tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33435637737781447892024-03-05T00:49:39.729-08:00Atheist TimesExposing myths and superstitions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-91306885358998420992015-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:002015-12-19T13:49:44.270-08:00International Symposium of Nuclear Physics inaugurated with giant photo of Sathya Sai Baba #fail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Symposium of Nuclear Physics organised by Indian Govt Dept for Atomic Energy - 8th Dec 2015</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-83825311253413947812015-12-19T13:16:00.000-08:002015-12-19T13:16:04.890-08:00Karnataka to ban all TV shows based on astrology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On a welcome move, Karnataka government is being progressive by deciding to ban "Astrology shows" on TV channels. India Today reports:<br />
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The Congress government in Karnataka is all set to ban astrology-based shows being telecast on regional Kannada TV channels, as Chief Minister <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/people/siddaramaiah/17956.html" style="box-sizing: initial !important; color: #193984; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none !important;">Siddaramaiah</a> believes that too much of superstition is being spread by the astrologers.<br />"Every TV channel wants to air astrology-based shows in Karnataka. In my home too, the scenario is no different. It is time we banned such shows," Siddaramaiah said in Bengaluru on Monday. The chief minister was speaking at a programme organised to felicitate a senior leader of the Dalits.<br />This is not for the first time that the Congress government has proposed imposition of a ban on astrologybased shows in Karnataka.<br />Though not an atheist, Siddaramaiah has been a critic of superstitious practices, including astrology. In Karnataka, all the leading TV channels have astrology based shows, which are aired at prime time. The shows enjoy high TRPs.</blockquote>
Source: <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/karnataka-to-ban-all-tv-shows-based-on-astrology/1/541029.html" target="_blank">http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/karnataka-to-ban-all-tv-shows-based-on-astrology/1/541029.html </a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-72792409828952469142015-09-24T02:56:00.000-07:002015-09-24T02:56:03.201-07:00Revenues of Religions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The purpose of this article is to bring to the world's attention, the true cost paid by people for religion. As an indicator, I am pointing out the revenues made by the head institutions for the three major religions of the world.<br />
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Islam - Haj pilgrimage - $8.5 billion per year</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1rx7UQ4JJZJ-OvZg-BCWgRtiWbc8spR95vUAf5EqyINS9dWSKlQazztOfAl4mKlWBbNVnNZ3_JefJ7ynIwwa865zXQ686jU0OzU7OYuEp1K_eamRfaMi5Z5LriTzNjnRfo19VQH4JFE/s1600/mecca-02%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1rx7UQ4JJZJ-OvZg-BCWgRtiWbc8spR95vUAf5EqyINS9dWSKlQazztOfAl4mKlWBbNVnNZ3_JefJ7ynIwwa865zXQ686jU0OzU7OYuEp1K_eamRfaMi5Z5LriTzNjnRfo19VQH4JFE/s320/mecca-02%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mecca in Saudi Arabia</td></tr>
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The revenues per year that Saudi Arabia makes from the nearly 2.5millions that visit Haj for pilgrimage every year:<br />
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<b>2014 - $8.5 billion (<a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2014/08/26/-9-billion-income-from-hajj-expected.html" target="_blank">expected</a>)</b><br />
Expenses for pilgrims include housing, food and drink, gifts and phone bills<br />
Avg Revenue from international pilgrim: $4633<br />
Avg Revenue from domestic pilgrim: #1319<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/revenue-pilgrims-makes-3-saudi-gdp" target="_blank">2012 </a>- $16.5 billion</b><br />
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One normally can expect some level of infrastructure to make sure that the pilgrims are accommodated safely, given the total income that they bring in for host countries. However, 118 people were killed last month in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_crane_collapse" target="_blank">crane collapse at Hajj</a>, and today 200 (and counting) are dead in a <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/pilgrims-killed-hajj-stampede-mina-mecca-150924082302232.html" target="_blank">deadly stampede</a>.<br />
