(Hope the Good Friday prayers assuage the Corona demon and mitigate its impact in the coming days. Beliefs, practices, religions and faith are different things though there may be many commonalities among them as ultimately all have the same goal. The practice of Scapegoat – transferring the sins of the dead to a goat- and Litany for the dead – forgiveness for the dead- are known to exist in some religions and practices. However, the way the Badagas of Blue Mountains believe and practice them appear to be rather unique. They are practical, down to earth and form a list of penal codes.
Towards the end of the funeral men gather around the corpse and recite the litany for the dead and, at the end, transfer the sins to a (now imaginary) calf. It is called Calf Blessing. The sins are said to be over 300 and cover personal morality, behavior, family values and etiquette and community as well as environmental responsibilities. Here are some of them: )
If he did evil towards his father or grandfather – a sin
If he wronged the past generations – a sin
If he did evil towards his father in law and mother in law- a sin
If he brought enmity between brothers –a sin
If he broke a bond of friendship – a sin
If he used a cow to plough the land – a sin
If he coveted a buffalo yielding abundant milk – a sin
If he coveted the good crops of others – a sin
If he refused food to the hungry – a sin
If he refused fire to the frozen – a sin
If he showed the wrong way to a stranger in the forest- a sin
If he tore his dress angrily when caught on thorns – a sin
If he got on the cot while his father in law slept on the ground – a sin
If he spat disrespectfully before someone – a sin
If he created obstacles towards charitable deeds – a sin
If he has felled trees in the forests – a sin
If he has pulled a young plant and left it in the sun – a sin
If he has pruned a young plant before it was ready – a sin
If he ripped things out of a forests – a sin
If he has killed a lizard – a sin
If he has killed a frog- a sin
If he has killed a gecko – a sin
If he has killed a iguana – a sin
If he has killed a snake – a sin
If he wasted dried firewood – a sin
If he removed the field fences and let the animals out – a sin
If he broke down a dam that had been built up – a sin
If he let the water of the overflowing pond run out – a sin
If after catching a fledging bird, he gave it to a cat – sin
If a barren cow was milked – a sin
If he threw out dirty water towards the rising sun – a sin
If he poured urine on a burning fire – a sin
If he showed his posterior to the sun- a sin.
Nilgiri Documentation Centre
image : https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/tamil-nadus-badagas-now-in-un-database-of-worlds-indigenous-people-902729.html