Preying on superstitions & fears

Superstitious women are vulnerable and fall for false holy men who prey on their fears and promise them the moon and stars. You! takes a look...

It is amazing that in a time when science has advanced so much that a simple ultrasound can reveal the gender of the child, people in the South Asian region and some areas surrounding this region still rely on fortune tellers to predict whether an unborn child is a boy or a girl. Carrying a girl child in this part of the world is a crime - if not a taboo.

The story of Girija:

Girija - an Indian woman - was ‘punished’ when a soothsayer told her husband’s family that she was carrying her second daughter. For women in some areas of South Asia bearing one girl child - and that also the first born - is bad enough and one just cannot imagine the issues a woman could face if the second child also turns out to be a girl.

After Girija got to know that she was carrying her second daughter - that too without conducting any tests - her in-laws demanded that she aborts her child. On her refusal she had sealed her fate and was to be punished for this impudence. The mother-in-law poured kerosene over her stomach while she was sleeping was set on fire. Fortunately, her cries alarmed the neighbours who managed to get her to a hospital in time and she survived this brutal murder attempt.

No one will raise questions or take action against the soothsayer who got Girija almost killed. Most probably he will act all hurt that his predictions were doubted and that Girija imprudently survived. Her mother-in-law might try to appease him at first and then seek further assistance from him so that she has grandsons in the future. If that is not possible, she may want to replace her daughter-in-law with a new better candidate as her son’s next wife.

In our part of the world...

This is not a new thing for this part of the world. Thousands of women face situations like Girija not only in India but in Pakistan as well. People seek soothsayers; miracle healers and other special oracles to help them pave the way to live a better and successful life. And despite social and religious restrictions, people give in to their superstitions and fall prey to the charm of these people.

The main target for ailments and bad luck usually befalls a woman. From the time of her birth - and even before - till the time of her death, she is accused of bringing some kind of bad luck or disgrace to her family. This leads to many turning to these people who offer quick remedies from getting them a good husband to a wonderful life; to bearing sons to wading in wealth.

You can’t blame these women, if you think about it. They are living in constant stress of bearing the responsibility of everything that happens in the lives of her male relatives. A mother isn’t allowed to decide whether she wants to keep her baby and if she stands firm as Girija did, she puts herself in severe danger.

Believers range from all backgrounds and education and sometimes overlook the practical and logical solution to their problems, turning to these people. Even though there are cures for illnesses like migraines; malaria; jaundice; dysentery; phobias and manias, people still turn to faith healers and the likes for remedies. Interestingly the majority are susceptible and usually fall for whatever mumbo-jumbo these people spout.

Faith and miracle healers and others like them run a successful business which is profitable all year round. With zero investment - all these people invest is their time and give out suggestions by listening to each person and the problems he/she faces. The result; this business thrives manifolds in no time. There is rarely is a slump in this as these people play on the fears and superstitions of the masses.

They gain the trust of their customers and we have seen in the past that parents - even fathers - have agreed to leave their young daughters with these men alone for the ‘treatment’ and later they have faced dire consequences. When something happens no one approaches the police and no case is registered because the family is usually too poor or scared to go public about the ‘shame’ that their daughters have brought on the family - though it was not her fault.

The problem is that these people, especially women, have no one else to turn to. If women had support from their husbands and their families, they would not find help outside. In order to find out how the oracles play with people’s lives.

First hand experience:

This scribe ventured and recently sought help from one such miracle man well known for his 100 per cent success rate in resolving any problem. His ‘shop’ which was part of his small and humble home was located in a seedy locality in the heart of the city. Of course he was quite well known in his area, I only had to take his name and I was escorted to his door.

A huge crowd stood outside his house waiting to be called inside. I asked a few people about the success rate of the ‘baba’ and they praised him highly. One woman told me that before she came to this baba she was childless but she and her husband came here for three months and now they have children. Now she was here for her husband’s job.

The crowd was a mixture of men and women of all ages; some were with children who had been brought there to be blessed. One kid was unruly and his mother and grandmother had brought him here to be ‘cured’. There were a few women with their mothers-in-law who wanted children or sons to be born.

There were several ‘Girijas’ in this group who would probably not face the same fate but they would be constantly paraded in front of the baba and asked to do all kinds of things to get their wish of a male heir. There were also people who wanted the baba to bless them so they could pass the exams; be promoted or succeed in business.

I had expected the man to be wearing a black flowing robe, with a long beard, wearing a necklace of beads - the works. But this gentleman was quite ‘normal’ and looked trustworthy. He spoke in a very low soft voice, reciting from the Quran.

When my turn came I told the baba that I was having trouble getting married (I have been married for more than a decade). To my amusement the man told me that my prospects of marrying had been sealed by someone during my youth - probably a suitor. He said that things were very dire for me, and my chances of not marrying could become permanent if I didn’t follow his instructions.

He gave me some things to do: he gave me holy water that I had to drink and bathe with. He gave me a black thread that I had to tie on my right wrist and said I had to feed the fish for 40 days. He confidently told me that on the 40th day I would get a great proposal and would soon be happily married. I tried questioning the baba but he refused to answer any of my questions. Apparently he was not used to being questioned and soon I was dismissed. Of course the baba failed in my case and no proposal came, but his clients truly believed that he had powers that could change the course of their lives and give them a better future.

It is about time that the authorities crack down these fake miracle men so that they do not prey on the vulnerable part of society and play with their lives. Such measures can save many, especially women, from sharing Girija’s fate or even worse.