing sections of IPC, Drugs & magical remedies act, and also
under consumer act & advised the activists to file police complaints
and cases under these acts.
Prof. Nayak , the man behind this
project was camping in Gulbarga for at least a fortnight to make this
training camp a success and indeed It was a success.
Speaking about Prof. Nayak, In his
role as the Chief-coordinator,everyday he was present at the venue from
9 in the morning to 7 in the evening coordinating the days events. In
between he was taking sessions on different topics as divers as sleight
of hand to different types of Jaundice and also replying to the queries
raised by participants on the topics covered by other resource persons.
He also conducted Miracle exposure program for the students of the host
college and nearby educational institutions.Babu Gogineni, the executive
director of International Humanist and ethical union took active part
for the first three days and also spoke to the participants about International
Humanist and ethical union and its role in eradication of the superstitions
and its support to groups who work for the cause.Franky Fathers from
Keo films attended the program to get a first hand experience of the
way of functioning of the rationalist groups. The proceedings got good
coverage in the local and state level media.
R.G.RAO a.k.a. SOMU RAO
Mobile: 09822182466
E.mail :rgaro123@gmail.com
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