Jind: An improvised three-wheeler, fitted with a havan kund containing burning logs of wood — a vessel full of samagri (offerings put into a havan) made from 50 herbs beside it — is being driven around Khatkar village in Haryana’s Jind district. As it passes by, a thick smoke envelops the area. Every 10 metres, the vehicle stops, and people gather around to offer samagri to the fire and chant mantras, praying for the well-being of their loved ones and their village.
This is a mobile ‘corona havan’ — organised by an Arya Samaj gurukul in Kalwa, one of Jind’s 312 villages, to stop and ward off the “mysterious virus” taking lives across the district’s rural areas.
With a steep increase in deaths of people with Covid-like symptoms in Jind villages, the havan organisers feel it will help kill the virus in the air, and cure those already infected. Thus began its journey from village to village.
Jind has recorded 425 Covid deaths, of which 141 are from villages. However, health officials told ThePrint that only a small number of Covid deaths in villages are being recorded as such because of a lack of testing.
“This virus, whether it is corona or something else, has made so many sick. So, to kill it, we put together durlabh jadi butiyan (rare herbs) to make this samagri. Once this goes into the fire, the emanating fumes acquire healing properties,” Arya Sukhdev, a sewak at the Gurukul, said.
“This is called yagya chikitsa (yajna treatment). This cures something that even science or medicine cannot. Just by inhaling the fumes coming out of this yagya, the virus or bacteria or whatever it is, gets killed, which is why we are now encouraging many to come forward and take part in this,” he added.
To drive the mobile havan, the gurukul has volunteers. A priest from Khatkar village has been engaged to perform the yagya, while other gurukul members walk along with the vehicle, chanting mantras.
“I was called by the members of the gurukul and I told them that I would happily go around with them conducting the havan. This evil looming over us needs to be warded off and there is no better way,” Karampal, the priest, said, while pouring ghee over the wooden logs to stoke the fire.
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‘To cleanse the environment, stop deaths’
Vishwas, another gurukul member who only goes by his first name, said they worked for days to curate the samagri that will help “purify the infected environment that is causing so many deaths”.
“This havan samagri has over 50 herbs that include javitri, makhana, pure cow ghee, milk, manaka and others, which have medicinal properties. This is just our contribution to help the villagers recover from any disease they may be suffering from. It cleanses the environment,” he added.
“So many are dying due to fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, so we decided to put these herbs together for a havan. It took us days to come up with the right combination of herbs, and we hope that it helps get the villagers to recover soon,” Vishwas said. “We kept it mobile to ensure that it reaches every village and everyone can participate, without coming together at one place.”
The villagers are happy with the initiative and hope it will end their misery.
“This havan is very important to get rid of this virus or disease, which is why each time this comes, we step out to make offerings and pray,” Shanti, a resident of Khatkar village, said. “We really hope that these fumes will take away this mysterious evil that is making us all so miserable.”
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