HUBBALLI: Age-old practices backed by superstition have started to sprung up in the rural belts of North Karnataka after a steep surge in the Covid-19 cases. Several villages in Ballari, Gadag, Haveri and surroundings are coming up with unique superstitious ideas in what they believe could ward off the virus.
The act of villagers in Kolagallu of Ballari drew flak on social media after heaps of cooked rice was placed in tractor trolleys to be thrown on the village borders as per the belief. Villagers claimed that each house of the village had to cook rice and contribute to the ritual. As per the ritual blood of rooster or livestock is mixed with the rice and the same will be kept along the village borders to keep the evil spirits away.
Two weeks ago, the Ballari police were surprised to see hundreds of villagers walking with sticks and drums post midnight as the parade was captured in CCTV. The incident had happened in the same village which prepared tonnes of rice for the ritual.
After the video of rice trolleys went viral a section of youth in the same village approached the administration and gave a written complaint. In the complaint they have named five heads from the village who were responsible for the act. “On Friday evening the village heads had an announcement that to ward off the virus every household should cook rice and contribute. Today our village has got a bad name thanks to such acts. We have given a written complaint to Ballari police,” said a youth from D Kolagallu village.
Villagers in Kunchur of Haveri did something different to get rid of the virus. About 80 households sacrificed roosters for the same reason. Villagers in Gadag district had made small statues of Corona Goddess and pleased her with several food items praying to her to get the virus out of their villages.
Noted rationalist from Mangaluru Narendra Naik termed the act as “criminal waste” at the time of unemployment, growing hunger and pandemic. “Just because some of the practices were carried out during olden times we need not follow them now. Be it any pandemic about 90% of the people get recovered. The villagers who sow such beliefs claim that it was because of their act. It's important that we must inculcate rationalist thinking among children right from childhood,” he suggested.