Daily Times

Sir: Traditional healing is folk or indigenous knowledge that developed over generations before the modern era. Traditional healers share a profound knowledge and a deep understanding of how natural laws influence living things. It is for this reason that traditional healing is often referred to as wisdom medicine or wizard medicine (the word wizard means wise man, not sorcerer) and traditional healers are often referred to as wise or clever men or women, or as persons of knowledge. The shrine of Gaji Shah is located near Johi, Dadu. A myth is attached to Gaji Shah, which says that he belonged to the Khosa clan. Nonetheless, the devotees and common people of adjacent and distant places come to the shrine not only to find spiritual comfort but also to experience and enjoy the annual anniversary mela (festival) with immense enthusiasm and excitement.

In addition to this, devotees vow to give a sacrifice of goats, sheep, etc, at the shrine after the fulfillment of their prayers. Sometimes, they come to get taveez (charms) and herbs from healers for the remedy of unidentified illnesses. Traditional healers are found in large numbers during the mela. They play various musical instruments such as saroz and tanbooro and chant spells while treating a spiritually possessed male or female. It is also believed that they are able to communicate and get answers to multifaceted questions from the possessing spirit. Alleged possession may result in noticeable changes in health and/or behaviour of the human being. Therefore, they may behave differently to common people. Similarly, healers can hold a dialogue with spiritual beings so see if they can help meet their needs and give them an incentive to move on. Women are most often found to be the victims of spiritual possession and they come to the shrine with the belief that they will be cured from such types of unidentified ailments.

IMRAN KHOSO

Dadu