INTRODUCTION

Ah-choo! Oops- someone wore down by the fever sneezed right before you were about to leave for the first job interview you have so long been grooming for, with curd stains still smeared across your busted lower lip. Now, you are going to be even more late by a couple of minutes because “one shall not head out after a sneeze”, even though it was your own alarm who decided to be a bit intractable and didn't go off.

Or the providential moment when your brow comes in contact with the lemons and green chillies hanging above the threshold

If you have come across such scenarios, congratulations! You're purely an Indian by heart, blood and soul! Or at least, by mind.

Compacted close together shoulder to shoulder, known for its hospitality, richness, variegation, and unification, the country of beauty is also famous for its superstitions, myths, beliefs. And it is very common a mistake made by both inbred Indians and foreigners, conflating the closely stitched versatile denominations and their subtle abstruse distinctions.

DISCLAIMER: The information, views and opinions in this article expressed are not intended to demean, hurt or humiliate any community or individual. The content provided has been constructed from various available websites, blogs, applications, general knowledge, firsthand surveys, and few exclusively personal impressions, and are provided for general interest. Opinions may very definitely hugely vary, and I respect any disparate opinion that differs from my own. My personal distaste, varying credence would not be finding a corner here. None of the contents below is concocted or owned by me. Copyright goes to their rightful owners, websites and writers. I am well aware of this topic being a sensitive one. In case of any dispute or inconvenience, or involuntary offence, kindly forgive me, because I'm still learning and honestly I know absolutely nothing yet, so please don't be harsh to me (I'm very sensitive), instead please educate me in a constructive manner.

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape, suicide, murder, gore, violence, witchcraft, honour killings, calamitous rituals, sacrifices, blood, blind beliefs, and several other disturbing descriptions. Reader's discretion advised.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article comprises approximately 12K words, so might appear too long for some readers, mainly those who are impatient just like me. That being so, I have put forward a ‘Table of contents’ at the bottom of this author's note. One can choose what they want to read about and scroll past to that very topic. When reading, it would be greatly appreciated if you do not take anything, including my subjective points of view by heart because dragging anyone down/humiliating/offending is NOT my intention. On another note, I will be securing the links to each image that leads to the original source I gathered the images from. The links can be accessed by clicking on the pictures. For the images, I have not assigned the links, I have written down the sources.

PART 1: KNOWLEDGE

WHAT EXACTLY IS A MYTH?

“God made man because He loves stories”- Elie Wiesel. That is right, everything does not reek of complications, myths mean exactly what God loves— stories. Although, a cross-disciplinary or inquisitive perspective would suggest ‘mythology’ precisely. A mythology is a well known story which was composed in the past to explicate natural events, ideals, chronology, or to justify religious beliefs or social customs. If someone describes a belief or explanation as a ‘myth’, they mean that many people (or generations) have been believing it but it MAY actually be untrue, and sometimes perfectly baseless.

‘Myth's’ derivation would aid us know more anout it inside out.

The origin of the word ‘myth’ itself trails back to the Greek word ‘muthos’. Its now pronunciation ‘myth’ came to be acknowledged during or around the mid 19th century, from modern Latin ‘mythus’, via late Latin from Greek ‘muthos’. Now, muthos is what I have already mentioned myths mean: story or plot.

Myths are stories that are usually based on tradition, in which some may also have factual origins while others are completely fictional. But if looked at myths in a far-fetched comprehension, myths are a pinch bit more than mere stories; myths serve as the Pole Star generation after generation, answering questions nobody looked back at to answer. Be that as it may, issues ripple to the surface when dark nimbus clouds cover that North Pole Star and it is not known anymore which path leads to evaluation and most importantly, why?

Myths remain convoluted, eclipsed underneath the clouds and sprouting generations are left with confusions, and much more questions than answers, one of them being particularly mind boggling, “what should we then believe in?”

To have a concrete answer, the first drop we need to swallow is the unrefined meaning of another side of the same coin known as ‘superstitions’.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A SUPERSTITION?

Superstitions are a bit more sinister than the seemingly innocuous “myths”. It is a belief or practice resulting from too much ignorance, fear of the unknown, witchcraft, an unreasonable fear of nature, Spiritual Power, or fate of oneself.

Britannica Dictionary defines superstitions as “a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck”. An excessive belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck. Keyword: excessive.

Etymology: 

The word ‘superstition’ was first found in an early 13th-century monastic manuscript, the Ancrene Riwle, that characterised ‘superstition’ equivalent to ‘excess’. In Wycliffe's Bible by the late 1300s, ‘superstition’ started signifying ‘irrational thoughts’, ‘irrational beliefs’ especially the ones ‘excessively credulous or reverential’. Follow how superstitions are always about ‘excess’ or ‘too much’?

En route, American psychologist, teacher, speaker and author who specialises in beliefs in superstitions and critical thinking talks about DEISIDAIMONIA in his book Superstition: A Very Short Introduction, published on 23 January 2020.

DEISIDAIMONIA originally had a very commendatory meaning, which was ordinarily ‘scrupulousness in religious matters’. Although over the course of centuries, the word has been dilapidated and robbed off of its raw meaning (right! Just like the word ‘feminism’ mixed up with ‘pseudo feminism’). Now it is mainly pejorative and denotes an unhealthy pietism and preoccupation with religion, first and most explicitly in Theophrastus's sixteenth Character. Theophrastus defines Deisidaimonia as ‘cowardice vis-à-vis the divine’ and attributes the following traits:

• An obsessive fear of the Gods (or Higher Power)
• A penchant for adoration and cultic performance
• Superstitious awe of portents both in daily life and in dreams
• The concomitant inclination to ward off or prevent possible mishaps by magical or ritual acts, especially through continuous purifications.

The word ‘Deisidaimonia’ is the Greek equivalent of the Latin term ‘superstitio’. Combining ‘super over’ and ‘stare to stand’ from Latin (perhaps from the notion of ‘standing over something in awe’), the archaic word ‘superstitio’ waltzed into Old French and Latin languages, which again paved the way for the word we use today, i.e. ‘superstition’.

‘Standing over’ extends to the meanings ‘to survive’ or ‘to remain’. A related adjective ‘superstes’ was used for soldiers ‘standing over’ the body of their defeated enemy/ies which leaps to a keen idea of preternatural power and ‘superiority’. Supernatural is all about ‘super’.

