Sunday superstition Blind faith draws droves to take dip in Jandiali’s well of wellness
Dekan Wala Khuh at village near Ludhiana on highway to Chandigarh has hernia patients from Punjab, neighbouring states queuing up for magical cure every Sunday, while doctors warn against superstition.
Dekan Wala Khuh at village near Ludhiana on highway to Chandigarh has hernia patients from Punjab, neighbouring states queuing up for magical cure every Sunday, while doctors warn against superstition.
In this age of non-invasive surgeries and pain-relieving medication for hernia and kidney stones, stands a well of wellness at Jandiali village near Ludhiana, drawing droves of patients.
At 5.30am every Sunday, the patients from all walks, age groups and educational backgrounds, start gathering around a 135-ft well at the village near Kohara on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway, awaiting treatment for ailments, such as hernia, kidney stones, spine problems, and even cancer!
The patients, most of them men, from Punjab and neighbouring Haryana and Himachal Pradesh besides Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan flock to Dekan Wala Khuh, a well that draws its name from the dek (Indian lilac) trees in the vicinity.
Looking to avoid surgery and hospital expenses, the patients are willing to give the “well therapy” a try. They are lowered a few inches into the well seven times, a ritual performed by descendants of a family that claims its forefathers were blessed with healing powers two centuries ago. A younger member of the family helps by holding the patient by wrapping a ‘parna (cloth)’ around the chest as a precautionary measure.
In his 60s, Iqbal Singh says, “We are only carrying on with the family tradition and don’t charge anything.” He claims nearly 150 patients take the dip every Sunday. “On Sunday, we wake up at 4am and start the procedure by 5.30am. We take all precautions and a steel platform has been put up,” says Karanveer Singh, Iqbal’s 25-year-old nephew, who assists him.
What’s surprising is that the ‘well of wellness’ has many an educated patron.
Yashpal Sharma, 45, a graduate and businessman from Ludhiana, says he learnt about the well from a friend and landed up last Sunday, hoping for a solution to his hernia problem. “When I was lowered into the well, I didn’t feel scared rather I felt confident that I’ll be healthy again. I look forward to coming back with the offering of ‘kadahi’,” he adds.
The patients need to bring ‘patasha’ as ‘parshad’ (offering) and on getting cured, they are required to bring a ‘kadahi’ of rice and ghee cooked on a ‘chulha (earthen stove)’.
Gurmukh Singh, 40, a daily wager from Chaunta village in Ludhiana district, says he learnt about the well through a video on social media. “Science and logic can’t explain faith,” he says, waiting for his turn in the queue.
Prahalad Singh, 47, a farmer from Dhuri, came to offer thanksgiving as he experience relief from his hernia problem. “I didn’t want to go for a surgery so thought of trying this treatment. I learnt about it from a relative, who was here three weeks ago. There was nothing to lose. I’m almost cured, so I’ve brought the customary ‘kadahi’,” he says.
Jaswant Jeerakh, the president of the Taraksheel Society, Ludhiana, says such treatments with no scientific basis should be discouraged, particularly in this day and age.
When contacted, Dr Pritpal Singh, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Ludhiana district president, said: “Hernia happens when part of an organ protrudes through the muscle wall, usually in the abdomen or groin. Doctors repair it through surgery, which is the only solution. If someone claims it can be cured in this way, it is nothing but superstition.”