[IE]
That it took nationwide outrage over the assassination of Narendra
Dabholkar for the Maharashtra government to revive the anti-black magic
law, pending for over a decade and a half, was a sign of how little
attention was paid to the exhortations of the anti-superstition
crusader. Such indifference to the voice of reason is not surprising in a
nation where astrology plays a major part in the choice of “auspicious”
dates for special events like marriage and, for politicians, the filing
of nominations.
If such preoccupations are harmless, the same
cannot be said for branding of old women in the countryside as witches
for casting an “evil spell” or the horror of human sacrifice to ward off
misfortune. These irrational beliefs are responsible for the prevalence
of quacks who “treat” even serious illnesses with their charms and
talisman. It is against such irrational belief in “jadu tona” that
Dabholkar formed his Andhasraddha Nirmoolan Samity or the organisation
for the eradication of blind faith.
Unfortunately, his critics saw
him as a non-believer who was undermining the popular faith in
prescriptions and practices advocated supposedly by “holy men”, although
these were actually frauds who hoodwinked the gullible in the name of
religion. Even the delay in the enactment of the law sought by Dabholkar
was a concession to the clout of the sundry godmen targeted by the
indefatigable champion of sanity. The influence of the imposters is also
evident from the fact that Maharashtra is only the fourth state to
enact an anti-superstition law despite the wide prevalence of irrational
beliefs. Even in the three other states — Bihar, Jharkhand and
Chhattisgarh — which have such a law, it is directed only against
witch-craft and not against the practices akin to voodoo. The solution
lies not in laws, but in the spread of scientific temper in schools,
colleges. The recordings of Dabholkar’s speeches should also be given
wide currency.
