Of Two Minds

We have TV psychics here in America that seem to do pretty darn well considering they are complete and utter frauds. In India they have a tantrik (black magician) who claims to be able to do things like cause a woman to lose her uncle, hit her head against the car door and find her legs covered with lesions. A little more violent that our domestic variety eh?

In any case this tantrik named, Pandit Surinder Sharma (India's version of someone like Averi Torres) was invited onto a TV show to challenge Sanal Edamaruku who did not believe Sharma had any real 'powers'. During the show it got a little weird...

During the discussion, the tantrik showed a small human shape of wheat flour dough, laid a thread around it like a noose and tightened it. He claimed that he was able to kill any person he wanted within three minutes by using black magic. Sanal challenged him to try and kill him. The tantrik tried. He chanted his mantras (magic words): "Om lingalingalinalinga, kilikili...." But his efforts did not show any impact on Sanal - not after three minutes, and not after five. The time was extended and extended again. The original discussion program should have ended here, but the "breaking news" of the ongoing great tantra challenge was overrunning all program schedules.

Now the tantrik changed his technique. He started sprinkling water on Sanal and brandishing a knife in front of him. Sometimes he moved the blade all over his body. Sanal did not flinch. Then he touched Sanal's head with his hand, rubbing and rumpling up his hair, pressing his forehead, laying his hand over his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples. When he pressed harder and harder, Sanal reminded him that he was supposed to use black magic only, not forceful attacks to bring him down. The tantrik took a new run: water, knife, fingers, mantras. But Sanal kept looking very healthy and even amused.

After nearly two hours, the anchor declared the tantrik's failure. The tantrik, unwilling to admit defeat, tried the excuse that a very strong god whom Sanal might be worshipping obviously protected him. "No, I am an atheist," said Sanal Edamaruku. Finally, the disgraced tantrik tried to save his face by claiming that there was a never-failing special black magic for ultimate destruction, which could, however, only been done at night.

Ooops...another psychic/magician/huckster bites the dust.

I have one question though - How is he so sure that his technique could kill a man? Doesn't that mean that he's tried it out before successfully? I think the Indian police should arrest this man for murder since he's obviously killed before with his black magic.

-via boingboing-