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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Black Magic Entertains

posted by on March 25 at 14:42 PM

Three weeks old but funny none the less: New Dehli-based Sanal Edamaruku, an anti-superstition crusader, recently challenged one of India’s powerful shamans (a “tantrik”) to kill him using magic on national TV. (You can guess how well that went.)
sanalonTV.jpg

India TV invited Sanal Edamaruku for a discussion on “Tantrik power versus Science.” Pandit Surinder Sharma, who claims to be the tantrik of top politicians and is well known from his TV shows, represented the other side. During the discussion, the tantrik showed a small human shape of wheat flour dough, laid a thread around it like a noose and tightened it. He claimed that he was able to kill any person he wanted within three minutes by using black magic. Sanal challenged him to try and kill him.

The tantrik tried. He chanted his mantras: “Om lingalingalinalinga, kilikili….” But his efforts did not show any impact on Sanal—not after three minutes, and not after five. The time was extended and extended again. The original discussion program should have ended here, but the “breaking news” of the ongoing great tantra challenge was overrunning all program schedules.

Now the tantrik changed his technique. He started sprinkling water on Sanal and brandishing a knife in front of him. Sometimes he moved the blade all over his body. Sanal did not flinch. Then he touched Sanal’s head with his hand, rubbing and rumpling up his hair, pressing his forehead, laying his hand over his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples. When he pressed harder and harder, Sanal reminded him that he was supposed to use black magic only, not forceful attacks to bring him down. The tantrik took a new run: water, knife, fingers, mantras. But Sanal kept looking very healthy and even amused.

Finally, the disgraced tantrik tried to save his face by claiming that there was a never-failing special black magic for ultimate destruction, which could, however, only been done at night. He was challenged to prove his claim this very night in another “breaking news” live program….

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RSS icon Comments

1

And in 40 or 50 years, when those spells take effect, who's going to be laughing then?

Posted by NapoleonXIV | March 25, 2008 3:15 PM
2

He could simply have made a platter of my mom's stuffed cabbage.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | March 25, 2008 3:22 PM
3

Naw, black magic doesn't work. If it did, you guys would have killed Hillary with your negative vibes months ago.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | March 25, 2008 3:36 PM
4

The point isn't to kill Hillary. It's to force her to live out eight years of Obama Administration in her own shame and defeat.

Just sayin.

:)

Posted by NapoleonXIV | March 25, 2008 3:40 PM
5

COMMENT DELETED: Off Topic

We'd rather not moderate your comments, but off-topic, gratuitously inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate remarks may be removed, and repeat offenders may be banned from commenting. We never censor comments based on ideology. Thanks to all who add to the conversation on Slog.

Posted by Mr. Joshua | March 25, 2008 3:48 PM
6

I think a wand from Olivander's and the Avada Kedavara curse would have done quite nicely.

Posted by montex | March 25, 2008 3:50 PM
7
Posted by Chris in Tampa | March 25, 2008 3:54 PM
8

an interesting report several years ago: a little woman, a house wife in brazil, became reknowned as a healer...scientists and camera crews conspired to test her on live television by challenging her to heal a beloved local policital figure of a disfiguring hip dysplasia that caused him to be all gimpy. they met, the cameras rolled, she went OOGA BOOGA! or whatever, and the guy got up and walked...with narry a wobble. he burst into tears. or, that's the story...

Posted by adrian! | March 25, 2008 7:24 PM
9

I read about this contest at www.randi.org. Randi is a professional magician whose aim it is to debunk so-called healers and prophets who bilk the gullible out of money. One of his primary targets is Sylvia Brown AKA "The Talons". He updates his webpage every Friday with news about these con artists.

Posted by Johnny | March 26, 2008 6:44 AM

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