The chili smoke of superstition

In the modern era, we live in a world of profound contradictions. While technology has reached into our bedrooms and the sum of human knowledge is accessible at our fingertips, a shadow of irrationality continues to loom over our society. Of late, a disturbing trend has emerged on the internet: video clips featuring “anchors” promoting individuals who claim to possess miraculous powers to cure chronic diseases like jaundice.

These videos follow a seductive but dangerous script. Self-styled “Khidmatghars” are surrounded by dozens of innocent patients in staged interviews designed to bypass the rational mind. This digital theater exploits the sacred vocabulary of faith to offer a “shortcut” to health—one that bypasses the rigors of medical science.

​This phenomenon is merely an old poison in a new bottle. The history of the Kashmir Valley is littered with such incidents where logic was sacrificed at the altar of superstition. Decades ago, a rumor spread that diabetes could be cured by a “miracle yeast” kept in a clay bowl. Thousands fell for the ruse, resulting in severe health setbacks and lost lives.

The human cost of this irrationality is deeply personal to me. In the late 1970s, a self-styled healer advised a friend’s brother to treat high sugar levels with honey. The young man fell into a deep diabetic coma and passed away in the prime of his life. Even more harrowing was the fate of my wife’s young cousin in 1987. A highly educated mother of two, she was diagnosed with diphtheria—a throat infection easily treated with modern medicine. Instead, she fell victim to a “Khidmatghar” who prescribed a primitive, tribal ritual: inhaling the smoke of burnt dry red chilies. After days of this agonizing “treatment,” she succumbed to the illness, leaving behind a devastated family.

These tragedies mirror the famous incident at the village of Burzahama, where thousands flocked to a “miracle spring.” The aftermath saw hundreds hospitalized with gastric complications, forcing SKIMS to issue urgent public warnings to stop the madness before more lives were lost. Today, this culture of deception has moved to our digital screens and even our public transport, where “smart” salesmen sell substandard medical products to the curious, often leading them straight to a hospital ward.

The tragedy of Burzahama, the miracle yeast, the chili-smoke rituals, and today’s viral “healers” all share a common root: the exploitation of hope. It is high time that government agencies take appropriate and decisive action against these so-called healers. Furthermore, there must be stringent action against fake medical practitioners who dupe the public by displaying fraudulent certificates in their pharmacies and profiles. These imposters do not treat; they harm. As we navigate an age of unprecedented information, our greatest challenge is discernment.

We must honor those we have lost by refusing to let history repeat itself. True “service to humanity” lies in the evidence-based work of science and the protection of the law, not in the empty, and often deadly, promises of a viral clip or a fraudulent pharmacy.

The writer is a former civil servant.