Superstitions can be anything, ranging from numbers, colours, to animals and even the location of one's own house. For instance, during the Coronavirus epidemic, people in parts of Indonesia rustled ‘tetek melek’, a traditional and natural homemade mask made of coconut palm fronds, which was hung in doorways to keep the inhabitants safe. Or the naked truth that International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has acknowledged that the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla is targeted by motorists in regions of Brazil who don't want the creature to cross in front of them and give them bad luck (Hmmm… sounds like Black Cats?). There are several other instances all around the globe, such as Tetraphobia, which is the fear or aversion from the digit 4, mainly prevalent in East Asia, because it represents or can be translated as ‘death’ or ‘die’.

Now, if these superstitions and myths pre-exist in each nook and cranny of this insane world, why am I dealing particularly with the country India? Simply because I myself belong from India, and I have experienced my theme firsthand, which will help me in shaping this article further.

ORIGIN OF SUPERSTITIONS IN INDIA

Indians are very well known to be sentimentals, tender, soppy and a sense of patriotism is deeply ingrained. The aforementioned adjectives are all used in a very positive context, nonetheless, sometimes inordinate of one those adjectives make them pull the plug before diving any deeper in the ocean of proper knowledge. There is a sense that ritual is one of the foundational components that sustains the culture as a whole. When Frits Staal asked a group of Nambudiri Brahmins as to why they perform rituals, the answers were:

“We do it because our ancestors did it; because it is good for society; because it is our duty (dharma); because it is said to lead to immortality” (Staal, 1979, p. 3).

There is nothing wrong in the answers. Except for two things — why and how? Why did our ancestors do this? Why is it exactly our dharma (duty)? How would it lead us to immortality?

These were answers encapsulating three of the four purusharthas (purpose of human pursuit). Artha, meaning the sustenance of society and wealth. Dharma, meaning one's duty and Moksha, meaning the transcendent state attained as a result of being released from the cycle of rebirth.

The notion of rituals as mula or foundation has been a part of our commonsense for centuries. Vedas are often referred to as Dharma mula and Jnana mula. And yet, many Indians today are unable to explain how and in what sense the karma kanda of the Vedas are the mula (foundation) for the knowledge found in the jnana kanda.

Now what if we flip the page, and reformulate the question like Movement Poet Philip Larkin did in his 1955 poem “Church-Going”. Larkin, in his poetry, asked a very thought provoking question and assumed even more thought provoking conjectural scenarios. Larkin enquired what would happen to the churches once everyone stops believing in them or visiting them? Will they turn into museums, haunted visiting places or grazing grounds?

I present the same question. What would happen if each Indian stopped performing rituals, distanced themselves from beliefs?

Larkin ended his poem with an ambiguous note by saying such a day probably will never arrive because there will always be someone being after ‘magic’ (spiritual security). But can we do the same in the case of India? When I asked my peers, they all answered with either ‘maybe’ or ‘maybe not’. Whatever the correct answer is, it is contradictory that rituals are ubiquitous in Indian society, and ancestors developed a science of ritual. Today's Indians mostly are unable to explain what rituals are and why they even exist, wrongly identifying many as ‘superstitious’.

It is not possible to provide a scientific explanation behind each and every ritual, to any extent at all, it is not even possible to list ALL the rituals that are being followed to these days. Not now, not ever. But there are few which we can educate ourselves about with a little bit of research in today's obtainability of the internet.

To grasp the velocity of these rapid umbrella term ‘beliefs’, we have to first understand the relation between the two factors we have already come to know about— myth and superstitions with examples.

ARE MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS THE SAME THING?

One-word answer. No.

One sentence answer. Myths and superstitions are not the same thing.

Since we already have discussed myths and superstitions separately, it is safe to assume that the main difference is extremely vivid. The main difference between myth and superstition lies in the fact that one is a story whereas the other is a belief. Mythology was invented to teach people something important and meaningful, or to explain phenomenons, or simply for entertainment. In contrast, superstitions have evolved to usually produce a “false sense of having control over outer conditions and reducing anxiety”.

So, it is crystallised that myths and superstitions are not the same, but that doesn't mean they are not related. Myths and superstitions are more often than co-related.

How? It is discussed in the very next point.

HOW ARE MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS CORRELATED?

You must have been familiar with the notion that one shall not see their own face in a broken mirror. This notion falls under the category of superstition.

The legend or the surprising background behind this notion tenants in ancient Rome. Ancient Romans possessed a story that mirrors contained fragments of our souls, so breaking a mirror signified a break in someone's health and well being. This is the myth or mythology.

Now it is very common to confuse ancient stories (myths) with superstitions because most of the myths dealt with something sort of a belief which the main character or the characters followed. Then what shall be done?

DISENTANGLING MYTHS FROM SUPERSTITIONS

Here is the trick to differentiate— try to figure where the ‘belief’ results from, whatever it results from is the ‘myth’ no matter even if the ‘myth’ itself deals with fantastical beliefs. If there's none, either the myth has been lost, yet to be discovered, or the belief actually has some scientific values which are often overlooked.

In a more Indian context, you may be travelling by train or bus, when your eyes land upon a kinnar (transgender) and excluding exceptions, you seek for their blessings which you are sure is to bring prosperity in your lives. Or when in Bengali weddings, during the very next morning after marriage, the couple cannot see each other's face. Or when your mother tells you not to eat garlic and onions on Thursday because they are considered ‘non-veg’. On the surface, each of them appears to be quite trumped-up. In fact they do have a base, some of them have a historical base, while the others a more scientific one.

So then let us look at the most common, popular Indian ‘beliefs’ through the lenses of history and science, in PART 2: OBSERVATION. 

1. Hanging lemons and green chilies at the entrance

• Belief: If you have been brought up, lived or even have toured to India on your vacation, your eyes have definitely beheld the sight of bunches of lemons and green chillies hanging by a cotton thread at the entrance of shops, buildings, houses or new establishments. It is believed that the lemons and green chillies drive away ‘evil eyes’ or more commonly known as ‘buri nazar’ in India.
• Scientific Explanation: The cotton thread which is pierced through the citrus lemon and chillies, scientifically forms a combination of chemical reactions preventing insects and pests entering, thus acting as a natural pesticide or insecticide.