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Christianity - Vatican pilgrims - $308 million per year</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaRjTDo_tPwUNbBInCBBr-1yQeb4RECpRSEtTcsnWbUKW4kMnt2ID3AP8cWZ5r1G-b7nCYR6FXg1f0KzL45sBItitrKkIasLtBxEQYL9e6zGPj82r9I5EdDjMfuEPQV2U14IOv5vxwFk/s1600/article-0-0BDC14A000000578-388_634x357%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaRjTDo_tPwUNbBInCBBr-1yQeb4RECpRSEtTcsnWbUKW4kMnt2ID3AP8cWZ5r1G-b7nCYR6FXg1f0KzL45sBItitrKkIasLtBxEQYL9e6zGPj82r9I5EdDjMfuEPQV2U14IOv5vxwFk/s320/article-0-0BDC14A000000578-388_634x357%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vatican City, Credit: Getty Images</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vt.html" target="_blank">Vatican city's income</a> is generated solely from the sale of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by publication sales.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Hinduism - Tirupati pilgrims - $342 million per year</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayEQ_1eM0xYetJ1PO_FLs0pOCvS3CmpV705CiohUCCY0064vzVpxBosAUB96io09iEuRSLg8T8X-KmEAmr56gF4RXcPvHcgVdjK6b11abswhgvh8FkShenejTlsEa_UszH1tCVERSP8w/s1600/thirupathi_car_rental02%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayEQ_1eM0xYetJ1PO_FLs0pOCvS3CmpV705CiohUCCY0064vzVpxBosAUB96io09iEuRSLg8T8X-KmEAmr56gF4RXcPvHcgVdjK6b11abswhgvh8FkShenejTlsEa_UszH1tCVERSP8w/s320/thirupathi_car_rental02%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tirupati in India</td></tr>
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This number is just the <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-despite-fall-in-hundi-collection-tirupati-earns-rs2262-crore-1965834" target="_blank">donations </a>that are made by the visitors at the Tirupati temple. There are no published figures from the total revenue made from the visitors to Tirupati temple.</div>
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Tirupati has its share of stampedes over the years: <a href="http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150101/nation-current-affairs/article/mismanagement-sparks-stampedes-tirumala-tirupati-devasthanam" target="_blank">2015</a>, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Minor-stampede-at-Tirupati/articleshow/13536918.cms" target="_blank">2012</a>, <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-eight-injured-in-stampede-at-tirupati-temple-1482605" target="_blank">2010</a></div>
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Author note: This report is far from a complete analysis. This is just an introduction. Can do more research based on the reception of this report and feedback.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-31731439896559391982012-01-27T18:07:00.000-08:002012-01-27T22:44:32.345-08:00Man kills two month old son fearing bad luck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In yet another superstitious atrocity, a man from Kerala killed his own son after an astrologer predicted that the son would bring bad luck since he was bron with two teeth.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Madhu, a 27-year-old fisherman from Punnapra , allegedly thrashed the baby on the floor two days ago after an astrologer told him that the child born with two teeth was a bad omen for him, police said. <br />
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News article <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/kerala-man-kills-son-fearing-bad-luck-51473" target="_blank">link</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy97GUmoBpek8es5CTw8lvTruHdOi29wPO88skTrmq0t4R-Xb2eQB-ch89ziqMrj3xGm345o1JtTiYQA878mjEFJ4_cY4dFdKI1Y_TUroztlKmlQF5vkP7nz1Aahyok0ydxtYwtAukqfjZ/s1600/Alappuzha-kerala.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy97GUmoBpek8es5CTw8lvTruHdOi29wPO88skTrmq0t4R-Xb2eQB-ch89ziqMrj3xGm345o1JtTiYQA878mjEFJ4_cY4dFdKI1Y_TUroztlKmlQF5vkP7nz1Aahyok0ydxtYwtAukqfjZ/s400/Alappuzha-kerala.JPG" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alappuzha district, Kerala where the incident took place\</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-23258601516979027582012-01-27T17:48:00.000-08:002012-01-27T22:44:43.917-08:00Boy sacrificed for hidden treasure in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Superstitious people strike again. This time, idiots from Andhra Pradesh state sacrificed a boy in hopes of finding a treasure in a fort. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnUJ1Ce9FDIlSPYBMFfChpZfoyR4eJjXZrip7g-L1CDMQMJo1NqUFNQbWTk-LWg2-Zg4t0YeJ4oW-eEu3YcsxF4Bf7eP5zOalg1Lax7uSLMTAa6FpW1a1AXqv4nIMvBSccg3NNzXEQL83/s1600/Nirmal+Town+Fort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnUJ1Ce9FDIlSPYBMFfChpZfoyR4eJjXZrip7g-L1CDMQMJo1NqUFNQbWTk-LWg2-Zg4t0YeJ4oW-eEu3YcsxF4Bf7eP5zOalg1Lax7uSLMTAa6FpW1a1AXqv4nIMvBSccg3NNzXEQL83/s400/Nirmal+Town+Fort.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nirmal Town Fort, where the sacrifice was performed by eight people</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
