Medieval mindset in rural Himachal

Dipender Manta

Himachal Pradesh villages abound in superstitions. The recent incident of an elderly woman, Rajdei, thrashed and maltreated by religious fanatics and villagers “for being a sorceress” at Samahal village in the Sarkaghat Assembly constituency of Mandi district reveals the deviant medieval mindset. Her face was blackened with ink, she was garlanded with shoes and paraded in the area in broad daylight on the “diktat of a local deity”.

Due to deep-rooted superstitious beliefs in rural life, no one dared to save the poor woman, as the villagers believed she performed black magic and brought misfortune upon them. None complained to the police about the incident. However, the matter came to light when a video of the woman being assaulted went viral on social media on November 9; the incident occurred on November 6.

It was not the first incident of this kind in Himachal Pradesh where people have unflinching faith in deities. However, it is possible that often unscrupulous people hide behind the deity to settle personal scores. They believe the ‘Gur’ (orator of deity) and follow him. It was because the ‘Gur’ had labeled the old woman as a sorceress that villagers assaulted her while chanting the slogans of the local deity and playing instruments such as drums and bells.

The slow response of the district authorities in such cases has also emboldened the perpetrators of the crime. The temple committees and the Kardar Sanghs can play a crucial role in checking criminal activities done in the garb of religious traditions and beliefs.  

In April 2018, three children at Balag village near Theog in Shimla district had claimed to be Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Parvati. Due to religious mindedness, a large number of people gathered at Balag village believing the children were telling the truth and would do some miracle for them, cure chronic diseases and end troubles of their lives. The episode was reported in the media but still it took the administration around a week to stop the movement of people to the village and provide medical treatment to the poor children.     

In September 2018, a Dalit man in Kullu district was beaten up by upper caste people for touching their deity’s belongings. He was fined a goat as a penance and for the purification of the deity. 

Dharam Prakash Gupta, a social activist, says that though the deity culture of Himachal Pradesh depicts unique traditions, unscrupulous people try to exploit the religious faith of people for their personal gains. There is need to keep tabs on such people in villages and take strict action against them.

Chaman Premi, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication in Government Vallabh College, Mandi, says that in this modern era, a scientific temperament among people is necessary and they should observe things logically.

Shivpal Sharma, president of Kardar Sangh, Mandi, says, “Such incidents will ruin our deity culture and people will lose faith in deities if we fail to take timely action. The Kardar Sangh is in favour of constituting a state-level organisation to keep tabs on the functioning of temples. The district administration should also check the registration of deities and take timely action on illegal activities done in their name. The deities do not harm anyone and instead they bless people. Himachalis should also come forward to report such criminal activities so that offenders can be punished and the religious faith of credulous people is not exploited for self gains”. 

‘State-level body needed to keep tabs on temples’

"Such incidents will ruin our deity culture and people will lose faith in deities if we fail to take timely action. The Kardar Sangh is in favour of constituting a state-level organisation to keep tabs on the functioning of temples. The district administration should also check the registration of deities and take timely action on illegal activities done in their name. Himachalis should also come forward to report such criminal activities so that offenders can be punished."

Shivpal Sharma, president of Kardar Sangh, Mandi