2. You are on your periods! You are impure!

• Belief: One of the most, most, most popular beliefs in India is about menstruating women being impure or unhygienic. The origin of this widely held belief drizzles as old as to the Vedic times and is often linked to Indra's slaying of Vritras. It has been declared in the Veda that guilt, of killing a brahmana, appears as every month as menstrual flow as women had taken upon themselves a part of Indra's guilt (does the initial bit sound like our inside joke, Bloody Mary?). Other than this, some people claims the period blood is ‘rotten’ and as it sieves out any toxin or anything capable of contributing to health issues are flown with the blood too, therefore the blood is ‘impure’ too, in modern days which is called ‘toxic’ (I gathered this information from my grandmother, and mother. Just so you know I'm not treated as anything ‘impure’ during my menstrual cycle). However, the fact that a menstruating woman only bleeds out blood is already erroneous in itself. Menstrual blood is actually composed of three distinct bodily fluids, blood, vaginal fluid and the cells and fluid of the late secretory phase of the uterine endometrial lining which is shed during menstruation.
• Scientific Explanation: There are a number of taboos/superstitions surrounding menstruation, but three of the most common are— a menstruating woman cannot enter the kitchen, a menstruating woman cannot enter sacred places such as temples, washing hair or swimming should be avoided during menstruation. Again, the same ‘wh’ question plays the most pertinent part in understanding, why? To answer this question, let's look at a time when technology was not available and life wasn't so easy or contracted as it is now. These days, gender roles are being overcome and household chores aren't solely the role of a woman. But in old times, a woman was mostly involved in laborious household chores. And the dominant chore mostly concerned the kitchen, because of ‘cooking’. It may seem evil now, but the reason behind not letting a menstruating woman inside a kitchen is in fact very thoughtful. During periods, she was forbidden from entering the kitchen so that she could take rest, to receive relief from work while also bearing constant cramps, bloating, back pain, nausea, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety (few of the terms weren't even known back in those days). As usual, like many other beliefs, the real meaning eroded which was actually in favour of women and not some arbitrary delusion of periods being ‘impure’ and the practice became a ‘superstition’.

The second most important ‘superstition’ regarding menstruation is that they cannot enter a sacred place, such as temples. Whereas ‘Ambubachi’ is celebrated with great reverence, so much so that Ambubachi Mela (annual Hindu Ambubachi fair) is held every year in Guwahati, Assam in the Kamakhya Temple during monsoon season, why cannot a menstruating woman enter a sacred place? For those who don't know, during ‘Ambubachi’ from seventh to the tenth day of the Hindu month of Ashada (monsoon), the doors of the shrine are closed to all as it is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through the annual cycle of Her menstruation, because the Yoni-Mudra (the female genitalia or vulva) of Devi Sati perched at Kamakhya out of 51 Sati Piths.

Sounds very hypocritical. On one hand, a menstruating Goddess is being worshipped during Her periods, because of Her menstruation rather, but we, the ordinary women, are shunned from visiting temples? It is actually not hypocritical, but scientific. It is related to the energy of the body. Sacred or Holy places are always decided owing to the convenient wave distributions. The architecture of Hindu temples is basically based on Vastu Shastra, which is not only a fictional text, but a text that encompasses the information about design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, geometry and space arrangements. Therefore, temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. Temples are built in a way that the floor at the centre of the temple is a good conductor of these vibrations, provoking piecemeal sporadically upwards geothermal energy (also positive energy). The idol is placed at the ‘Garbhagriha’, the innermost sanctuary which is a high wave centric area.

One certain example is, “beneath the place where the statue is placed in Karuvoolam in Tamil, is filled with medicinal value elements, precious stones which gives one positive vibration.” (Gowri, Quora)

The whole point for this mental geographical excavation is to let know that all these reasons formulate an energy that is upwards, or as we call it positive energy. Contradictory, a menstruating woman's levels of oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest. This causes a downwards flow in energy, which is also the reason for a woman feeling too exhausted and not enough energetic to anything energetic. In response to lower oestrogen levels, one's brain releases norepinephrine and other hormones, which makes the brain very sensitive to small changes in body temperature, and sends signals for your body to sweat so that you can cool off (right here is the explanation behind those night sweats and hot flashes).

So, in the simplest of explanations, the energy in the sacred places are upwards (positive energy) and the energy in a menstruating woman's body is downwards (negative energy), which when comes in contact with each other, obviously the upwards energy overpowers the downwards energy creating an imbalance, and the mortal body anatomy uses up much more effort than necessary for simplest works which exhausts the menstruating woman much faster and can even cause a rise in body temperatures due to much more stamina being consumed, leading to at times even fever or in some way increasing the pain of the woman on her periods.

Again, such a thoughtful approach was moulded into a sinister practice by few uneducated minds, declaring it as a ‘sin surpassing any trinkets of redemption’.

Having said that, in case it is unknown, in the year 2019, the Supreme Court of India gave a historic judgement of letting women inside the Sabrimala Temple of Kerala.

As for the third ‘superstition’ I have mentioned here that one shall not wash her hair during menstruations, put that scruples to rest because it is in fact just a ‘superstition’ and no science follows. Yes, it is indeed true that there exists a theory about bathing in hot water that says bathing in hot water will make bleeding heavier; hot water does increase blood circulation (we don't utilise hot water bags during terrible cramps, right?). In theory, hot water can make blood flow more freely but there's no evidence of any heavier bleeding.

Another belief regarding periods and bathing is (oops! No mention of that hair washing because simply there's no medicinal significance to back it up) ‘being in water stops your periods’.

“Being immersed in water can present an illusion that the flow has stopped when really it is merely diluted due to the surrounding bath water. Your lining of your uterus continues to break down and shed, whether immersed in water or not,” Sekhon explains.

So there disperses the superstitions about not washing your hair or not taking a bath during your periods, feel free now!

As for the swimming, who would want their swimming pool to look like a crime scene in case a pad or tampon accident occurs?

3. Having curd and sugar before heading out

• Belief: You cannot be an Indian and not know what ‘dahi-sakkar’ is at the same time. Be it a class test, first boards exam, first competitive exam, an interview, ‘dahi-sakkar’ (curd-sugar) is as important as the pen or pencil and the lessons we have learned. The underlying motive is the belief that curd brings good luck and we will ace whatever we are aspiring for (um… does this work even if I don't study?)
• Scientific explanation: Scientifically in earlier times, strenuous or salient works required long journeys through the atmospheric conditions of India, which is in most states very hot and humid. Having a bowl full of curd kept the stomach cool, and sugar has glucose that provides the strength to go through all day without feeling low or uneasy. It is also very predictable that during any prime day/event of our life, we are quite anxious and nervous which can lead to higher blood pressures, which in turn can stage a raise in body temperature, so curd helps to keep that body temperature in check. But these days, the curd is simply used as a ‘lucky charm’ like your favourite number or colour, to keep that anxiety away and to create a sense of security.