The human sacrifice was offered as part of a plan to bribe the gods into revealing a hidden treasure. <br />
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The boy was sacrificed for the believed-to-be hidden treasure in the fort on Amavasya (new moon night) on the intervening night of Jan 24-25. He was buried in the same area and the police exhumed the body Thursday. The body showed signs of rituals having been performed, with turmeric powder, vermilion and other puja related objects found on the victim’s body.</div>
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Read full article <a href="http://nvonews.com/2012/01/26/14-year-old-sacrificed-for-hidden-treasure-in-andhra/" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAAZN8OO4e3zANztl9a_5SzZk5YYsUT4Di_xMvE_f47kp7WcCDm2jmF-2UjSpsiMNZtVQghoM9kHgw8MBU2mkWSf_lGAHxpX1FTo3PbVVk19o19yn6NA4kBVIxBZAcaZnhxSdTlcr1bsk/s1600/Adilabad-Andhra-Pradesh-India.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAAZN8OO4e3zANztl9a_5SzZk5YYsUT4Di_xMvE_f47kp7WcCDm2jmF-2UjSpsiMNZtVQghoM9kHgw8MBU2mkWSf_lGAHxpX1FTo3PbVVk19o19yn6NA4kBVIxBZAcaZnhxSdTlcr1bsk/s320/Adilabad-Andhra-Pradesh-India.JPG" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh, India where the incident took place</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-9994835059897558402010-12-21T01:08:00.000-08:002010-12-21T01:08:44.805-08:00Superstitious sons kill mother by trying to exorcise her by beating her with rodsIn a 2 year old news dug up from CNN-IBN India, three sons murder their mother trying to exorcise her.And then tried to sacrifice their sister-in-law to bring her back from death. Its sad to mention that one of the killer is MBA holder,one is am Engineering student.Its realy sad that even educated people are criminally superstitious.<br />
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From CNN-IBN,<br />
<blockquote>New Delhi: Apr 8, 2008: It is a bizarre tale from the Capital's suburb Ghaziabad. Three boys beat their 55-year-old mother to death, believing she had been possessed by a spirit. The three boys — an engineering student, a MBA degree holder and a student of Class XII — beat up the woman with rods. They then tried to sacrifice their sister-in-law to bring their dead mother back to life.<br />
All three — aged between 18-24 years — have been arrested. <br />
The incident happened at Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad on Saturday night. Rohit, Ashish and Navneet even beat up their sister, her husband and other relatives who tried to intervene.<br />
The incident happened at Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad on Saturday night. Rohit, Ashish and Navneet even beat up their sister, her husband and other relatives who tried to intervene.<br />
Says their sister-in-law, Preeti Singh, "These people believed that their mother was possessed by a spirit. We don't believe in these things, but then they started saying that a human sacrifice was needed and then they got after me, that I was the one to be sacrificed."</blockquote><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7yXn_tPeg7I?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7yXn_tPeg7I?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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News video of the incident from CNN-IBNUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-29626926927365058492010-08-22T03:17:00.000-07:002010-08-22T03:17:05.982-07:00Albino girl, 11, killed and beheaded in Swaziland ’for witchcraft’<blockquote><strong>Albino girl, 11, killed and beheaded in Swaziland ’for witchcraft’</strong><br />
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<strong>An 11-year-old albino girl from Swaziland was shot dead in front of her friends and then beheaded in what police believe was a ritual murder. </strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdWvYEjYuFwK1KqmgSk3bH-GUM-9rNxXyyBfZHknUPukuL7uqXfkGn2KYQxOdNUsNlzjGYCuOvXfP6bwU0AjEFnPzv5OAHXY09zTFrKztvMof0dFbe5rtfj6c_iIFBJgHd93l2Civd8uf/s1600/albino_1700699c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdWvYEjYuFwK1KqmgSk3bH-GUM-9rNxXyyBfZHknUPukuL7uqXfkGn2KYQxOdNUsNlzjGYCuOvXfP6bwU0AjEFnPzv5OAHXY09zTFrKztvMof0dFbe5rtfj6c_iIFBJgHd93l2Civd8uf/s320/albino_1700699c.jpg" /></a></div>Police believe children are targeted because of a belief by witch doctors that the blood and body parts of albinos can bring good luck and fortune when used in potions Photo: AFP/GETTY The child had been washing clothes and bathing at a river with friends and was returning home when she was grabbed by a man wearing a balaclava. <br />
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As her friends looked on, the man shot her in the back before dragging her away. Her headless body was found upriver a short time later.<br />
