Two recent newspaper headlines caught my eye and evoked opposite reactions. One was about an MLA from Andhra Pradesh who did something rather unique to dispel the superstitions that people associate with the afterlife; particularly the belief in ghosts. The other headline was about Madhya Pradesh’s Minister of State for Woman and Child organising a frog wedding supposedly to propitiate the rain gods.
Andhra MLA Nimmala Rama Naidu of Palakollu did something rather unique to dispel people's fear of ghosts. He spent three nights in a crematorium to prove his point. When refurbishment work on an old crematorium was stalled by workers refusing to work there out of fear, the MLA decided to set an example in this rather unique fashion. The picture shows that the MLA is wise enough to use a mosquito net against the genuine danger of vector borne disease, but is quite disbelieving of supposedly supernatural dangers.
Now this may be a practical solution to a specific problem but it sends out a positive message from the elected representative of the people. It dismisses irrational fears and misguided faith in the occult. This isn’t just about a few workers stopping work. Superstitions and irrational behaviours have far-reaching negative impacts; causing people to brand humans as witches, offer up sacrifices and to think and behave illogically, even dangerously.
A few days ago, an MLA from MP, Lalita Yadav not just participated in but actually organised a bizarre ritual: it was a marriage ceremony of frogs meant to propitiate the gods and bring rain to the area. Many other leaders also participated. Opposition leaders criticised the event as encouraging belief in superstition while the MLA said that this was just a local custom. While one could dismiss this as silly and funny, we would do well to examine the implications of an elected representative; a Minister of State no less, subscribing to and encouraging something so patently ridiculous.
If she wants to support local customs, why not find tribal customs that support conservation and an eco friendly lifestyle? We often find that traditional or primitive lifestyles are better adapted to living in harmony with nature than our wasteful, often destructive modern urban lifestyles. By getting frogs married, the MLA not only showed her support for irrationality and superstition, she sent out the message to people that such wasteful expenditures are somehow justified.
Developing a scientific temper is one of the fundamental duties of Indian citizens as enshrined by our constitution. However in recent times we seem to be slipping further and further away from logical thinking and evidence based beliefs. The recent penchant of our political class for presenting mythological tales as historical fact is worrying.
A personage no less than the country’s Prime Minister has spoken of a religious belief as evidence of plastic surgery having existed in ancient times. Ministers have said that stem cell technology, the internet, nuclear weaponry, air craft and even satellites existed in ancient India based only on myths and faith.
Then there is the insistence upon the medicinal values of everything associated with the cow: from its urine to its feces to its exhalations. While some insist upon the cancer curing properties of cow urine, one minister even coated his cell phone with cow dung to protect from radiation. Another said that the cow is the only creature that breathes out oxygen and not carbon dioxide. It is shocking that HRD Minister of the country Satyapal Singh publicly scoffed at Darwin's theory of evolution because no one ever saw or said they saw ‘ape turning into man’.
If our leaders must nurture irrational and often frankly laughable personal beliefs they cannot be prevented from doing so. However they owe it to the public to be responsible about their public statements and behaviour; to uphold the constitution by at least trying to nurture a scientific temperament in a country that is still struggling with poverty and ignorance and dogma.
Some of these statements have been direct attacks not only on proven scientific theories but have actively encouraged blind faith and irrationality. Remember tradition, religious faith, and beliefs are often presented as a convenient excuse to propagate patriarchy and caste as well as social & gender injustice. The noble cause of upholding “humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform” appear to have been cast aside; even demonized in recent times. This is something that should worry all of us; regardless of our political and ideological persuasion.
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