Entrance of Tata Memorial Hosp has become the patient pick-up point for ‘Satsang’ group
Sitting on a cemented road right outside Tata Memorial Hospital, a 41-year-old Balvindar Singh believes that offering a one rupee coin, for 30 days, to the photograph of an unknown god in his plastic pouch will earn him blessings, which will cure his oral cancer. But Balvindar is not the only cancer patient who has been blinded by this superstition.
On Sunday evening, March 11, a spiritual group named 'Satsang', from Satsang Bhavan in Dadar, convinced more than dozens of cancer patients and their relatives outside the Tata Memorial Hospital, to visit a place where "God will help them to cure cancer". With every new victim of this so-called godmen group, there is a new story of duping that unfolds.
Yogendra Bahardar, from Bihar, is staying outside the hospital since January 27 under this very blind faith. Yogendra's wife is suffering from breast cancer, the treatment for which costs approximately Rs 50,000. But, being an uneducated laborer, Yogendra fell prey to the frauds, who, he believes, are ready to help him. He said, "The group of people who came to speak to us told us that they are helping us. They hired a car and took us to a spiritual place to chant spiritual mantras. They told me to sit for ten minutes, gave spiritual mantras to chant every day. While leaving the place, we were told to donate Rs 11. They told us to continue the medical treatment but also chant the mantra daily."
According to various people who visited, the time for each patient to stay there is different. Singh was inside the spiritual room for half an hour. While he too donated Rs 11 at the end of the session, he was also told to collect one rupee daily in a plastic pouch, which has a god's photo, and chant the mantra daily.
The relative of a patient made a call to a member of the Satsang group, in the presence of DNA reporter. The call was attended by a Mahendra Mishra, whose number is provided on the paper, which has spiritual mantras. While he first denied the service, he, later agreed to help the relative get in touch with another member named Sudhir. Sudhir arranged transport for the patients and relatives, who were visiting on Sundays. Calls made to Sudhir went unasnwered.
"They didn't say to stop the treatment but I have been told that by the end of the month, I will have to donate Rs 30 to them. I don't completely believe in spirituality but in such situation, I believe in all the ray of hopes so that my treatment is successful and I have a better health(sic)," said Singh, a carpenter from Bihar.
According to another victim who visited Satsang Bhavan along with few relatives and patients, the organisation has registered the names of people visiting the site. They aim to get at least 100 people every month for their record, which they have to show in their main center in Kolkata.
Nandkishor Talashilkar, a general secretary of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, said, "Such organisations takes advantages of underprivileged people who lack awareness. Rs 11 and Rs 30 is a small amount but when we compare with the number of people who visit the place, it is a huge quantity. The total amount they collect as a donation will be huge(sic)."
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