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The murder is the latest in a series of albino killings in Sub-Saharan Africa, where sufferers of the rare skin pigmentation condition are concentrated. <br />
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Earlier this year, another 11-year-old albino child was killed close to the same spot in Swaziland and her hand was removed. <br />
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Police believe both children may have been targeted because of a belief by witch doctors that the blood and body parts of albinos - who lack pigment in their eyes, hair and skin - can bring good luck and fortune when used in potions. <br />
<br />
Their value for black magic practitioners sees them often fall prey to human traffickers, one of whom was jailed for 17 years in Tanzania this week for abducting and attempting to sell a live albino man. <br />
<br />
The girl murdered in Swaziland was named locally as Banele Nxumalo. A man identified as her father, Luke Nxumalo, told The Times of Swaziland that his late uncle had also been an albino. <br />
<br />
“What happened to my child is very painful. I wonder why albinos are targeted because they are just humans like us and a gift from God,” he said. <br />
<br />
</blockquote><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/swaziland/7956458/Albino-girl-11-killed-and-beheaded-in-Swaziland-for-witchcraft.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/swaziland/7956458/Albino-girl-11-killed-and-beheaded-in-Swaziland-for-witchcraft.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-35479855914957181812010-08-20T13:09:00.000-07:002010-08-20T13:09:08.964-07:00Parents sacrifice 4-yr-old girl to become rich<blockquote>Exorcism rituals <br />
<br />
Parents sacrifice 4-yr-old girl to become rich <br />
<br />
Sanjay Pandey, Lucknow, Aug 18, DHNS: <br />
<br />
Lust for wealth drove a poverty- stricken couple to sacrifice their own four-year-old daughter at a village in Uttar Pradesh’s backward Sitapur district, about 90 km from here. <br />
<br />
The couple, identified as Srikrishna and Ramdevi, were told by a “tantrik” (exorcist)that they would become rich if they sacrificed their daughter, according to police sources here. <br />
<br />
Acting on the advice of a “tantrik”, a “havana kund”(a pit in which the fire is lit and yajna is performed), was prepared in the courtyard of the couple for the rituals late on Monday night.<br />
<br />
The parents then put their daughter Kanni into the pit amid chanting of “mantra” and lit the fire. The girl, who was also mercillessely beaten, was half buried in the pit. <br />
<br />
The parents had stuffed a piece of cloth in the mouth of the little girl so that her cries could not be heard by any one in the village, sources said.<br />
<br />
The badly burnt body of the girl was later buried on the same spot by digging a deep pit, sources said. The grandmother of the girl was also present during the rituals, sources said.<br />
<br />
The ghastly incident came to light on Tuesday when neighbours found vermillion, flowers, incense sticks and other items used in the rituals and suspected that some “exorcism rituals” might have been performed there.<br />
<br />
As the crowds of villagers swelled before Srikrishna’s house, the couple, sensing trouble, and others fled from there through the back door. <br />
<br />
The villagers informed the police, which dug the area and brought out the badly burnt body of Kanni. “The body had injury marks on the head and neck, which shows that she must have been beaten for offering resistance,” according to the police.<br />
<br />
A case had been registered by the police and a massive manhunt had been launched to nab the culprits, who have been absconding.<br />
<br />
Barely a couple of days back a nine- year-old girl was buried alive by her own uncle in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district to please the goddess so that he could become rich. <br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/89585/parents-sacrifice-4-yr-old.html">http://www.deccanherald.com/content/89585/parents-sacrifice-4-yr-old.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-50484548577769894212010-08-20T13:00:00.000-07:002010-08-20T13:06:29.453-07:00Minor girl buried alive (sacrificed) by her uncle in Uttar PradeshStupidness of these people in the name of sacrifices to god is atrocious.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Updated on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 21:31<br />
<br />
Lucknow: In a shocking incident, an eight-year-old girl was today buried alive in Uttar Pradesh by her uncle who believed that sacrificing the minor would solve all his problems, a senior police officer said here. <br />
<br />
