To,
The
Editor, Indian Skeptic, Podanur, India.
Sir,
I am a life
member of Indian Skeptic since 1990 and my membership No. is LM-96. I am writing
after a long time not because, I had lost interest in rationalism and humanism
but because, I was busy with other engagements too. Situation
has hardly improved over the decades. In spite of increase in literacy
rate, there is no perceptible reduction in superstitious beliefs. People
still run after witch doctors and Babas in order to solve their mundane
problems and these charlatans, as usual, are always ready to cheat these
gullible. As per The
Times of India dt. 26-7-2005, Pune police has arrested Prakash Jamadade
for committing indignity to human corpse when he was driving nails into
the head of a young woman who died immediately after child birth. Jamdade
and his community believe that it stops the spirit from turning evil.
Luckily, they don’t believe in the same ritual for living ones! If people
in Maharashtra are worried about evil spirits then those of Orissa are
with witches. As per The Times of India dt. 18-10-2005,93 people have
been tortured and killed in the last three to four years, all charged
with practicing witch-craft. Interestingly, men as well as women can
be regarded as witches and the penalty is equally venomous and bloody
for both. Tribal districts of Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar are
the worst affected ones. Tripura is also bad for witches but Assam
is even worse. The weekly magazine The Week reports in its September
25,2005 issue that 55 tribals were branded as witches and killed in
the past four months in Assam. Alas, Ministry of Home couldn’t hear
their piercing shriek. Tribes of
Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh believe and practice one cure for many
ailments, such as, stomach-ache, asthma, fever, epilepsy etc. It is
called ‘damhah’ and consists of branding the body with red-hot iron
sickle, not once or twice but even 100 times. Age is no bar; it works
equally on both young and old as per a report in The Times of India
dt 29-10-2005. One may
pity above-mentioned tribals for their ignorance in believing and practicing
bizarre rituals but even Pope, the earthly representative of God, is not far
behind. As per Ripley’s Believe It
or Not published in The Times of
India dt 21-7-2005, Pope Stephen VI elected in the 9th century, dug up his
predecessor, put the corpse on trial, found him guilty of crimes against
the Church and then dumped the body in a river. Well, shall we still
believe that Christianity is all about love and peace? Good
news for the practitioners and believers of supernatural power. They
can become millionaire simply by demonstrating it. However, as reported
in The Times of India dt 2-10-2005, none of the hundreds of applicants
have been able to pass even the preliminary test
for James Randi’s $ 1million prize for proof of supernatural power.
So, why not Satya Sai Baba and other godmen take this challenge? If
they believe in austerity and are not interested in US dollars then,
well, don’t claim the money. Just demonstrate your supernatural power
to show the world, the truth.
Protagonists
of acupressure vouch for its therapeutic virtues. Well, even the healthy
can find it useful. A study by researchers at the University of Michigan
Health System found that a stimulation acupressure regimen leads to
significant reduction in sleepiness compared to acupressure treatment
that focuses on relaxation. It has been reported in The Hindustan Times dt 17-9-2005.
The controversy about
the therapeutic values of homeopathy is still going on and The Lancet,
a leading medical journal is creating more confusion than removing it.
Based on 89 double-blind or randomized placebo controlled clinical trials,
The Lancet reported in September 1997 that homeopathy is 2.45% more
effective than a placebo. In 2005, it reported that homeopathy is no
better than dummy drugs, citing a Swiss led review of 110 trials, which
alleged homeopathic drugs worked no better than a placebo. The journal
said that Western doctors need to be honest about homeopathy’s “lack
of benefit”. The Lancet research found disappointing results from
homeopathic treatment of asthma, allergies and muscular problems. However,
1991 research published in the British Medical Journal indicted
that of 107 controlled clinical trials of homeopathic medicines,
81 had demonstrable beneficial results. All this has confused, scientific
as well as ordinary people. Homeopathy or no homeopathy, that is the
question,yet to be resolved.
Readers
of IS will remember Swami Ram Tripathi alias Kripaluji Maharaj. He used
to claim to be a jagatguru and reincarnation of Lord Krishna. Naturally,
all his female devotes were gopis for him. In 1990' s, he was
accused of rape and police had raided his ashram where large number
of pornographic materials was recovered. I don’t know what happened
with the case, but, being rich and powerful, he must have managed to
save his skin. However, old habits die hard. Not satisfied in
India, Kripaluji Maharaj, now 85, landed up at Trinidad in May 2007
to carry on his carnal pursuits in the guise of religion. He has been
arrested on rape charge of a 22 year old girl from Guiana. She had gone
to seek spiritual guidance from him. Medical report has confirmed the
allegation. His passport has been seized. This time, it should not be
easy for him to get scot-free. Well, Kripaluji Maharaj is just a tip
of the iceberg. There are many wolves like him, roaming in the guise
of sheep. Beware of them.
Please bring it to
the notice of fellow readers. Paper clippings are enclosed.
With warm regards,
Sd.
(Awani Kumar)
0/0 Director. Lucknow Zoo, Lucknow
- 226 001, U.P.
awanieva@gmail.com
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