A rationalist from the Indian Rationalist Association, Sanal Edamaruku turns up in this archive when India's crowds are gripped by wonder or fear. September 1995. As statues of Ganesha seemed to drink milk, he showed how the milk coated the idols and pooled at their bases. Then came Delhi in 2001, and the panic over the Monkey-man, or Kala Bandar. He examined more than 40 people who claimed to be victims. His conclusion was that all their injuries were self-inflicted. He put the panic down to mass hysteria, a state in which critical faculties disappear and gullibility takes over.
Stories3
Pro earlyIndian Rationalist Association; public demonstrations
Pro earlyIndian Rationalist Association; attributed the panic to mass hysteria
Indian Rationalist Association investigator