Kerala has thriving marketplace for the occult, courtesy govt, well-liked media

When information of the horrific human sacrifice of women at Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta in Kerala started tumbling out, it despatched shockwaves throughout the state of Kerala.

It additionally acquired individuals speaking concerning the many obscurantist and superstitious practices prevalent throughout religions within the state that routinely tops literacy rankings. In reality, a glimpse of the labeled sections of the very papers that reported the grotesque crime in gory element on their entrance pages is revelatory. Soliciting unsuspecting individuals to ameliorate their non secular, emotional and bodily issues by black magic and witchcraft is commonplace.

Whereas these commercials had been extra recurrent within the days passed by, the arrival of expertise has ensured that there are different methods of propagating such hoaxes – even within the case in query, now known as the Elanthoor case, the prime accused used the quilt of an nameless Fb profile to lure his victims. For a state recognized for its amity and tolerance, many unholy practices get routinely brushed below the carpet.

Together with organized religions, religion peddlers in non secular garbs who’re free brokers have additionally arrange outlets in Kerala. Most of them thrive on the idea of the fabric and non secular deliverance of their followers. The Fahadh Fazil movie Trance (2019) sheds mild on religion ministers of a specific sort however, in actual fact, it cuts throughout religions and denominations as spirituality has change into a extremely profitable enterprise proposition.

Additionally Learn: Room No 13: Is Kerala HC suffering from triskaidekaphobia?

Based mostly on testimonials and what can solely be dubbed ‘magic exhibits’ accompanied by music and sound results, pastors conduct ‘religion therapeutic’ classes routinely throughout Kerala. Within the spirit of competitiveness and to not get outdone, even males of god belonging to organised Church buildings conduct parallel magic exhibits of their very own, dubbed “retreats”. And within the true secular traditions of Kerala, varied godmen and god ladies hailing from different religions co-exist amicably with their Christian counterparts.

Even the judiciary in Kerala is just not proof against superstitious practices. As an illustration, in 1995 the outdated Kerala high court building did away with court number 13. When the brand new constructing got here up, courtroom quantity 13 turned ‘12A’. When it was challenged, the petition was thrown out and imposed wonderful by the judges within the excessive courtroom – solely to be overturned by the Supreme Courtroom. The lordships within the excessive courtroom determined to call the courts in keeping with flooring, thereby discovering a roundabout answer to their concern of quantity 13 – or Triskaidekaphobia.

The non-introduction of an anti-superstition invoice by the Left authorities in Kerala, initially conceived in 2014 by the then UDF authorities, after the demise of two women in Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, can also be below the highlight. The late PT Thomas of the Congress and KD Prasenan, hailing from the Communist Get together of India (Marxist), had launched non-public member’s payments – solely to be rejected after the Left authorities promised to introduce the invoice by itself.

Black magic and occult practices have all the time had a thriving market in Kerala. In reality, motion pictures and cartoon strips have additionally gone on to market it. Wayanadan Thampan (1978) with Kamal Haasan within the lead and Mohanlal’s Sreekrishnaparunthu (1984), by the way each movies directed by A Vincent, had themes glorifying black magic and satan worship. 5 years in the past, a stunning case of a person killing his relations had emerged, which was deemed to be based mostly on occultism and Devil worship within the coronary heart of Thiruvananthapuram, a stone’s throw from the chief minister’s residence.

The 1984 movie My Expensive Kuttichathan, touted to be India’s first 3D movie, had as its central character a goblin known as Kuttichathan, occurring to seize the general public creativeness. No sooner had the movie launched than Balarama, the favored youngsters’s weekly revealed by the Manorama group in Kerala, started publishing the caricature Mayavi with characters starting from the titular good imp versus villainous goblin titled Luttappi together with Dakini, the witch, and Kuttoosan, the wizard. It additionally popularized the mantra, “Om khreem Kuttichathan” (used to summon the imp) amongst children.

Additionally Learn: Wealthy, highly educated Kerala is avid consumer of superstitions

Immediately, Thrissur district in Kerala has supposedly change into a hub of sorcerers who bask in satan worship broadly categorized as “Kuttuichathan Seva” centres. That is astonishing since Kerala has had a powerful rationalist custom going again greater than a century in the past. Sahodaran Ayyappan, social reformer and politician who was additionally a detailed affiliate of Sri Narayana Guru, had gone as far as to present Guru’s slogan “Oru Jati, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam Manushyanu” (One Caste, One Faith, One God for Human-beings) a twist to “Jati Venda, Matham Venda, Daivam Venda Manushyanu” (No Caste, No Faith, No God for Human-beings) – revolutionary in hindsight in the present day.

Whereas rationalists would argue that there’s a skinny line between religion and superstition, you will need to redefine that line and be sure that regressive and legal actions within the title of religion are prevented. It will require not solely a societal intervention but in addition the federal government to legislate an anti-superstition act on the earliest.