4. Do not go out during the Solar Eclipse

• Belief: Where can I even start from? Solar Eclipse appears to be the ‘black sheep’ of the family, who brings only bad luck and nothing. Mystical happenings, getting blind, and even causing death, you name it, solar eclipse supposedly does it all. Some believe the mishaps occur due to a demon swallowing the Sun during this time.
• Scientific explanation: ‘Demon Swallowing the Sun’, it can be considered true if that Demon is our adorable Chanda Mama, the Moon itself (Chanda meaning Moon, mama meaning maternal uncle). A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either partially or fully blocks the sunlight in some areas. It is advised to avoid going out at this time to avoid the Ultraviolet Rays (UV Rays) which are strongest during this time, and extremely harmful so that it can cause as far as skin cancer. Here, let me add a bit of a personal experience— a person who is very close to me once decided to be rebellious and go out during the solar eclipse, that too without the proper sunglasses available, and that person faces problems in the eyesight even at the age beyond 50.

5. Broken glass or broken mirror brings bad luck

• Belief: Just what the title says, ‘broken glass brings bad luck’. The plausible postulate of Greek-influenced this age-old belief. The ancient Greeks believed it was unlucky to come in contact with one's own reflection, exemplified by yet another myth of Narcissus. Narcissus fell crazy in love with the sight of his reflection in a stream and died at the water's edge, suffering lovesickness. 

A 1777 account is the earliest mention of the broken mirror superstition and have been popular in British culture, reflected (no pun intended) in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem “The Lady of Shalott” (1832):

She left the web, she left the loom
She made three paces thro' the room
She saw the water-flower bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me,' cried
The Lady of Shalott.

In spite, the Roman civilization carried that belief forward and they were the first to construct mirrors from polished metal surfaces and eventually glass. The labour put in the creation of a mirror was far from commonplace. Not only the Romans confided that a mirror was a portal to a living's soul, but that Gods kept eyes upon the world through these reflective images, to see one's inner identity, and shattering that opening meant a violation and in return, punishment if 7 years of bad luck. Romans also believed a broken mirror befell squarely 7 years of bad luck in the wake of them believing in a seven-year-cycle of changing souls, every 7 years they confided the soul would regenerate. Or it may also be that the cost of a mirror imitated seven years of a servant's work.

• Explanation: The reason is more logical than scientific in this context. Simply because earlier glass was super expensive, and the procedure for formations were very strenuous, accordingly as a way of caution this blind notion was circulated. Aside from that, glass is a brittle object which can result in painful injuries, so to avoid such painful abrasions, such a step took place.

6. One shall not sleep with their head towards the north

Belief: The typical. Bad luck, death and one more addition— mental illness.

Scientific explanation: Before anything, one must acknowledge that astronomy is science to some extent, not just baseless rumours to earn money (I'm not talking about frauds here). Astronomy states that the symmetry of the magnetic fields of earth's north pole and our body leads to erratic blood pressure levels and other internal issues. Therefore, sleeping with our head towards the southward direction is more beneficial physically.

7. Plastering cow dung

• Beliefs: Casting aside the debates about gau-mata, the belief is that cow dung ‘purifies’ the residence. I won't say this is entirely wrong howsoever.
• Scientific explanation: Cow dung guards against insects and reptiles which are repelled by the strong, pungent smell of cow dung. Cow dung also has antibacterial, antifungal effects, due to which this is also used as consumption for plants. In our grandparents’ age, there were no disinfectants, cow dung acted as an alternative.

8. Avoid eating eggs before exams

• Belief: You may hate eggs, or love it or love it but hate its smell. But, you cannot be alleviated from this thought that eggs are very impure and are capable of bringing bad luck.
• Scientific explanation: Thanks to the excessive stress we undergo the night before our exam, whether it is a semester or just a class test, the pressure is spiking. Egg yolk encloses a modest amount of saturated fats which is known for heightening blood pressure (this itself requires in-depth study). Now it is common sense if with an already elevated pressure, we consume an edible that is known to raise pressure, our health definitely won't be in its best condition for a ‘flying colours’ performance. A funnier approach, which I have heard during almost all my exams during my adolescent years states, “because the egg appears as a zero, there is this belief that one will score zero in their exams”.

9. Nazar utarna (removing evil eyes)

• Belief: Look back at your childhood picture album if you have been born and/or brought up in India. Do you notice that black spot on the side of your head or in the middle of your eyebrows? Putting a little dot of kohl (or kajal) is very common in India. This practice believes that it sheds off any evil eye thrust upon the infant, and acts a shield for the same.
• Reasoning: It is again more logical instead of scientific. It is said that putting a black dot on the child's head or forehead or anywhere on the face will make the very child appear ugly, and no one would cast any evil glance at the baby.

10. Sneezing out the truth

• Belief: When someone is talking and a person nearby sneezes, the thing said comes or becomes true.
• Possible Origin: I'm not cent percent certain about its provenance. But here is one suitable. When you're saying something and someone sneezes, a Yiddish (a language used by Jewish people in central and eastern Europe before Holocaust) speaker would say “Gnossem tsum emes” translating literally to “The sneeze confirmed the truth”.
• Reasoning: Lest any spirituality is at play (I tried to find but got nothing satisfactory), this ‘superstition’ is just to ensure the smooth conversation is not interrupted in a kind of ‘filthy’ or ‘concerning’ manner. Concerning because there are other superstitious sayings surrounding sneezing— sneezing chucks eyeballs out of its sockets, sneezing stops one's heartbeat, sneezing contracts one's chest. But above all, sneezing is a sign of sickness or looming poor health, and sneezing frequently acts as a contaminant, the same defence why someone is not allowed to go out after a sneeze. So when someone is talking, it is rudimentary etiquette not to sneeze at intervals.

There are substantially many more superstitions like why salt and turmeric shouldn't be kept together discussed in Vastu, Gauli shastra (science of lizard falling), whether or not hiccups mean someone is gravely bad mouthing/missing you (no they don't mean anything, similar notions were developed to distract a hiccuping person, distraction is a technical hiccup remedy), if dreams seen at dawn really come true (it has to do with cognitive subconscious, so again, no they don't). Forget others, a full-length book can be penned on the facet of only ‘food related superstitions in India’, still and all, I store the remaining for later.

Meantime, the next division concerns us.

Trigger Warning: mentions of violence and acutely disturbing details.

SUPERSTITIONS IN INDIA THAT HAVE LED TO HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES (PAST & PRESENT)

Beliefs are fine! They really are. But paralleling an elastic, beliefs should not be stretched too much that it will snap after crossing a line. Beliefs are completely fine, as long as they aren't hampering or influencing anyone's life. ‘Live and let live’ is a phenomenon India strongly preaches about, after Lord Mahavir said so, but doesn't precisely follow it.

There have been several incidents both in past and in the present, where ‘superstitions’ were forced upon Indian inhabitants. What were and what are they? Let's take a look;

IN THE PAST..

