A talk on the practice of pseudo-science in India and the sham that lies beneath it
Organised by Freethinkers at IISc
Speaker Bio
Narendra Nayak is a well known rationalist from Mangalore, Karnataka. He is the founder of Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association and the national president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations. As a part of his campaign to expose so-called “miracles” and to debunk superstitions, he has conducted over 2000 demonstrations all over India as well as in Australia, England, and Greece. He has been featured in many television programs including the one on physical feats by Discovery Channel, “Is It Real?” by National Geographic, “The Secret Swami” by BBC and many more.
An account of the talk
Narendra Nayak surely punctured a lot of holes into the so called “miracles” that “godmen” around the country perform on a daily basis. His presentation techniques, more importantly, the showmanship which goes into making these miracles believable to so many gullible spectators, was the crux of the talk. Well, it was less of a talk per se and more of a demonstration. He performed such infamous miracles as, the mysterious appearance of holy ash “vibhuti” or a solid gold chain, out of thin air. His eye-opening demonstrations were inter-weaved with videos of the same tricks being done by Sathya Narayan Raju (aka Sathya Sai Baba).
Of course, no such demonstration can be complete without employing the tricks of cold reading, which makes gullible people victims of astrologers and spiritual gurus. Nayak went to some length discussing his experiences with certain gurus, and how he had tricked them using their own means.
In the latter half of the talk, Nayak dealt with the rampant quackery that goes on under the dubious name of “alternative medicine”. In 2004 the Supreme court of India passed judgment on more than a dozen so-called “systems of medicine”, stating that they have absolutely no scientific basis and should not be allowed to be practiced as systems of medicine. These include, things like magneto therapy, gem therapy, color therapy, urine therapy, music therapy, electro-homeopathy, psychic surgery, crystal therapy. Nayak is of the view that the onus of proof lies on the purveyors of these therapies to justify their safety and curing abilities, but until then, people are better off utilising the benefits of modern medicine, which is scientifically tested and evidence-based.
All in all, the motto of Nayak’s talk was: Don’t believe blindly. Question some, and then question some more!
The Q & A Session
The post-talk questions raised, ranged from how astrologers work their way through, to what could be the best way to eradicate superstitions and irrationality, the viability of the idea of including textbooks on scientific thinking, logical reasoning, as part of the curriculum for school children and also personal questions on the likes of the kind of opposition Nayak has to face in his journey against all forms of quackery & irrationality. Nayak being a powerful speaker, not to mention backed by his vast experience, was a good sport taking all questions and answering them in great detail to the satisfaction of all those attending.
Audience Reactions
Overall, the talk was very well received by the audience, which comprised of students and faculty of IISc and also visitors from outside. People were impressed and moved by the captivating way Nayak handled the topic, with his rhetoric receiving incessant applause. The CDs of the “miracle-exposure” videos shown during the talk seemed to be quite in demand! The big post-talk gathering around Narendra Nayak for informal discussions, speaks for itself that, it was not only an eye-opening experience for the audience, but more importantly, it also rekindled in them the spirit of logic and reason, something which seems to have died in a lot of us today.
