02 August,2019 07:13 AM IST | | Pallavi Smart
Dressed as demons and sprits students' body members performed plays at Kalyan's crematorium
A students' organisation took it upon themselves to bust superstitions surrounding the lunar phase - new moon. And they chose a crematorium to create awareness about the phenomenon that is widely believed to bring bad luck.
On Wednesday, when the new moon occurred, Vidyarthi Bharati members gathered at the crematorium in Kalyan's Bapgaon locality with as many as 150 youngsters. They were also accompanied by experts from Team Parivartan - a group from Andhashrddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANS).
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The night began with some playful activities to allay fear about crematoriums, spirits and demons. Dressed as demons and spirits themselves, the Vidyarthi Bharati members performed musical pieces and plays, highlighting the many superstitious beliefs in the society.
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"This night was chosen purposely as it is generally considered inauspicious. People believe spirits and demons are strongest on this night, when the sky is darkest. And what better venue than a crematorium, which is believed to be the abode of spirits. The objective is to create awareness that there is no such thing as demons or spirits," said Vidyarthi Bharati state president Manjiri Dhuri.
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"We conducted activities to bust myths about cat crossing your path, menstrual cycle - which is widely considered inauspicious," Dhuri added. Later the experts spoke on the misconceptions about events like new moon that leads to superstitions. Swapnil Shirsat, from Team Parivartan, said, "The most important aspect is to ask questions and that habit needs to be instilled in the youth. The objective of awareness programmes is not to flatly deny all beliefs but to instil the habit of finding correct answers and seek scientific explanations."
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