Munau was buried alive by her uncle Shiv Kumar Yadav in Bangrahan village in Tarabganj area of Gondaa district this morning, Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Brij Lal told reporters. <br />
<br />
Shiv Kumar believed that sacrificing a minor girl will solve all his problems and miseries, he said. <br />
Shiv Kumar has been arrested and the body has been sent for post mortem, the ADG said. <br />
PTI </blockquote><br />
<a href="http://www.zeenews.com/news647362.html">http://www.zeenews.com/news647362.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-3722818556735400922010-05-22T02:45:00.000-07:002010-05-22T02:45:24.795-07:00Teenage girls running naked to cure their fertility problemsFrom the Hindu, (April 2002)<br />
<br />
<blockquote><strong>Vijayawada April 24.</strong> Kokuntla village is just 35 km from the much hyped Hitech City but bizarre things like teenaged girls running naked, or an entire village population of 3,000 going into mass hiccups happen here.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>A fortnight ago about 20 young girls, almost all of them in their teens, ran naked in the village. The reason, the local self-styled witch doctor suggested such a "propitious'' act as most of the women were suffering from some gynaec problem or the other. And after performing such strange rituals, the villagers again shells out Rs. 2,000-3,000 each to the witch doctor as fee. </blockquote><br />
<b>Team of doctors investigate the superstition</b><br />
<blockquote>Mr. Vijayam was among the eight members from Vijayawada's Atheist Centre who went round over a dozen villages of Ranga Reddy district on April 20-21 at the invitation of the District Superintendent of Police, Ramachandra Raju. The team was led by G. Samaram, a prominent physician here.<br />
<br />
``The 20 young girls ran around the village naked were examined by the team and it was found that many of them were suffering from anaemia or other gynaecological problems,'' said Mr. Vijayam. <br />
<br />
According to another team member, some of the women have illicit affairs. But their husbands choose to overlook the same under the notion that nothing can be done as the women are under the spell of "Bhanamathi'' </blockquote><br />
<b>More stupidity</b><br />
<blockquote>At Anantagiripally in Vikarabad, two men and a woman were tied upside down to trees and made to pull out each other's teeth on the suspicion that they were performing black magic.These are not isolated cases as such incidents are common in most villages in the districts besides the adjoining districts of Medak, Nizamabad and Nalgonda. <br />
<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
<b>Lack of proper medical/physchological care</b><br />
<blockquote>Says head of the delegation, Dr. Samaram, "Some of the villagers have stomachache, schizophrenia or joint pains, but in the absence of medical facilities the villagers approach the witch doctors who mislead them.<br />
<br />
Abject poverty, illiteracy, lack of basic medical facilities are the main reasons for these superstitions among the villagers, Mr. Vijayam added </blockquote><br />
Text quoted from, <br />
<a href="http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/04/25/stories/2002042502920400.htm">http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/04/25/stories/2002042502920400.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-28596015255285704952010-05-22T01:31:00.000-07:002010-05-22T01:31:25.622-07:00Five children 'sacrificed' by childless couple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fLKhJt9Z3fRnLgKN7wPF8RJ8XArHzzKjYdwCyWMKLB1zf6bQb1p07dj4GtXD1oHQUnxIhSZlYsS4CqAjV1NOgffcW7xN-PoUvVQMTyAsgVDlDDXwt9iKWuofeBhfGl5bQbPup5tK1GlQ/s1600/couplesacrifices5childrenstorygrid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fLKhJt9Z3fRnLgKN7wPF8RJ8XArHzzKjYdwCyWMKLB1zf6bQb1p07dj4GtXD1oHQUnxIhSZlYsS4CqAjV1NOgffcW7xN-PoUvVQMTyAsgVDlDDXwt9iKWuofeBhfGl5bQbPup5tK1GlQ/s320/couplesacrifices5childrenstorygrid.jpg" /></a></div>From NDTV,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Five children have been killed in Hingoli in Maharashtra by a childless couple on the advice of a tantrik who said the woman would conceive if 11 boys were sacrificed in the village.<br />
<br />
Police say villager Vandana Mokle had had no children after 12 years of marriage. So Vandana, her husband and her in-laws went about poisoning village kids.<br />
<br />
"The two accused are Kundlik and Kalavati Mokle. Their son Vitthal was married. His wife Vandana wasn't able to conceive. So, they went to a tantrik who told them they would need to kill 11 boys," said M A Raif, Inspector, Digras Police Station.<br />
Between December 13 and March 4, five boys aged between two and four years were poisoned.<br />