1. Sati Pratha

Talking about superstitions that led to terrible consequences in India, one must be compelled to think about ‘sati pratha’, the most heinous, most abhorrent, and most devastating of rituals till date. Sati is the act or custom of a Hindu widow burning herself to death on the funeral pyre of her own husband. Goddess Sati, later known as Parvati was the wife of Lord Shiva and daughter of great sage Daksa. Daksa disapproved of Sati's marriage with Lord Shiva because of Shiva's appearance which was very unconventional and didn't speak of civility. Sage Daksa then did not invite Lord Shiva to a special sacrificial ceremony to entail humiliation. Unable to bear her husband's insult, Sati jumped into the sacrificial inferno herself.

This was probably the inauguration of the now outlawed practice of a widow's self immolation on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband, calling the woman a virtuous one for great devotion to dharma. Simply speaking, a patriarchal society just wanted to dominate women and keep the so-called weaker sex under their control (note that patriarchal means male-dominated, but it doesn't mean only males are the participants or all males partake).

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, after witnessing the sati of his own sister-in-law, began campaigning for abolition of the practice in 1811. The practice was abolished by Governor General Lord William Bentinck in British India in 1829.

2. Human Sacrifice

(I would like not to provide a picture here)

In recent years, black magic and witchcraft are being associated with Bengal for some reason. I'm not sure where did this idea ooze out from. In an attempt in research I figured the ‘human sacrifice’ would prove itself to be an apparent determinant. In India, human sacrifice is mainly known as ‘Narabali’ (Nara= man, bali= sacrifice). In the 7th century, Banabhatta, in a description of the dedication of a temple of Chandika describes a series of human sacrifices, through the superstition of pacifying, galvanising or impressing the Goddess.

Human sacrifices have a reputation which have been carried out on the altars of Hatimura Temple located at Silghat, in the Nagaon district of Assam. Haribhadra describes the sacrifices to Chandika in Odisha.

Up until 2013, human sacrifices took place in some parts of India, mainly in Maharashtra. To terminate life endangering practices such as accusing a person of practising black magic or being an incarnation of ‘shaitan’(Satan) and causing distress to the accused, the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, originally drafted by anti-superstition activist and the founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), Narendra Dhabolkar, was introduced.

Regarding possible Vedic mention of human sacrifice, the prevailing 19th century view, cognate with Henry Colebrook, who averred that human sacrifice didn't actually take place. Those verses which referred to purushamedha were meant to be read symbolically as a ‘priestly fantasy’, not literally. Rajendralal Mitra albeit differed, publishing a defence of the thesis that human sacrifice, as had been practised in Bengal, was a continuation of traditions dating back to Vedic periods.

With the ahimsa (non-violence) gaining conformity, human and animal sacrifices became less common but not completely numb during the post-Vedic period.

3. Forbidden worship of Maa Kali

The night of Dashami just drew to a close, the festivities, the anticipation, the dazzling lights all fade away one by one— but amidst post Durga Puja depression, there is a consolation that Durga Maa departed just to withdraw to martya (world) again with another of her avatars (incarnation) Shyama or more commonly known as Kali. People in East India celebrate Goddess Kali with great zeal and fervour. While North India gets busy with Deepawali, the festival of light, the celebration of Kali, the Goddess of Shakti takes precedence in East India, especially West Bengal.

Today, Maa Kali is seen as an intimidating yet capricious deity in Bengal, she has not always been like this in the Hindu pantheon. There was a time when the formidable Goddess was seen only as bloodthirsty, gaunt and an abhorrent figure. Kali emerged around 1000 BCE. Mentioned initially in the Atharva Veda (circa 1200 to 1000 BCE), she was a black tongue, one of the seven tongues belonging to Agnidev, the God of Fire.

Maa Kali was not significantly worshipped until the 17th century. As a matter of fact, anyone who ventured to worship Maa Kali or recognised themselves as Kali's devotee were often snubbed by the society because the Goddess was seen as an embodiment of destruction and rebellion, and so ordinary people were debarred from worshipping Kali. In a serial aired on Star Jalsha, titled Ramaprasad, it is shown houses were burned down of those who offered prayers to Maa Kaali or such cohorts were confined in their own homes, because it was unacceptable in the society at that time (an entertaining serial is not a very reliable source I am well aware, but such instances indeed have taken place which I have heard about from my elders).

Thuggee Cult: The dread of Kali did not result from nothing after all. One of the reasons being Kali's horrendous appearance and her catastrophic nature, she wasn't accepted as a Goddess of the common men, which was already uncanny enough. But the other reason is straight grim.

In the 14th to 19th centuries, the Thuggee Cult's members were violent followers of Kali. They considered themselves Kali's children, born of her sweat at the battlefield with Roktobija. This cult was a murderous cult of robbers and thieves and may have also performed human sacrifices (this is controversial). Hindu scholars today believe that the Thuggee Cult greatly misunderstood what the Goddess actually represented. The strength the Thuggee Cult rose to may have been a product of colonialism and the patriotic desire to rid India of the invaders and colonisers. The British destroyed the cult in the 19th century.

This Thuggee Cult's presentation of Kali sparked controversies for mainly her Bengali and Tantric worshippers (so this may also be the reason the Bengalis are now targeted for practising black magic or witchcraft).

IN THE PRESENT...

1. Witchcraft and Black Magic

We have evolved. We have evolved A LOT. We have wheeled away from times when occultists were consulted before doctors after a venomous snake bite, but some things are so encoded inside the depths of our souls that they are very hard to get rid from (yes! I was and am very surprised to learn there are places where women's education is still banned, and marriage is the ultimatum of a woman's life). Similarly, in some places, mostly villages, there is a belief that witchcraft and kala-jadu (black magic) are effective. According to reports, widows or divorcees tend to be targeted to be robbed off their property. In June 2013, the National Commission for Women (NCW) reported that according to National Crime Records Bureau statistics, approximately 768 women have been murdered for allegedly practising witchcraft since 2008.

Recent cases:

• In Assam, an estimated 300 people were killed between 2001 and 2006.
• In Kamalpur Village in Muzaffarpur district in Bihar, three women were labeled as witches and all of them committed suicide afterwards, in October 2003.
• In September 2013, in the Jashpur district of Chattisgarh district, a woman was killed and her daughter raped, because of the allegations that they were exercising black magic.
• Reportedly about 35 murders took place between 2005 and 2010, related to witchcraft in Odisha's Sundargarh district.

2. Vacate the abode if a crow enters

Crow, as we know it, is a very foul, disgusting bird. That is exactly the reason crows are always linked to witchcraft and what comes with witchcraft, black magic again. In India, the colour black is associated with Shani Dev (Saturn). Summing witchcraft and the colour black together it is followed impractically to evacuate a house visited by a crow. Tale as old as time, ‘one should vacate the house if a crow enters it’, this superstition unfortunately prevailed in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, 2018, leading to the tragic death of three family members. The one survivor fought for his life in the hospital.

