The Tale of the False Possession: Challenging Domestic Entitlement
When a patriarch accused his daughter-in-law of being possessed by a malevolent spirit, a wise matriarch used a psychological ruse to restore domestic harmony. The encounter reveals how labels of supernatural affliction are often weaponized to mask simple systemic abuse.
A Disruptive Claim of the Supernatural
The afternoon began quietly with a meal of spring onions, eggs, and garlic pickle on a Kashmiri verandah. This peace was interrupted by the arrival of an agitated elderly man leading a large group. Approaching Phuphee, the household matriarch, he bypassed formalities to deliver a lamentation in Kashmiri. He claimed his family was victims of the evil eye and that his daughter-in-law had been overtaken by a jinn, citing her refusal to speak to him as evidence of her possession.
The Anatomy of a Mock Exorcism
Beneath the father-in-law's theatrics and performative grief lay a pattern of domestic hostility. When Phuphee interviewed the young woman, a different reality surfaced. The daughter-in-law explained that her silence was not a supernatural symptom but a calculated boundary against the man's verbal abuse, his insults toward her family, and his habit of scapegoating her for household failures. The patriarch's response was aggressive, mistaking her calm self-advocacy for further disrespect.
Rather than performing a traditional ritual, Phuphee invited the man inside for a private consultation. She leveraged his own superstitions against his pride by offering a strategic ultimatum:
- She confirmed the presence of spirits but claimed they were a powerful pair inhabiting both the daughter-in-law and his son.
- She warned that a failed exorcism could be fatal for the son.
- She presented the man with two choices: expel the couple entirely or treat them with the extreme reverence required by spirits of such high caliber.
The Invisible Mechanics of Change
Fearing the loss of his son, the man opted for the latter, effectively forced into respectful behavior through his own fear and self-interest. As the household help, Aisha, later observed, deep-seated entitlement can mirror the demonic until the perpetrator is forced to face personal consequences. What appeared to be a lack of magic was, in fact, a sophisticated redirection of human behavior. While the young witness waited for incantations and cauldrons, the transformation was achieved through a subtle understanding of the human psyche and the power of social leverage.
Source: The Hindu — Opinion
