In fact, India is seeing a disturbing turn to superstition-inspired activities (and also more superstitious behaviour among those at the top echelons of the society including both activist types and the rationalist mind-set). From the recent shocking video excerpts there are clips where spiritual leaders act as healers and perform acts of faith based behaviour including ritualised acts of evil. Once, such acts were a raging firestorm, near the point at which blind faith, scientific impulse and social demand meet the heat of today in modern India.
Yet despite all the quick advancements in technology and education, so much of society has found themselves under the thumb of the exploitative practices of self-styled godmen. In a well-publicized and well known version of such behavior, a videotaped “baba” who mauls women with a stick, “to cure” and “remove” evil spirits appeared online. Even worse, onlookers take their time with nobody doing anything. Such behavior is either condoned or visible to many bystanders.
Experts say the trend isn’t without detractors, and pointed out it’s a mirror of the problems in people in society more broadly. The ignorance, the fear, and the poverty, and the anxiety of life play much into such behavior (why so many people follow people, this is why those who take advantage of trust, like this would do as long as it is based on it and that was what they were doing). These practices often result in a victimisation of women and other low income communities that have struggled financially.
B.R. Ambedkar, the world famous social reformer, has long warned against superstition superstition is a bad thing! It’s a bad idea; it hinders progress and sound reason. It is also in the Indian Constitution itself that the development of scientific temper is prescribed, but these acts of violence show a mismatch between the profession's policy practice agenda and the actual implementation of principle in implementation. A second challenge the resurgence of blind faith is one that raises the fundamental question of whether such laws to combat black magic, and other forms of sham spirituality as well, are also being used purposefully.
Many states even have laws in place now to address this yet it's hardly ever enacted properly. That challenge, however, would have to be addressed in another manner. There should also be productive ways to shore up our education systems to promote critical thinking and education that makes people more informed that opens for discussion harmful practices.
But governments also have to take targeted action toward those people and organizations who abuse faith to benefit themselves. There is much wisdom and science and philosophy in India, great traditions of mind and knowledge and knowing and being that are known as great mind traditions and of life in our cultures. And this kind of legacy may be maintained by not being hurt or ignorant, both of which dehumanize and decimate dignity and human well-being.
The responsible faith may be mixed with reasonableness, but once it turns to blind obedience it is the enemy of development. We do not have to abandon belief itself as a principle but ensure that it can never trump logic, humanity and the rule of law. We also need to be aware and responsible in order to evolve from this into a more fair, more humane future.