According to the locals, the family of Vadde Subbarayudu left their own permanent dwelling at Thimmapuram village in Kambadur mandal because of the fear of bad omen slithering in since a crow had entered. They transferred to an old, dilapidated, decrepit building which collapsed on that fateful night. Subbarayudu's wife V Thimmaka (32), son V Ravi (12) and daughter V Maha Lakhshmi (8) lost their lives, Vadde Subbarayudu (41) was poorly injured and rushed to a private hospital in Anantapur.

“In Rayadurgam, some time back, married women were forced to remove beads (pusalu) from their mangalsutras after rumours spread that their husbands would die if they did not do so. At Dharmavaram, people perform 'seemantham' (a kind of religious ceremony for pregnant women) for dogs, while in Kadiri people still bathe frogs in water for a good Monsoon. The Devadasi system is still prevalent in Madakasira. Recently, in a remote village in Bukkapatnam mandal, there were strange instances of houses catching fire on their own. The belief in this particular village is that a family must leave their house for a period of three months if a crow enters it,” said N Mahender Reddy to The Times of India, a government school teacher and is also the general secretary of ‘Jana Vignana Vedika’.

3. Ritual Killings

“I am a doctor, I have examined thousands of corpses,” Ohri uttered, “I was scared to look at Rajaram”.

A progressive era would make this mind-bending case bewildering to believe, because it came to pass only two years ago, on the early morning of 20 February, 2021.

Abhay Ohri, a tribal doctor and activist received a call from a volunteer of ‘Jay Adivasi Yuva Sakti’, a tribal youth organisation headed by Ohri in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. Ohri rushed to the Ratlam Civil Hospital. The volunteer who had contacted Ohri said “Rajaram Khadari's body is here. Some ‘tantra-mantra’ was done on him”.

The 27 year old Rajaram Khadari was the only one who could become a doctor in their tribal village after Ohri. Just a few days earlier, Ohri and Rajaram had conversed, where Rajaram had told Ohri that he had been appointed as a government ayurvedic doctor after years of private practice. Two months ago, the colleagues had last met on Rajaram's two year old son Adarsh's birthday.

Ohri came to a hunch that something was very wrong and immediately asked the police to check Rajaram's house. Officers from the nearest police station, Shivgarh, reached Rajaram's village Thikariya at around 8 a.m. Outside Rajaram's ancestral home, around nine women were swinging and chanting “Jai Ho!” Surprisingly, all these women were relatives of Rajaram. His parents, Thwari Bai and Kanhaiya Lal Khadari had eight daughters and two sons— Rajaram and Vikram (26). Santosh is their eldest daughter, and Tulsi Palasia (40), their middle daughter is the most influential daughter. According to the police, Tulsi worked as ‘bhopa’, a witch doctor. Bhopas are traditionally priest-singers in the Bhil Tribal community, they perform in front of a ‘phad’, a long piece of cloth that serves as a portable temple. Tulsi believed her 17 year old son was an incarnation of Sheshnag, the king of all snakes. The Hindu deity Shri Vishnu is often depicted resting on Sheshnag. Tulsi's entire family including her children were involved in the practice.

Rajaram's entire corpse was coloured in ‘kumkum’ (a red turmeric powder). The body also had ‘lacchas’ (yellow ritual threads) tied at numerous places.

When the police asked the chanting women to step aside, they threatened to curse the officers, introducing themselves as manifestations of the Hindu Goddess Durga.

After ten minutes someone inside opened a window and two children sobbing came to full view. Crying and shouting could also be heard from within. Police constable Sheena Khan said “As we saw children inside, we were afraid of what might happen to them. God knows what was going on in that room”.

The police broke in and forced their way in seeing no other option. “I cannot forget what I saw there,” Sheena recalled.

“The room was filled with incense smoke, so much so that hardly anything was visible. There was blood, cracked coconuts, lemon, kumkum and kilos of burnt incense and wood. In one corner of the room, Tulsi’s daughter Maya (Tulsi's daughter) was sitting on the stomach of Adarsh—the two-year-old son of Seema (Rajaram's wife) and Rajaram. Maya had the fingers of one hand inside Adarsh’s mouth, and held a sword in the other. Adarsh was already dead. In another corner, Tulsi was sitting on Thwari’s stomach, choking her at the neck while pulling her hair. Thwari was bleeding profusely from sword injuries. In a third corner, Vikram’s injured kids were screaming in horror while other family members held them. As the scene was broken up, Maya and Tulsi clung to the bodies of Adarsh and Thwari so tightly that it took three to five police officers to remove them”. (Shrishti Jaiswal, The Caravan)

The women claimed that Seema had possessed Rajaram, calling her a ‘dayan’ and ‘chudail’, both meaning witch. If they killed the witch, Rajaram would be revived, they believed.

After the police started their search for Seema, she was found on the other side of the road, in a room next to a cattle shed. She was unconscious, bleeding. Once Seema was taken to the hospital, a two-rupee coin was found stuck inside her throat, because of which she couldn't speak.

Tulsi and Maya told the police, they, on Sheshnag's instructions, were trying to save their family from Chainpura spirit's influence. Chainpura is a village fifteen kilometres away from Thikariya, home to the temples of different tribal deities. ‘Chainpura’ is considered an evil spirit in the area. Tulsi, and her attendants believed the spirit had possessed Seema, Seema's passing out passed the ‘possession’ over to her husband Rajaram. After Rajaram's death, Adarsh got pinned by the possession. After Adarsh's death, they thought the spirit had moved into Thwari's body.

“The ritual was tantric in nature,” Seema Khan made this statement. “But they failed to successfully complete it”. The constable also laid claim to the fact that the ritual had been intended to harm Seema's family because of her financial independence. Seema was the first in her in-laws’ place to be educated and employed, she did not even change her surname after marriage, naturally departing from the orthodox patriarchal norm. Seema Katara (28) worked as a nurse in the hospital her husband was admitted to. Seema had to go through multiple procedures to remove the coin from her throat, unable to articulate words for almost a month.

