THE ACTUAL FREEDOM- FREEDOM FROM SUPERSTITIONS

The brutal killing of three tribal women in a village in West Midnapore district on accusations of practicing witchcraft by a village group on October 18, 2012 highlights the myriad ways in which the fairer sex is oppressed and exploited. The brutal killing of three tribal women in a village in West Midnapore district on accusations of practicing witchcraft by a village group on October 18, 2012 highlights the myriad ways in which the fairer sex is oppressed and exploited. Particularly rampant in the tribal areas of central and eastern India, branding women from marginalised and weaker sections of the society (more than often their own community members are in collusion with the privileged and powerful) as witches is a common practice. According to the National Crime Record Bureau data, since 2008, 768 women have been murdered for practicing witchcraft. Their numbers are adding up each year. A Zee Research Group (ZRG) analysis shows that states like Karnataka and Chhatt...

Now friends, we would see how these dhongi sadhus and gurus remain elusive completely free even in the hands of god! NAGPUR: Only time will tell whether or not godman Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai will be punished for the alleged misdeeds in which they were learnt to have engaged in the name of divinity to disciples. A reply from city police, procured under RTI Act, underlined the fact that several godmen or religious gurus have been booked for various types of so-called misdeeds but never punished. The RTI reply, which shockingly missed mentioning several cases during the period for which the information was sought, claimed that only 11 offences were registered against religious gurus irrespective of caste, community or faith between 2009 and July this year. The glaring mistake in the information provided by city police commissionerate seems to reflect the lackadaisical approach of cops while dealing with such godmen and gurus who had either cheated or exploited ...

Friends, m y first instinct was to laugh. Only in India would a seer dream of a long dead king telling him about buried gold.  Only in India would this be taken seriously enough to send the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) scurrying off to unearth hidden treasure in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Only in India would this set off a frenzy of treasure seekers who reportedly hold two priests at gunpoint while they dig a temple and a fort in an adjoining village looking for the yellow metal. One week and a whole lot of mud later, culture minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch has now said the ASI is not looking for gold at all but weapons used by Indians in 1857.  Indeed. The story has already begun to die down and in another week will, in all likelihood, be relegated to yet another amusing footnote in India's enduring fascination with godmen and their 'miracles'. It's a fascination that is not limited to villages in Uttar Pradesh. The seer, Shobhan Sarkar is said to have ...

BHUBANESWAR: Close on the heels of two persons getting killed in police firing in Ganjam district in a conflict over witchcraft, an organization promoting rational thinking said on Sunday 72 persons were murdered for practicing 'sorcery' in the state in 2011. Odisha Rationalist Society (ORS), which computed the figure on the basis of its verification of media reports, said the actual number of deaths may be higher as all such incidents are not reported in the media. The black magic death toll according to the ORS is over double the casualty of 33 caused by Maoist violence during the year. "Ten murders related to witchcraft have already taken place in 2012," ORS general secretary Debendra Sutar told reporters here. The 2011 figure includes 17 murders in Mayurbhanj district, followed by 14 in Keonjhar, eight in Sundargarh and six in Rayagada, among other districts. "Independent verification of such incidents reveal that mostly helpless women, widowed or s...

Now friends, so far we have discussed about the harmful cases of black magic, these cases will show you that how badly the women got trapped and even tody get trapped in this black magic thing: HYDERABAD: Raising concerns over the rise in the number of Muslim women banking on witchcraft for various gains, a seminar held on Monday noted that these gullible women were relying on unlawful services only to be left losers in the end, having coughed up precious money and time in vain. Speaking at a seminar on 'Reality of witchcraft and its precaution' organised in the Old City on Monday, members of the Muslim Women Intellectual Forum (MWIF) said that these hundreds of practitioners of black magic, also known as 'Aamils,' make tall claims of solving any problem with 'divine' intervention but in reality take people for a ride. The seminar meant exclusively for women attracted hundreds of participants, including those who were cheated by the babas. Sameena ...

The most that a particular religion can base its claims on is faith, which really amounts to superstition. If people are to know and understand the real world, they must give up superstitious beliefs because they have a narcotic effect on the mind. As an opiate, religion drugs people into thinking they have found a form of security and salvation. However, this comfort is actually an illusion. Progress cannot be made in society until mankind has discarded the drug-like effects brought on by the superstition of religion-so said Karl Marx. [In Kerala, India, there is a temple called 'Kodungalloor Bhagawathy Temple'. Every year in the Malayalam month of 'Meenam' (March-April) the'Bharani' day is celebrated here. Large number of oracles (velichappadu) assemble here for the festival and they go into a frenzied mood. The major highlight of the festival is hurling of abuses at the deity in the form of songs in highly obscene language. No 'devotee' is annoyed...

Hey friends Really sorry for not writing for so many days, as exams were going on, so hectic schedule you see. But today we shall discuss about another aspect, that is only given to us by superstitions, that is Untouchability!-Believe it or not, but its still present everywhere and we all practice it, I get live examples everyday in front of my eyes- People who belong to middle or high class practice it so badly with poor people, that it's really painful to see that. And people find them as if just because they are poor they cannot be given the appropriate treatment and should be eliminated from our society etc.etc. But the real fact which people are not ready to accept is t hat we all our CHILDREN OF GOD, and if someone poor someone, rich, that does not mean that we can treat poors like our servants in the way we want just for our needs, You know friends this problem is the progeny of superstitions only and no one is just you know, ready to remove it for their own sake! Toda...