The evening was passing well in chit-chat, when suddenly Hypnotism came up in discussion. A veteran literature recalled world famous magician P. C. Sorcars’s show in New Empire theatre. Sorcar has came in an hour late. The spectators complained in dissatisfaction. But he told them that it was just 6:30 according to his watch. The spectators looked at their watches and found that it was really 6:30. After this story, the narrator asked if I could relate any such tale of hypnotism about any magician. I replied that I can’t. Such rumours were also prevalent about magicians like Raja Bose. Ganapati, Roy-the-magician. I further said that there are many tales regarding magicians using hypnotism, but in reality hypnotism will be the last thing that magicians might choose to use on stage. Because you can’t ‘demonstrate’ magic by hypnotizing anybody.
Can animals be hypnotised? In Ray’s Hirak Rajar Deshe, we saw Gupi and Bagha hypnotising a tiger. We have also read magician Mandrake hypnotising animals. Some magicians hypnotise hens. Last year National Geographic aired a programme — India’s Dairy where such an incident was shown. The magician drew a line across a hen and then left it loose. But instead of fidgeting around as is characteristic of it, the hen sat still. Then the magician clapped it back to senses as if it was in a state of hypnotic stupor.
Such an incident doesn’t prove any relation with hypnotism. You can also do the same, Just hold a hen by its head against the ground and draw a line starting from the tip of its beak. It will stay still unless you clap it back to senses. In reality the hen stops its movement since it thinks that its beak is tired with something that will hurt if it tries to move. Because by holding the hen against the ground, all you are is making such that it sees the line from a single perspective and believe that the line is a noose. It is this belief that makes it stay as it does. But the moment you make a sound it jerks and realizes that the beak is free and hens starts moving.
Photo hypnotism Many a times you will find an advertisement in news paper and magazines saying, “Have you failed in love? Get back your love by hypnotising your beloved.” Two people well known for this work are Paglababa and Gautam Chakraborty of Howrah Janbari. However this kind of hypnotism can at best be described as simple fraud.
Hypnotism and science
Most people have two peculiar notions about hypnotism. Either magicians use hypnotism or hypnotism is a hallucination of the person ‘hypnotised’ and hence a phenomenon generally used to fool people. Both the notions are wrong.
I. V. Pavlov won the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his research on ‘Physiology and Medicine. The topic of his research being Conditioned Reflex. As a result of this research, many dark recesses of psychology came to the forefront. We all know that the basis of a human body is a cell. There are different types of cells. Like collective cells make up bones and blood. Then there are muscular cells. Brain consists of nerve cells that are called neurons. These neurons control all the five sense organs. Conditioned Reflex is one of the property of the neurons. Any activity of mind depends on Conditioned Reflex which is a result of our social and economical surroundings.
We take in suggestions from our surroundings both consciously and unconsciously. And a long lasting effect culminate into Conditioned Reflex. Hypnotism is, controlling the brain for a time period by suggestions. Those physicians who treat by Pavlovian theory use Hypnotism. Lack of enthusiasm, impotency, stammering, psycho-somatic disease, or mental disease like Paranoia and Schizophrenia can be cured by correct use of hypnotism. Hypnotism can be further used for physical and mental relaxation. It Is much more effective than meditation.
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Swami Probodananda is a popular godman in Bengal. His power, as well as the huge number of believers in his powers testifies this. Many are his ardent followers and advertisements with his photograph often appear in dailies. The Swami meets his disciples and other believers every Saturday and Sunday. Due to age, ( he is now 90 and still walks tall ), his former schedule between six in morning to two in the afternoon has changed and now, he sits between eight and ten in the morning at his usual place at Kumartuli in north Kolkata.
The place where he sits, as well as his attire and physique are imposing. The temple where he appears on these days, established around 25 years back has an air of mystery about it. It’s dark inside and there’s a profusion of human bones and skulls all over, all neatly arranged into garlands or forming part of his seat, the Panchamundi. Idols of gods and goddesses also abound. Along with it dwells an engraved copper plate with the sign of the Kamakhya Yanteam.
The Swami is said to have left home at the age of five. He had meditated for 12 years at Kamrup, Assam. And it was after this that he achieved salvation. It is by virtue of this that he is now able to cure any disease, no mater how fatal it is. He also has the power to solve any mortal problem.
One comes to know of all these qualities of the Swami from his ardent follower Rabindranath Roy and another devotee at his temple, Sarbani Gupta.
On August 5, I had visited the Swami with my friends Ashis and Seema. One has to book a visit against cash. And as a present, one needs to bring 100 gm of incense sticks. One noticed that the grocery shop opposite the temple was thronging with customers, all with the objective of buying the stuff.
The gathering was motley, including followers and believers from different economic and social background. But the purpose of the visit of each one of them remains the same. They all have their personal problems and firmly believe that the Swami will be able to offer the final solution.
We waited patiently for our turn and when it came, I found that we were being treated with some sort of speciality. The secret might have laid in my reaching there in car and my mobile phone sticking from my pocket.
Once I met the Swami, I told him how my son has fled the house, after breaking our cupboard and in the process taking with him all the cash that we had kept for the week as well as his mother’s ornaments. The Swami concentrated hard in the bowl of mustard oil kept in front of him— the same oil that we had bought. A disciple informed us that the Swami was looking into time through this oil. And before long I was informed that I need not worry since my son, now having a good time with the girl he’s fled with, will definitely come back. He even asked me to return after 21 days, when he promised he would initiate me to his faith. Seema who was with me complained of breast cancer and showed her apprehension for her forthcoming operation. She was also duly asked to come back after a week, when he would take away the malign part of the tumours and make it benign enough to be operated. We left laughing to ourselves. After all, neither had my son fled nor has Seema had breast cancer ever in her life.
