Daily Times

The genesis and development of the idea of the scientific temper is connected to thoughts expressed earlier by Charles Darwin when he said, “Freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men’s mind, which follows from the advance of science,” and by Karl Marx when he said, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people, according to Wikipedia. It was Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who used the phrase in 1946 in India, but missing scientific temper and rational minds among masses are causing more problems in India than anything else.

The political leadership of some political parties promotes irrationality and unscientific temper to keep the illiterate poor masses in darkness and to keep them dependent to nurture them as their committed vote bank. Limited number of schools has been opened in rural areas that too with limited facilities. Schools without class rooms and classes are taken in open or under a tree and students squat on the ground many a time without any carpet beneath them. Irregularity among teachers is a common feature of the rural schools.

With introduction of mid-day meal, the presence of students does have increased many folds. In the wake of preparation of mid-day meal, many mediocre teachers escape their prime work of teaching, without caring about future of the student.

Such an atmosphere in rural school is a nation-wise phenomenon. It is continuing because mostly poor students from the Dalit families, who can hardly afford to pay even token amount as fee. These families lack awareness about quality education, and also do not have an extra penny to spend on their children for good quality schools.

In the absent of quality education, the awareness level of masses/common people in the country is too low to say the least. Almost all the political parties have developed vested interest in keeping masses illiterate because in the absence of any awareness their inability to question their political leaders and ability to show strength or assert is too low. For the politicians they are not human beings but just votes.

What country faced during the past six years has been the erosion of scientific temper and it has occurred/happened at much more rapid speed. It has also affected the urban educated middle WhatsApp categories and other sections of society. The ruling political party and its leadership and the Prime Minister, union ministers, sitting judges and some top academicians have been heralding unusual unscientific and unempirical ideas. Even when it was claimed that the concept of cosmetic surgery was prevalent in India five thousand years ago and world has known it only recently. One of Hindu god has elephant like figure tusk on its face and is being very popular since it is known as god of wealth. And this statement was made by no other BJP leader but the by the PM at a public rally which not only created ripples but some BJP opponents created a sarcasm anecdote around it making it a laughing stock. I am not against any one’s faith or his/her belief, but claiming god’s face look-like elephant’s was created with cosmetic surgery thousands of years ago, is nothing but a misleading disinformation spread among the Indian masses. In fact, Mythology is being promoted to rationalize irrationality among the masses.

These days when world is caught in its biggest crisis following spread of COVID-19 and there seems not much hope that a vaccine would be find in near future to protect human beings, these Samaritan of Hindutva have been promoting cow urine and cow dung to cure serious ailments like COVID-19 and cancer. A few months ago, cow urine therapy to prevent coronavirus attack was promoted at press conference held in India’s national capital-New Delhi.

The cow urine and cow dung are nothing but the waste product of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle such as cow. Media has also been promoting all the curing properties of cow’s urine and shit (cow dung or Gobbar).

The RSS leader claims if one massages his body with Cow dung (Gobbar) he would never get cancer. “Even we make a pregnant woman eat cow dung and urine paste to ensure a normal delivery,” says Shankar Lall, RSS’s Akhil Bhartiya Gau Sewa Pradhan. Shankar Lal while explaining why he put cow dung on his phone said “I have put it to save myself from the harmful radiations of the cellphone.

He also mentioned that these properties are exclusive to Indian desi cows and other western cows such as Jersey or Holstein’s cow dung have no curing properties but release poison only.

India’s desi cow is ‘our mother’ and its “excreta and urine are nectar”, this all was reported by almost every Indian newspaper. Talking about the healing powers of the cow excreta he also said that cow dung can save us from phone’s microwaves.

Bottled cow urine has become a big business in India. Packed urine bottles are available at grocery stores and Ayurveda medicine shops

Bottled cow urine has become a big business in India. Packed urine bottles are available at grocery stores and Ayurveda medicine shops. Customers don’t feel shy while asking for the cow urine bottles. Companies into bottled-cow urine business have made its supplies available even in London, Chicago and many cities of Europe and Canada and other cities where enough Hindu populations reside. For the Hindus, Cow is considered a holy animal and in addition to performing Puja of the animal, many people treat the cow with atta da pads in the belief that their desires would be fulfilled. It also helps in walk over of any type crisis.

With the BJP at the realm of power in the centre, many state governments have imposed Cow cess on liquor bottle to be tune of Rs 5 to 10 per bottle and this amount is distributed among Gaushalas for their expenses of maintenance. Indian Punjab alone collects Rs 579/- crores annually as cow cess from sale of liquor in the state. Even electricity supply to Gaushals has been made free without imposing any limit to its consumption.

A multi-purpose Paatanjali Ayurveda Ltd group in India has claimed to have found 100 percent cure of COVID-19. Ramdev owner of the group, is strong supporter of BJP, is a saffron dhoti clad sadhu who keeps his chest bare all the time, has made a sensational announcement last week, that his two medicines -Coronil and Swashir Batti can cure COVID-19 patients 100 per cent.

Sadhu Ramdev made this claim at a press conference that these medicines have cured 69 persons of Covid-19 positive patients. Ramdev has claimed his so-called drugs for COVID-19 claim to cure 100 per cent. As it is known that nothing is absolute in science. No allopathic drug claims to cure 100 per cent patients. No surgical intervention remains 100 per cent free of side effects.

After objections rose against Ramdev’s claims by medical community and vigilant public representatives, the government came forward to ban the advertising of these two medicines. Businesses like the Patanjali group are waiting eagerly to cash in on the market where patients and medical fraternity is waiting for the drug. This is all for making money from market since people live under constant fear of COVID-19.

Patanjali Group of companies’ with current worth is Rs 10,000 crore, has risen in a shortest period. Sadhu Ramdev propagated against foreign goods and multinational companies and talked loudly on his own TV Satellite channel against use of foreign products, let us use swadeshi products.

Consequent of all this and under pressure the Union Ministry of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddh and Homeopathy has imposed restrictions on Pitanjali Group over the sale and advertising of the drug for prevention of COVID-19

According to a report published by the Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA), a total of 155 drugs and 79 vaccines are currently being developed worldwide to combat COVID-19. And world over 10 billion US dollars have been pressed into research to develop the vaccines for prevention and protection for Covid-19.

But Indian Saffron yoga sadhu turned corporate business person has without any scientific bases claimed to have developed medicine for COVID-19. It is concluded that unless and until India promotes scientific temper and rationality among its masses there appears to be no way for the country to progress economically. People must be made aware and encouraged to shed the shackles of backwardness, magic, and gimmickry. But in the face of religion, religious beliefs, the scientific temper appears to get too less and too little spaces.

The writer is a senior journalists and Indo-Pak peace activist