Other similar ritual-killings:

(Each example shades gruesome details. And there are too many examples. So, it is not possible to write each and every single occasion in this single article. So maybe I will create another article uniquely on this topic)

• On 13 January 2018, an eight-year-old girl was gang raped and murdered in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, in the name of ‘fanda’, an exorcism ritual, after she was left in a ‘devisthan’ (an ancestral sacred hall).
• During the Ganga Dussehra of 2019 which fell on 12 June, on the evening a 32-year-old woman, Rajni Yadav, was drowned by her husband, Maanpal Yadav (50s) because Maanpal forced his wife to develop a sexual relationship with his guru called Sant Das Jharkhandi, because Jharkhandi had promised to make Manpal rich in return. Maanpal threatened to kill Rajni if she disobeyed. What is even more repulsive, detestable is that Maanpal had no rue for what he did. When Rajni's father Rajesh confronted Maanpal, the latter said “he would do whatever his guru told him”.

From all the cases which I have studied about and comprehended as of now, I have come to one realisation, we have come a long way assuredly and indisputably, but we still have a very long way to go. It disheartens me to study and educate about such cases, but what can WE do?

THEN WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO BRING AN END?

First and foremost, to bring a change or any end, we have to be not just educated, but be PROPERLY EDUCATED. There's a saying in Bengali (I think by now everyone can tell I belong from West Bengal!) “Olpo Bidya Voyonkori” meaning half an education is perilous/dangerous.

Second, we have to ADJUST OUR MINDSETS, to know the real roots of any myth, beliefs, superstitions or practices. We have to accept that not everyone's thoughts would align with us, and a hell lot of obstructions would embellish our path, and so we have to be mentally prepared for everything. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day!

And third and finally, SPREADING AWARENESS. We must educate as many people as we can. Generating petitions, running rallies, Public Interest Litigations, seeking assistance of lawmakers and law protectors are very few of the things which are available to perform to bring a change.

Proper Education is the first step among the preceding measures. Then what is the first step in proper education? Discussed in the next segment.

PART 3: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Literacy and education are like the same pages of very different books. A person can be literate but not at all educated. A person again can be highly educated but not literate. ‘Bookish knowledge’ is what literacy means, ‘maturity or wisdom’ is the equivalent to education. Now what exactly is education?

When someone know the accurate roots of a myth, superstition or belief? I would say no, that is not what education is. When the person knows the accurate roots, but equally has the knowledge and prowess to judge which myths, beliefs and superstitions are to be carried forward, which are to be erased and which ones have harmful or pragmatic propensity, instead of blindly buying everything fed.

IDENTIFYING ABUSES DISGUISED AS CULTURES

Refer to the portion where I have talked about ‘Superstitions that have led to horrible consequences’. In some states of India, West Bengal being one of them, a female after dealing with her menarche, is forced to drink cow's urine (sure there are medical benefits, but I personally don't think anyone should be forced or tricked into drinking it down against their own wills). During the colonial eras, there was a superstition ‘a woman's education would kill her husband’ and ‘a born girl child is bad luck’, which gave rise to the foetal abortion in India, and these misconducts are still ongoing in some places.

Personal abusive/harmful customs play a huge role too, going by the name of ‘cultures’. I would like to steer clear of commenting on any ‘personal’ custom because I have had no data other than stories I have heard.

It is universal— live and let live (jiyo aur jeene do), so I believe everyone has the capacity to skim a superstition from a harmless belief. Superstitions follow a pattern, and even though its truest etymology suggests nothing detrimental, it is used by people to denote something that can cause harm but aren't totally prevented unlike taboos. Whereas beliefs are completely harmless, both by etymology and by its use. Belief/s is/are subjective, so the moment it harms someone else, it turns into a superstition.

Adding a little personal frame of reference, the use of ‘kasam khana’ (taking an oath) by someone's name may not be tragic, but it is a harmful superstition I believe, since it is, according to me, a type of emotional manipulation, kind of taking advantage of vulnerable sentiments.

WHAT COMES FIRST? CULTURE OR VALUES?

Values/Morales is our Culture. Why?

To answer this question, let me present a hypothesis.

In some imaginary city, their culture connotes a person shall not go outside during rain, let's just say because rain can cause accidents this precaution was taken but over time became a ‘superstition’ with no reasoning known by the people of the city. Person A, a benevolent, charitable person is on the verge of getting murdered. Simultaneously, Person B is an honest police inspector and he knows who is orchestrating the homicide but it is raining. What will Person B do then?

I would leave it as it is with no further comment. For better understanding, I would recommend a short story, ‘The Enemy’ by Pearl Sydenstricker Buck.

WHICH SUPERSTITIONS AND MYTHS THEN SHALL BE AVOIDED?

Simple. Would anyone recommend a novel glorifying corruption, toxicity, abuse, violence? No. By the same token, such myths shall also be avoided, because myths are just ‘stories’ like any other stories. A best example of myths inspired superstitions is Japan, one such example is ‘Teke-Teke’. Based on the Japanese urban legend (myth) which talks about a schoolgirl named Chizo who was bullied/raped which led her to jump off a train station onto the railway tracks. Chizo was then cut into half by a speeding train, it was hard for her to survive because the weather was too cold. Chizo crawled to a person for help but seeing her disfigurement, they left her to die. It is said, Chizo's vengeful spirit now haunts the streets of Japan, especially railway tracks. ‘Teke’ received her name from the sound she makes when pursuing victims, running across the ground using her hands. This is the ‘myth’ meaning nothing but just a ‘story’.

The ‘superstition’ is if someone was spotted by Teke Teke at night, Teke Teke will pursue them with a scythe or saw and slice that person into half at their torse, like herself, especially near railway tracks, so tracks are to be avoided in Japan during nights. Or like the story of Bloody Mary, who ostensibly appears at midnight, particularly 3 am if you call her name in front of the mirror three times, so one shall not remain awake at that hour (this story is hearsay, so I'm not confident about the details).

Superstitions, time and again it is narrated in this very write-up only, as long as it DOESN'T harm or influence anything or anyone, it is a belief, the moment it turns into something harmful or efficacious in an excessive recognition (be it anyone else or self) it turns into ‘superstition’. Both beliefs and superstitions follow a pattern, but beliefs are sometimes rational and may sometimes lead to something positive or proactive but are always personal, and superstitions are systematically irrational or have been rational once but are irrational, meaningless, fruitless, sometimes harmful now, breeding nothing productive. Some personal ‘beliefs’ can also be named superstitions too, for example if any belief impedes day-to-day movements of life. It can be said that all superstitions are beliefs, but all beliefs are not superstitions.

Another thing bridged to superstition is ‘taboos’, taboos are objectively frowned upon activities (like the act of sex itself earlier was seen as a taboo), in other words ‘illegal’. But occasionally, unjustly, activities are termed to be ‘taboos’ when they are not. The difference between superstitions and taboo is that, taboo means an illegal or utterly unacceptable act whereas superstition often means an illogical act.

