Bhoot nagar
Convinced that a curse was coming in their way to progress, 15,000 residents of Santej left the village lock, stock and barrel on Saturday evening and held a fresh ‘gruh pravesh’ on Sunday
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, February 09, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=200902092009020902161169dc7c03cb)
TO WARD OFF A 900-YEAR-OLD CURSE, A VILLAGE NEAR AMDAVAD TURNED ITSELF INTO...
While we fiddle with our Blackberrys, iPods and palmtops, extreme acts of superstition, like the Saturday evening incident at Santej village, about 16 kms from Ahmedabad, jolt us out of our comfort zone.To rid the village of a 900-year-old curse, Santej’s 15,000 residents on Saturday evening left their homes and moved out of the village. And not just men, women and children... even animals were ordered out of the village. They returned to Santej only on Sunday morning at an auspicious hour, and that too after four men of different castes entered the village from four directions, exactly at the prescribed time of 10.30 am.
The villagers believe that by abandoning their homes along with their belongings (above) for a night and re-entering the village at an auspicious hour will rid them of economic woesFor decades, Santej residents have been living in poverty. And if you believe them, their economic condition has got nothing to do with hard work or the lack of it. It’s the result of a curse placed on the village about 900 years ago, at the time of its creation. Santej residents believe the village came into being after some residents in areas around present-day Kadi left their original dwelling and settled in Santej. And in the process, they forced out tribes already living in Santej.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Monday, February 09, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=200902092009020902161169dc7c03cb)
TO WARD OFF A 900-YEAR-OLD CURSE, A VILLAGE NEAR AMDAVAD TURNED ITSELF INTO...While we fiddle with our Blackberrys, iPods and palmtops, extreme acts of superstition, like the Saturday evening incident at Santej village, about 16 kms from Ahmedabad, jolt us out of our comfort zone.To rid the village of a 900-year-old curse, Santej’s 15,000 residents on Saturday evening left their homes and moved out of the village. And not just men, women and children... even animals were ordered out of the village. They returned to Santej only on Sunday morning at an auspicious hour, and that too after four men of different castes entered the village from four directions, exactly at the prescribed time of 10.30 am.
The villagers believe that by abandoning their homes along with their belongings (above) for a night and re-entering the village at an auspicious hour will rid them of economic woesFor decades, Santej residents have been living in poverty. And if you believe them, their economic condition has got nothing to do with hard work or the lack of it. It’s the result of a curse placed on the village about 900 years ago, at the time of its creation. Santej residents believe the village came into being after some residents in areas around present-day Kadi left their original dwelling and settled in Santej. And in the process, they forced out tribes already living in Santej.
The defeated tribes cursed their opponents that they, or the generations following them, will never find prosperity in the area. Their economic anguish deepened in the last decade, as neighbouring villages started benefitting immensely from the state’s industrial progress.Said Santej’s sarpanch, Ambaram Thakore, “There are industries all around Santej, but we don’t benefit from them. If anyone from our village sells off his land and gets some money, his family suffers no end. And this has been going on for decades now.
This is no superstition. Our elders have told us about the curse, and we know it is true.”But on Saturday, the residents decided to put an end to their suffering. In fact, they had discussed the entire process on January 11, during the establishment of a temple in the village.It was decided that on Saturday evening, Santej residents would leave their homes with as much belongings as they could, and return only on Sunday (February 8), when Ravi Pushpa Amrit Yog sets in at 10.30 am. Even cattle and stray animals were carried away. In their absence, a few cops were asked to keep a vigil on the village.
Most of the villagers slept in their fields adjacent to Santej, while many spent the night sleeping in make-shift tents. Some went away to their relatives’ houses in nearby villages.And on Sunday, after paying obeisance to the ‘harassed souls’, villagers trooped in after 10.30 am for a fresh gruh pravesh. We hope this move pays off!The villagers were a relieved lot after Sunday’s fresh entry. Said a villager, Moghabhai, “We have no doubt a curse was creating havoc in our lives. Now, hopefully, things will be all right.”His friend, Hasmukh, added, “We used to see neighbouring towns flourish. But this curse was preventing us from making money. Now, we have something to look forward to.”
