Superstitious Kerala

SUPERSTITIOUS KERALA

In a recent article entitled”Darkness at Noon’ in Times of India, November 18,2006, the noted astronomer Jayant Narlikar laments that, even after six decades of independence and significant advancements in various fields, superstition and ignorance continue to flourish in India. Beliefs in astrology, miracles of god men and vastu shastra are on the rise rather than decline.

The idea that planets rule human destinies originated in Babylonian and Greek cultures. Noting that certain celestial bodies exhibited random motion, Greeks called such bodies the planets (wanderers). They assumed that the wanderings of planets are on account of their will power and the will of the planets are also exercised on mortals on earth. This is the basis of astrology. It must be noted that there is no reference to astrology in the Vedas. In the early part of 17th Century, Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler discovered the real pattern behind the planetary motion. Based on this, Issac Newton proposed the law of gravitation, and today we know that planets are inert systems that move in mathematically determined orbits around the sun and are devoid of any will power.

Jayant Narlikar states that he has lectured on astronomy in over 40 countries around the world but it is only in India that he is questioned on the validity of astrological beliefs. Though many newspapers in these countries give forecasts related to zodiac signs, it is only in India people take them seriously. We may say that astrology is as deeply rooted in the Indian mindset as the caste system. Astrology remains supreme in India. When should you move from your old house to a new one? What is the auspicious time to travel? Is it the correct time to buy a car? Matching of horoscopes to determine marital compatibility or determining the time for the swearing in of a cabinet minister must all be according to astrology. People argue that there might be an unknown physical link through which planets control human beings. After all, modern science is not omnipotent, it cannot claim to know everything! Scientists have conducted controlled experiments to determine whether planets exert any influence on human beings. But no positive results were obtained. Science is organized thinking and scientist adopts a rational interpretation of hypotheses or theories which must be verified by independent experimentation and whose predictions must be consistent with all the observed facts. Scientific temper means adopting this scientific method in our everyday life. If we are told to believe in certain ideas just because tradition so dictates, we should accept them only after ascertaining factual evidence in support of them. Astrology examined in this fashion does not survive.

Now let us examine the situation in Kerala. The Gods-own country which boasts of the highest level of literacy in India is no exception to the above maladies. The level of superstition among all sections of population, irrespective of caste or religion, is among the highest in India. Astrologers have sprung up like wild mushrooms during the rainy season and all of them are very busy in predicting and directing the destiny of people. You will see a larger crowd waiting at the office of an astrologer than at that of a famous doctor. These astrologers regularly advertise in newspapers and television, some of them claiming even to be incarnations of god. They do not spare even gods and their earthly abodes, temples. The currently ranging controversy and court cases arising out of such an astrological prediction about the popular Sabirimala temple is an example of the depth of folly people of Kerala can fall to.

Television channels in Malayalam keep on broadcasting never ending serials depicting demons, magicians, ghosts and other deviants of society, extolling the glory of the supernatural. Malayalam weeklies and magazines are full of such stories. Women and more particularly, children fed constantly on these stories and serials become mentally distorted, confused and often superstitious. Suicide rate is highest in Kerala when compared to other states. Admissions to mental hospitals and psychological treatments are also very high.

Education is supposed to enlighten and develop a scientific temper in people. What we see in Kerala is just the opposite. Is the education to blame? At the time of independence, Prime Minister Nehru deplored the fact that Indians were overwhelmed by tradition, and that critical faculties of intelligent people often cease to function. He hoped that after political freedom we will develop a scientific temper and discard all retrograde beliefs. Six decades after independence, ignorance and superstition have multiplied in India. Are we in the 21st century or the 18th?
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