The villagers had already become suspicious and the police was informed.<br />
<br />
"Initially we thought the deaths were caused by snake bites. But so many children were dying. We realised a snake won't target only children," said Ramesh Dalvi, father of victim.<br />
<br />
When the police began questioning villagers, the Mokles were conspicuous by their absence.<br />
<br />
That gave the police an immediate lead and on Wednesday the Mokles were arrested.<br />
But by then innocent lives had already been lost at the altar of ignorance, poverty and superstition.<br />
</blockquote><br />
Source:<a href="http://www.ndtv.com/news/cities/5-young-children-sacrificed-by-couple-17940.php">http://www.ndtv.com/news/cities/5-young-children-sacrificed-by-couple-17940.php</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-89468393885612747872009-10-21T08:10:00.000-07:002009-10-21T08:15:51.106-07:00Village 'witches' beaten in India<p class="first"><b></b></p><blockquote><p class="first"><b>Five women were paraded naked, beaten and forced to eat human excrement by villagers after being branded as witches in India's Jharkhand state.</b></p><p>Local police said the victims were Muslim widows who had been labelled as witches by a local cleric. </p><p>The incident occurred on Sunday in a remote village in Deoghar district. </p><p>Correspondents say the abuse of women who are branded as witches is common, but rare footage of the incident has caused outrage across India. </p><!-- E SF --><p>Police went to Pattharghatia village after being informed about the incident by a group of villagers. </p></blockquote><p></p><br /><br />Video footage of the above mentioned incident.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-1PMei0VzfU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-1PMei0VzfU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Yet another religious atrocity in India.<br />Thats today's news.<br />There's more, similar incidents have occured in the past.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EtLNBLc7yaY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EtLNBLc7yaY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />What have we learned?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-15836592188170507082009-08-01T13:29:00.000-07:002009-08-01T14:01:21.638-07:00India's Atheist cabinet ministersIn India's current ruling government, 6 of the cabinet ministers are open atheists.<br />It is to be noted that they took the oath in the name of the constitution whereas the rest of the ministers took oath in the name of god.<br /><br />The Atheist ministers are,<br /><ul><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._K._Antony">A. K. Antony</a>, Defense Minister of India </li><br /><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._Chidambaram">P. Chidambaram</a>, Union Minister of Home Affairs </li><br /><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushilkumar_Shinde">Sushilkumar Shinde</a>, Cabinet Minister for Power </li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veerappa_Moily"><br /></a><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veerappa_Moily"> Veerappa Moily</a>, Minister for Law, Justice and Company Affairs </li><br /><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaipal_Reddy">Jaipal Reddy</a>, Cabinet Minister of Urban Development.</li><br /><li> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._P._Joshi">C.P.Joshi</a>, Cabinet Minister of Rural Development. </li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4B2wGz2QU-WygzA8RZcxbUxnlboFE16Ovyhuqigg5rP_QfOfD-ZzDZGwrjnJHYsdGvYI6NiLZOxOoUKu0un03EiiaXQ-R_LbaiKlLzGXdbkodJ7WitPR7QjWf257Fe6BtXL349Kki8kk/s1600-h/AK+Antony.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4B2wGz2QU-WygzA8RZcxbUxnlboFE16Ovyhuqigg5rP_QfOfD-ZzDZGwrjnJHYsdGvYI6NiLZOxOoUKu0un03EiiaXQ-R_LbaiKlLzGXdbkodJ7WitPR7QjWf257Fe6BtXL349Kki8kk/s200/AK+Antony.jpg" alt="A K Anthony" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365101978560443922" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwxGaPpNExALG8zGar1b3VLYs-gXyYlJ2OUjGfw0YpjKLh5_5Aqfdl1Z_deL6f8jCXSVdyo1QWJWPWdlKa0-1PiqrD8iBwjib8TRFGKucHx7lZCOy__xBv3nZ4aFzzlHf7AqA03U9zHdC/s1600-h/P_Chidambaram.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwxGaPpNExALG8zGar1b3VLYs-gXyYlJ2OUjGfw0YpjKLh5_5Aqfdl1Z_deL6f8jCXSVdyo1QWJWPWdlKa0-1PiqrD8iBwjib8TRFGKucHx7lZCOy__xBv3nZ4aFzzlHf7AqA03U9zHdC/s200/P_Chidambaram.jpg" alt="P Chidambaram" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365101990146944978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkK5GS_dlTcGRAijDJpp74OPPNFDavG1XGFmmciQQqku-MAvBPye0gDeuO1o3_v82sE_UU9bXv6wHp6Njk9RlmyowXRIrIFs0UlBMHEZ8y6HrVHk6EgMe2_UFS8STTYEskEjAeRJLr-jN/s1600-h/Sushil+Kumar+Shinde.