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Reshammiya song faces superstition barrier
By Saeed Khan, Indo-Asian News Service

Ahmedabad, June 1 (IANS) Composer-singer Himesh Reshammiya, whose songs are racing up the music charts, would not have imagined that his popular score "Jhalak dikhla ja..." could face the flak for an apparently 'ghostly' link. 

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Residents of Bhalej, about 80 km from here in Anand district, have banned the song saying those who listen to it or sing it get possessed. 

The villagers cite several cases to substantiate their claim.

One instance is of Firoz Thakor, 25, was allegedly caught under evil influence some 10 days ago while singing the song in the evening. 

"He ate too much that day and started behaving strangely. He wasn't talking to anybody but himself and refused to budge from the place where he was sitting. He only became normal when we consulted the Maulana (priest)," said Aarif, Firoz's elder brother who runs a roller-shutter shop in the village. 

The family members, however, didn't allow Firoz to talk to media because they feared it would bring a bad name to the family.

Isamiya Master, a retired schoolteacher in Thakor Mohalla, where several people have reportedly been possessed because of the song, recounted five other cases. 

"Getting possessed by evil power is not a new phenomenon. But of late the trend has increased. The evil follows you because the lyrics of the song have the words 'Aaja aaja' that invite the ghost," said the aged Master. 

"Since the evil has 'infected' five to six people, we have decided that nobody here would play the song."

Rafiq Hussain, a shop owner in Thakor Mohalla, is aware of the superstition regarding the song. 

"Transistors here catch Radio Mirchi and this particular song is played twice or thrice a day. Although I don't believe in such superstition, I switch off the radio when elders ask me to do so. Why should we invite unnecessary conflict?"

Interestingly, this Reshammiya score invites trouble only for members of the Muslim community. 

For Hindus living in the village of about 8,000 residents, there is a Gujarati hit number "Sanedo sanedo" that is believed to invite evil, a witch that harasses women in particular. 

"A woman, Sushma, died of cancer some years ago. People say her husband didn't perform any rituals after her death. The local belief is that Sushma possesses women who sing the song at a particular time of day," said Jayanti Patel (45). 

Patel's wife was apparently under the evil influence last week.

"My family members took her to an exorcist and they claimed that she got cured," he said while denying that a ghost or witch could possess someone for singing a song.