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Tantrik Aushutosh Sarkar is a well known figure in Jhilpara, Golbagan in Dumdum. Jhilpara’s name went after the name of Ashubabu, who was adored by all for his expertise in tantra. He claims that he was initiated by Lokenath baba himself in dreams. “ I do ‘Lata Sadhana’, ‘Shab Sadhana’ Bhairabi. I use spirits for my sadhana. Nowadays, the educated younger generation doesn’t believe in the existence if spirits but perform all the rituals of shraddha for the well being of the departed soul. They don’t understand that the soul of a dead person becomes a spirit,” Sarkar told me when I went to meet him along with Sanatan Adhikari and two other friends of mine.
I have met many tantriks in my life, most of whom have failed to achieve respect in his locality. But Sarkar was an exception as most of the local residemts are his disciples. He charges Rs 125 — just the cost of bottle of liquor. He and his disciple Barun Mukherjee smelled strongly of country liquor even in the morning.
My friend Sanatan was nit well. He had been bitten by a stray dog. At first Sanatan sat on a small stool. Then Sarkar laid his hands in the bandage, which was placed above his right ankle. He took a bell-metal plate and a bowl of Ganges water with which he washed the plate. With his right hand on the backside of the plate, he started chanting mantras. It was actually a jumble of those offered to Parvati, Lakshmi, Kali, Durga, Saraswati and other Hindu deities for absorbing the poison. It continued for 15 minutes. By that time a lot of curious faces have gathered there.
Then suddenly Sarkar pressed the plate in the back of Sanatan and left it as it was. Curiously the plate did not fall down. So Sarkar informed, “ There is poison inside his body, otherwise the plate would have fallen off.”
After 15 minutes, the plate started slipping slowly and fell off at last. According to Sarkar it was a sign of healing and there was no need to take the anti-rabits injection.
After that Sanatan suddenly stood up and removed the bandage from his leg. There was no wound and Sanatan started shouting, I just came to see the miracle of Sarkar. Now all of you can ask me why the plate did not fall down when there was no poison.”
Sarkar and his disciple Barun Mukherjee hecame very scared and were planning to escape. But the crowd stopped them.
The plate, which was used by tantrik was smaller than the size of Sanatan’s backside. The plate was placed on his back with force so that there is no gap between the plate and the skin. It works following the science of air pressure. Water, that is applied in the plate prevents air to seep in. So the plate sticks to the body. As time passes, air slowly seeps in and the plate falls off.
Sadhan Majumder from kolkata 14 wants to know the details of the clause that I’ve mentioned in my column on July 9 where I’ve said that anyone claiming to heal any disease by the use of ‘talismans’, or ‘stones’ is doing a legal offense in such propaganda. You see, due to space constraint of this column we are not in a position to elaborate on the law. At most we can state that Sec. 2(c) defines magic remedies. While Sec. 5 states, “No person carrying on or purporting to carry on the profession of administering magic remedies not take any part in the publication of magic remedy……” Sec.7 defines the penalties.
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The argument is gem-stones do not work in human bodies, but metal tablets should. The metal tab traders always capitalize on this belief. We know that there id the existence if elements in our body. Elements are also used in various medicines. The Livogen capsule, which in used for pregnant women, who suffer from anaemia has quite a few of them. It is Mercurel Diuretic, which is used for the disease concerning pregnancy, which carries purified mercury. For the treatment of arthritis, Mycrisin is usually used, which contains gold.
Some astrologers dupe people by distorting these two facts — existence of elements in the human body and the use of metal in medicine. Amrital is such an astrologer. ‘Amritlal’ and ‘Metal tab’ have now become synonymous. In 1986, Amritlal quoted a study by Dr. S. N. Chatterjee, an internationally acclaimed scientist, in a few dailies and weeklies, trying to harp on the fact that metals affect the growth prospects of the human body.
After reading those articles, I was surprised. How could a scientist like Dr. Chatterjee support such unscientific claims? Was it true or only a trick, played by Amritlal to confuse people.I immediately wrote To Dr. Chatterjee to find out the truth. He was then teaching at the Saha Institute of Nuclear physics. His reply, dated 1.7.1998 clarified my confusions. “There was no question of my confirming either the scientific basis the composition of the ‘Metal Tablet’ of Animal.”
18 eminent scientists spoke against such astrologers and the metal tablets through there lectures in June 26, 1986. They said that it is true that iron capsules are used to cure anaemia. But if anyone carries the iron pieces, attached to the body, it cannot be absorbed by the body and can never cure anemia. Moreover they said, “ We believe that such people who spread such wrong concepts among people are cheats…”
On August 4, 1986, I received another letter from Dr. Chatterjee. He wrote, “I am happy to inform you that Amritlal has very recently expressed (in writing) that he utilized my name in some advertisements out of misunderstanding and has also given me word that this will not recur in the future.”
Even after this, questions regarding the effectiveness of electrocuted copper plates on arthritis patients can be raised. The popular belief is can’t be worn. But has anyone ever given a thought to the fact that the atmosphere contains electric charges and the human body, being a carries of electricity will automatically get electrocuted once it’s worn on the body. Simply because of the fact that the human body, being in touch with the ground, is always earthed.
But most people are unaware of this funda and thus go on believing that an electrocuted copper plate is a sure cure for arthritis and spondolosys. Actually it’s more a matter of belief than anything else. And diseases, if claimed to be cured by metal plates worn externally are sure to be of the psycho-somatic type.
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