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkK5GS_dlTcGRAijDJpp74OPPNFDavG1XGFmmciQQqku-MAvBPye0gDeuO1o3_v82sE_UU9bXv6wHp6Njk9RlmyowXRIrIFs0UlBMHEZ8y6HrVHk6EgMe2_UFS8STTYEskEjAeRJLr-jN/s200/Sushil+Kumar+Shinde.jpg" alt="Sushil kumar shinde" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365102076434214050" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DlWpgTN92WmJpRY4tYyIWpBlqtb7HaXlq7znCOOIJLNCKnaKuzm-lRk7dlJk8OAeZagFdVwd2wN9PGex_OFxOcXMlAJcZbRd-1ctxA7EsXdIoGyKnT54T-luVM-9-g0xYqIfvv6xX1Cr/s1600-h/M+Veerappa+Moily.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DlWpgTN92WmJpRY4tYyIWpBlqtb7HaXlq7znCOOIJLNCKnaKuzm-lRk7dlJk8OAeZagFdVwd2wN9PGex_OFxOcXMlAJcZbRd-1ctxA7EsXdIoGyKnT54T-luVM-9-g0xYqIfvv6xX1Cr/s200/M+Veerappa+Moily.jpg" alt="Veerappa Moily" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365101986414723666" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-QcRFJGxUo3ukmLFYro08Mh-Rxaj1DaM1vUUN3mRxGeJ4S7QywXG-ldzKbBVMzuXBBR1rz_RNPxc5In8V6C8vS9f2V0WKJ9fS11e3NZLlPeQ05HMyoSu6POY_bRYTg3w4PDxtpNpiVVg/s1600-h/S+Jaipal+Reddy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-QcRFJGxUo3ukmLFYro08Mh-Rxaj1DaM1vUUN3mRxGeJ4S7QywXG-ldzKbBVMzuXBBR1rz_RNPxc5In8V6C8vS9f2V0WKJ9fS11e3NZLlPeQ05HMyoSu6POY_bRYTg3w4PDxtpNpiVVg/s200/S+Jaipal+Reddy.jpg" alt="S Jaipal" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365101993905050402" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSuivQmPafQe8nwDHMmWABJkleFK8u1iH-3UPOwBwmZ5YFcyWqIJlM9DtNsZRkGd8Vjp9ekEiGcp-1bYLCUs2V0uWZ90wK4ku6HuXuj9K1Dy6ljhczcFrLndwesoQ_KsRwMeI9-LBk1p-/s1600-h/c-p-joshi.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSuivQmPafQe8nwDHMmWABJkleFK8u1iH-3UPOwBwmZ5YFcyWqIJlM9DtNsZRkGd8Vjp9ekEiGcp-1bYLCUs2V0uWZ90wK4ku6HuXuj9K1Dy6ljhczcFrLndwesoQ_KsRwMeI9-LBk1p-/s200/c-p-joshi.jpg" alt="C P Joshi" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365101980789496946" border="0" /></a><ul><br /></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-36310615445581993092009-07-31T03:25:00.000-07:002009-07-31T03:29:26.363-07:00Indian witchdoctor beheads 5 year old girlAnother example of religious fanatics from India,<br /><br />A rural Indian witchdoctor beheaded a five-year-old girl as part of a bizarre ritual to help a villager produce healthy male heirs, police have said.<br /><br />Vandana Kumari was murdered on Tuesday (local time) in Lakhimpur Kheri district, 200 kilometres from the Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow, police officer Ravi Srivastava said Thursday.<br />Occult practitioner Mewalal Chauhan recommended the "human sacrifice" when the child's neighbour Ram Niwas came to him for help, Mr Srivastava said.<br />"Ram Niwas had sons but none of them survived infancy. His brother too was ailing. The 'tantrik' Chauhan said a human sacrifice was necessary to get rid of these problems," he said.<br />The witchdoctor, his male assistant and Niwas lured the little girl into a field where Chauhan cut off her head after prayers and rituals, the police officer said.<br />Police said they recovered the child's headless body after her mother reported her missing, and had detained the three men.<br />Belief in black magic is common among superstitious rural Indians.<br />Many families in India value male heirs for their breadwinning potential, and sons are needed to light their parents' funeral pyres under Hindu rites.<br />- AFPUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-18230348844512934832009-07-31T03:18:00.000-07:002009-07-31T03:31:46.274-07:00Naked girls plow fields for rainYet another stupid Indian practice.<br /><br />PATNA, India (Reuters) - Farmers in an eastern Indian state have asked their<br />unmarried daughters to plow parched fields naked in a bid to embarrass the<br />weather gods to bring some badly needed monsoon rain, officials said on<br />Thursday.<br />Witnesses said the naked girls in Bihar state plowed the fields<br />and chanted ancient hymns after sunset to invoke the gods. They said elderly<br />village women helped the girls drag the plows.<br /><br />"They (villagers) believe<br />their acts would get the weather gods badly embarrassed, who in turn would<br />ensure bumper crops by sending rains," Upendra Kumar, a village council<br />official, said from Bihar's remote Banke Bazaar town.<br /><br />"This is the most<br />trusted social custom in the area and the villagers have vowed to continue this<br />practice until it rains very heavily."<br /><br />India this year suffered its<br />worst start to the vital monsoon rains in eight decades, causing drought in some<br />states.<br /><br />(Writing by Bappa Majumdar Editing by Sugita Katyal)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-63021356305735681922009-07-18T12:44:00.000-07:002009-07-18T12:49:47.746-07:00Hindu ritual of jumping into thornsHindus believe that their gods bring happiness and prosperity to them if they suffer in the name of god.