Dealing with Corona Virus: No place for blind Faith Ram Puniyani The World today (March 2020) is gripped with the pandemic of Corona Virus.While it began from China, currently it has gripped various countries; India isalso facing the problem of mammoth proportions. Many steps are being taken, andmany more are need of the hour. Apart from other things, what will make thebattle against this threat to global-Indian health more difficult is theparallel promotion of faith based practices by the ruling dispensation and itsmyriad associates for whom, ancient Indian practices had all ingredients todeal with the human calamities. Two disturbing examples need to be deliberatedto understand the intensity of the blind practices, which have become runningundercurrent of our social life in recent times. It is not too long ago thatthe actions of faith based political ideology led to the murders of the likesof Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Goving Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi. They were fightingagainst the practitioners and promoters of blind faith. These sections have gotencouragement with the rise of sectarian nationalism.On 22nd March Sunday 2020, the Prime minster had given a callfor day long Janata curfew and to come to balconies to clap, to beat thethalis, utensils to appreciate the work being done by the health professionals.While the gesture to thank the work of health professional was well called for,it took another turn at places. Many processions were organized with peoplecoming together, violating the physical distancing norms. They were blowingconch, beating utensils and doing clapping etc. The reason for this wasnot far to seek. The Maharashtra BJP leader Shaina N.C. in her tweet, whileappreciating the PM for this call of making noise said that this making soundswill kill the bacteria/viruses. As per her, this highly re-tweeted statementdrew from Puranas, state that beating of shells, blowing of conch killsbacteria and viruses. Whatsapp messages were also flooding the social mediawith similar messages. The second disturbing thing was the actions of Swami Chakrapani Maharaj,who had organized Gomutra (Cow Urine) Party, where cow urine was distributedand many consumed it with the understanding that this will help prevent/curethe Corona virus. Another BJP leader also organized similar program, in whichone of the person drinking cow urine fell sick. Not to be left behind anotherBJP worthy, the MLA from Assam, Suman Haripriya elaborated the virtues of Cowdung. It is not surprising that most of the Gomutra, Cow dung promotions camefrom those associated with the BJP ideology. Cow Urine has been in news moreduring last couple of decades since the BJP led NDA came to power in 1998. Oneof the close associates of Mr. Modi Shankar Bhai Vegad from Gujarat claims thatthat cow urine is the secret of his being healthy despite being 76 years old.The peak of such claims comes with Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, current BJP MPfrom Bhopal and an accused in Malegaon terror blast, who claimed that herbreast cancer got cured due to this cow urine. Mercifully her treating surgeontold us the truth that he had performed three surgeries on her for her ailment.How do we believe or reject the claims of cow urine being the magic potiontreating every conceivable disorder? While this question has been looming inthe air, the ruling Government is allotting huge funds for so called researchon Cow Urine, Panchgavya (a mixture of cow dung, Cow urine, milk, curd andghee) etc. The central research agencies are calling for research on cowproducts, including the specificities’ of Indian cow!In medical science the introduction of a medicine are backed up bybiochemical studies, pre clinical trials, (Double blind trials with placebos)and post introduction evaluations. In case of these cow products what isguiding these actions is pure faith, manufactured through various processes. Asfar as cow urine is concerned we know that like the urine of other animals,it’s a combination of discarded substances from the body. It has over 90%water; it has Urea, creatinine, sulphates, phosphates etc. There are noclinical studies to back up the claims. It is purely from ideologicalperspective that some elements are imposing-propagating the worth of cow urine.It is part of the whole project of Hindu nationalism, which wants to imposethe ancient values of birth based hierarchy of caste and gender on the society.On parallels track it wants to state that ancient India had already achievedthe acme of achievements in all areas of science and technology, be it PushpakViman, plastic surgery, bio technology, television and internet. This is partof the overall political agenda where in the name of Golden past faith basedunderstandings are being presented with reverence. It is the attempt to adornthe superiority of Hindu traditional values. In matters of cow, on one hand thecow-beef campaign led to the phenomenon of lynchings and on the other the cowproducts are being promoted. This promotion has also led to the commercialexploitation of cow urine in different products of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjaliproducts and others.The very concept of fighting the pandemic of the proportion of Corona doesrequire massive efforts on the part of the Government and the society. In Indiathe rising impact of Hindu Nationalism, being spearhead by RSS has spread theunderstandings which are totally against science and reason. RSS to pursue itsagenda has set up Vigyan Bharati, which puts forwards the extracts from Puranasetc. as science. Further to this in Nagpur a Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra hasalso been established to propagate these understandings which are neither logicalnor can stand the scrutiny of scientific methods.The propagation of such things will retard the process of progress and isalready posing obstacles to dealing with the pandemic as irrational things havebeen drilled into the understanding of the section of society. The rulingauthorities have to come forward and undo these detrimental practices.
