Hanumantha
Mutya, a budding miracle man of a village called Sagari
near Gulbarga was
exposed by our troupe. During
my stay at Gulbarga, a resident of
a village nearby called Hanumantha Mutya (Mutya means miracle man in Gulbarga Kannada)
had received wide publicity.
One TV channel
had credited various miracle powers to him. Powdered turmeric which was given as
Prasad by him was supposed to be a panacea for all diseases including
barrenness. A number of cures and issues for barren couples were ascribed to the
miraculous powers of this turmeric.
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When the local
journalists asked me to investigate him, I made an appeal for police protection
as such investigations would be resented by locals who stand to gain by such.
Since there was no response, a group of our activists decided to investigate him
in my absence. When they reached the village, my hunch was proved right. They
saw groups of villagers discussing my press statement and promising me a hot
reception if I happened to go there!
They found
a crowd of several hundred there. They were not the local innocent,
uneducated villagers but the educated infotech, biotech and middle class
crowd who had come from places as far away as Bangalore. All were anxiously
waiting for the miracle man who was missing. Finally, our investigators
managed to waylay him on his visit to a nearby field for his toilet!
They found an innocent villager with no pretensions of any miraculous
powers. He had absolutely no standing among his village compatriots
who held him in no awe!
Further
investigations showed that the whole village was an illegal settlement
and some local vested interests had projected this village bumpkin as
a miracle monger. They were also deriving monetary benefits by promising
interviews for anxious devotees. It also turned out that those who had
come in search of him were all outsiders taken in by the publicity of
the media.
Our team
returned after having their photograph taken with him. It was an opportune
moment for our team that the miracle man had no indoor toilet and could
be met on his way to perform excretory functions in open air! It is
also the tragedy of a superstition besotted nation that even so called
educated people go in search of non existent miracles and perfectly
ordinary miracle men!
It is
very clear that for this evil to be eradicated concerted action from
the various authorities is needed. The police should take action and
book criminal cases which they are very reluctant to do
as of now. The revenue and health authorities also
need to do their bit. Our activists are planning campaign to educate
people that all the so called super natural events in the name of Bhanamathi
are only man made. Perhaps, such efforts for a decade or so may help
to end this.
It is
a tragedy that something that could be called as Bhanamathi (entertainment
in urdu) could end up as an evil practice covering a variety of disorders
- mental, physical and social. The Karnataka Rajya Vigyana Parishat
has formed a committee under the chairmanship of Sri BS Soppin, for
eradication of this.
Prof. NARENDRA NAYAK
is a consumer activist and a rationalist. We invite readers response.
The writer can be reached
at: narenyen@gmail.com
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