<br />Walking on a fire pit is a very usual ritual at festivals.<br />But,jumping into a mass of thorns is something wierd.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n7OdXTyRFI8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n7OdXTyRFI8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-2864167836297460312009-07-17T09:32:00.000-07:002009-07-17T14:43:27.214-07:00Silly Hindu superstitionsBeing born in a Hindu family, i know about most of the superstitions that are practiced by Indian Hindus. Most Hindus believe that there are ancient meaning for these superstitions,but no one seem to remember any such explanation for them.<br />If anyone reading this text can explain any of the superstitions,you are welcome.<br /><br />- It is bad to ask "where are you going" to anyone going out of home.Indians dare to ask their relatives or family members this question because it brings bad luck to the person going out.Moreover it is considered that harm will come to the one who is being asked that dreaded question.<br /><br />- It is bad when a cat crosses your path or road.If that happens, people mostly return to their homes or pray to god and proceed on their path.<br /><br />- It is also considered bad to see a widow face to face while going out.And, the worse part is that widows are unwelcome at any functions like marriages.<br /><br />- It is bad to drop a cut finger nail inside the house,even in the dustbin. It is believed that nails brings economic damnation to the house.<br /><br />- Mirrors should not be shown to children,because it makes children to become dumb, that is infants seeing mirror at very young age will fail to speak.<br /><br />- Taking photos reduces ones lifetime.So,indians avoid taking photographs of their infants.<br /><br />- Menstrating women are forbidden from entering temples,or even to pray at home,since menstruation is a sin.<br /><br />- The month named "Aadi",that is the first month of windy season is forbidden to perform any functions like house warming,marriage or starting anything.<br /><br />- Dreams in the early morning are expected to come true.So if anything bad happens in a dream, people will meet with certain religious men and perform poojas to prevent the dream from coming true.<br /><br />-When a coconut is broken in the temple, it should part in to two regular and equal halves and not break at tangent in to the eyes of the coconut. A decayed or rotten coconut foreshadows serious mishap to the devotee . <br /><br />- After sneezing, people exclaim 'Shiva', 'Rama ' or 'Krishna'or whatever god they pray to.<br /><br />- It is not good to give money to anyone after sunset.If anyone does that,all their money will go away from them.So,when the newspaper/current/mobile bill collector knocks after 6:00 PM,it is a waste of their time.And,it is strictly forbidden to lend needles or oil after 6:00PM.<br /><br />- When faced with dilemma, instead of considering merits and demerits, villagers put colored flowers in a temple and see which colour falls first due to wind.The colour of the flower which falls first determines their action.<br /><br />- Nothing should be started on a Tuesday.Wednesday is the best day for important ventures and is as 'good as gold'.<br /><br />- When the first tooth of a child falls out the fallen tooth is carefully placed in a lump of cow dung, and thrown over roof in the belief that such action will hasten the re-growth of the child 's teeth. (this one is a sort of related to tooth fairies i suppose,but practiced by parents instead of children)<br /><br />- It is a bad sign to place hands behind the head when trying to relax,since it can cause the death of parents.<br /><br />- The sound of door hitting the wall should never be made by children,since it causes fights to happen between the parents.<br /><br />- A lizard falling on head can cause death.<br /><br />- The cawing of a crow in one's house foretells the coming of guests.<br /><br />- If a lizard makes a sound when you make a statement, it shows that what you said is true.And if a bell rings or even if a mobile phone rings,its also considered that what is told is truth,or it will come true.<br /><br />- If anyone kills a snake,he has to goto a snake nest found in most temples and place eggs and milk to prevent the snake from taking revenge.<br /><br /><br />The fact about this list is that these superstitions are still believed throughout India,in villages as well as cities.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3343563773778144789.post-64160670123116235492009-07-17T04:24:00.000-07:002009-07-17T04:26:04.738-07:00Dedicated blog for AtheismThis blog welcomes the dawn of atheism upon our civilization.<br />All efforts will be taken to debunk religious superstitions and promote rational principles and reasoning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1