'Tantrik performs 'Kapal Puja' for Team India's success

Varanasi, Dec 18 (UNI) Does Team India owe its historic victory in South Africa to a 'Tantrik Puja'.

Atleast Baba Chamundaram claims so.

A Tantrik in this holy city is performing late night 'Kapal Puja' rituals for the success of the Indian cricket team in South Africa.

A dimly-lit cubbyhole in Luxa locality here serves the place where Baba Chamundaram -- a disciple of Baba Kinaram and Baba Siddhartha Gautam of the Aghori sect -- is performing the puja when all others are asleep.

''Like any other Indian I was also dejected with the meek surrender of our cricketers before the Proteas in the one-day series. The meaningless rituals being performed by some sections more for publicity and less for national cricket team agitated me further. This is when I decided to use the peerless power of Tantra-Mantra to revive the fortunes of Men in Blue in South Africa,'' he claimed before newspersons after performing the pujan late last night.

''For the last four days I have been performing the Kapal Puja for re-energising a listless Indian side. I have full belief in my expertise that the powers being summoned through the pujan will revive the fortunes of Indian team in South Africa,'' Baba Chamundaram added.

As one is ushered into the room, a colourful poster of Team India pasted on the wall can be spotted just in front of the 'havan kund' replete with the fragrance of 'Lohban'. Facing the posters are three human skulls garlanded with marigold flowers.

The tantrik carries out the 'Tantra Puja for Bharat Vijay' by first smearing the skulls with vermillion and then pouring wine into each of them to be offered symbolically to Team India. The wine in the skull troika is later consumed by the Tantrik himself as 'prasad.' ''Everything in this world is governed by human brain and filling the three skulls with wine symblises the pujan whose fruits will revitalise the mind and body of the Indian crickters,'' Baba Chamundaram claimed further.

The skull-wine meeting is followed by the sacrifice of five lemons and the subsequent 'havan' amid the fragrance of incense sticks.

''I have also been doing a special jaap of mantras on the cremation ground to eliminate any fear of South African pace attack among the talented Indian side and will do it intermittently through out the test series.'' While, the Test series is only three-match strong, the tantrik promises to perform special 'Tantrik pujan' even for the team sucess at the World Cup in Carribean in 2007.

''I have helped commoners get rid of their problems in return for money, but now the time has come to serve the national cause by praying for the Indian cricketers. I am even ready to do special pujan on the cremation ground for the Men in Blue's triumph at World Cup 2007.'' UNI ARS SB PM KP1908