Pinning our hopes on an utopia is utter nonsense. But that doesn't mean we, as aware citizens, would not do our own parts for a broader, bigger good. As much as we can, I believe, we must. One of my friends used to say, “I felt the need, and so I did”.

PART 4: ACTION

Knowledge. Observation. Acknowledgement. What comes next? It is obvious, Action. Passivity bears no fruit to anything.

Howbeit, what kind of actions are palpable and should be enacted? Refer to the ‘THEN WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO BRING AN END’ section of ‘PART 2: OBSERVATION’.

I propose we then revisit what we have learned for our action to bear fruit. In a very plain sailing manner.

REVISING THE DIFFERENCES

Myths/Mythology: Story.

1. Superstitions: Irrational actions and beliefs consequenting from illogical reasons like excessive fear, hope, faith (the ones which I have provided logical/scientific clarifications for cannot be classed as superstitions, but prior and current precautions and/or preventions).
2. Beliefs: A harmless faith, or confidence in someone or something. An acceptance that something is true, with or without concrete proof. Beliefs can either be collectively accepted & universally acknowledged, objective or be personal altogether, no in between. Take into account, ‘belief’ deals with faith, not fear. Beliefs that have anything to do with ‘fear’ are superstitions.
3. Taboos: Illegal or absolutely unacceptable activities. Taboo comes from the word ‘tapu’ borrowed from Oceanic languages, mainly Tongan, a language spoken by Polynesians in the Pacific archipelago, literally meaning ‘prohibited’ or ‘forbidden’.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE (With Links):

1. Myth: How the Moon lost its light

• Superstition - Eye twitching is a sign of good/bad omen (there's neither any story nor any science behind it).
• Beliefs - Belief in reincarnation.
• Taboos - Alcohol

2. Myth: Birth of Kartikeya 

• Superstition- No cutting nails after sunset (it was justified more in earlier times because of the lack of light so that sharp nails could not succeed in violence, that's it).
• Beliefs - No cutting nails after sunset (it was justified more in earlier times because of the lack of light so that sharp nails could not succeed in violence, that's it).
• Taboos - Divorce.

3. Myth: The story of Tilottoma

• Superstition- Not washing hair or taking a bath during menstruation.
• Beliefs- Treating education with deep-seated reverence, as a deity. 
• Taboo - Elopement.

4. Myth: The story of Sati

• Superstition - Now outlawed Sati Pratha.
• Beliefs - Unity in Diversity.
• Taboo -  Crying men aka fragile masculinity. (This taboo is an example of toxic masculinity)

5. Myth: The story of Shakuntala

• Superstition - Do not eat a banana before exams. 
• Beliefs - Faith in karma.
• Taboo - Not following Gender-specific roles (although in very recent years laying gender roles is seen as taboo instead of not following them, because they are basic human life skills).

6. Myth: Vikram and Betal

• Superstition - Upside-down slippers cause conflicts at home.
• Beliefs - It is my personal ‘belief’, I think all Indians are heavily foodies. 
• Taboo - Kissing in public among crowds.

7. Myth: All of Aesop's Fables

• Superstition - Not wearing black to any propitious occasion. (I have worn black myself on several favorable occasions and nothing bad ever happened) Person's opinion once more.
• Beliefs - Acing the art of bargaining. 
• Taboo - Mental illnesses.

8. Myth: Origin of Black Cats Myth & Myth of Black Cats

• Superstition - Black Cats bring bad luck.
• Beliefs - If a black cat crosses your road, the person will face misfortunes. India is both rich in heritage, history and…SPICES!! Would it be too long if I assert Indian street foods are the best and most flavourful?
• Taboo - Personal: scoring less than 90% in boards or HS.

9. Myth: The story of Kaveri

• Superstition - Fallen strands of hair can cause misfortune or fights in the family. 
• Beliefs - Some people believe a child's upbringing should be all rainbows and sunshine with no retributions or rebukes for their actions. Others believe a child must at least be scolded when needed to become a strong, virtuous human being.
• Taboo - Wearing short dresses or talking about her own sexual molestation.

10. Myth: Samudra Manthan and Laxmi Mata's appearance

• Superstition - Itching palms implies gaining or losing money.
• Beliefs - Acceptance.
• Taboo - Remarrying after divorce. 

So, I hope this helps. There is a possibility I have missed so many things, so you may add your own in that. You also can adjudicate which of these taboos are just and unjust. Several unmentioned could even fall under all three categories at once, neither of the three, or two of the three at the same time.

Need more clarification? Look at this hypothetical table. If not, skip it.

Hypothetical situation: It was the day of my final exams. My mother fed me some almonds before I left home to sit for the exam. I aced the finals and passed with flying colours. Thenceforth, I started believing if I ate almonds before any exam, I would score good marks. Then I noticed the brand from which my mother fed me the almonds on my finals day, the brand was XYZ. I become very obdurate that I would intake NO almonds that aren't manufactured by XYZ. I communicate this story of my ‘almond-success’ to my peers, and they too get influenced and commence following the same. By degrees, stealthily this becomes a widespread ‘norm’.

Now look at the table underneath.

CONCLUSION

Spoiler Alert!

Any fellow Sherlockian here? The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be recollected, a superb illustration. The legend/story of Hugo Baskerville was passed on across generations, to descendants with no solid authentication but recollections, this was the ‘MYTH’. Dr. James Mortimer, after the death of Sir Charles, concurred with the majority that there was a presence of an eerie creature, a hound perchance but wasn't really terror-stricken in that sense, this was Dr. Mortimer's PERSONAL BELIEF unlike Sir Charles who exceptionally dreaded a lurking presence of the creature. Both the collaborative townsfolk belief and Sir Charles's abnormal preoccupation with the hound's presence without knowing the truth behind, are SUPERSTITIONS.

(MAJOR SPOILER!) Above all, the outlandish hound that was used to kill Sir Charles was put together by one of the neighbours and his mix breed, not a supernatural creature, is the FACT.

With unsolicited advice I would draw a conclusion to this article. Let beliefs be just what it verily means, beliefs with no one and nothing else interfering with beliefs and beliefs not getting in the way of anything or anyone. As long as it is not wreaking havoc in any means, no matter the potency of the havoc, private or public, do not meddle, just let whatever be. Conditioned it is, duties come before reputation, and I believe our duty is to ensure symmetry and humanity.

Remember, superstitions (blind beliefs) can also be driven by mental health issues namely anxiety, OCD, depression, insomnia, PTSD, et cetera. So it is necessary to diffuse empathy in a world crammed with hatred.

Thank you so much to everyone who has spared their time to read, comprehend and reflect on my article. Keep supporting my work, so that I can keep learning more and more and more. Thank you very much.

.    .    .

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