The Mystery of Mayong: What’s Hiding in India’s Magic Village? (2)

[Mayong Series (Part 2)/ Continued from the PART 1]

NILIM KASHYAP BARTHAKUR

As I sat, a stranger approached, his eyes glinting with an odd intensity. “You’re here for answers, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice low and cryptic, as if he knew more about my quest than I did. Before I could respond, he vanished into the crowd.

The air was thick, almost suffocating, as I sat waiting for my turn to meet him.

The small room hummed with restless energy, packed with people whose faces told stories of hope and desperation. Most weren’t from Assam; many had traveled from South India and North India.

Three hours had passed, each minute stretching my nerves thinner. Finally, a gruff voice called my name. I stood and stepped toward the door at the far end of the room.Inside, Tilak Hazarika waited.He waved everyone else out, the door creaking shut behind them. Settling into his chair, he fixed his sharp eyes on me. “Ask your questions,” he said, his voice low and smooth. My throat felt dry, but I forced the words out. My first question was, “Does black magic still exist?”

He tilted his head, a faint smile curling his lips, as if he’d been waiting for me to ask. “Do you believe in God?” he said.

“Yes,” I replied, hesitating. “I mean, I believe there’s some kind of energy out there, something bigger than us. People call it God.”

His smile deepened, and his eyes glinted like he’d caught me in a trap. “If there’s positive energy, don’t you think there’s negative energy too? Light casts shadows, doesn’t it?”

I said, “But in today’s worldwith science explaining everything, how can I believe in black magic? I’ve never seen it with my own eyes. It’s just stories, tales from villages.”

“Have you seen God?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yet you believe in that energy, don’t you? You feel it like wind, electricity, radio signals, even if you can’t touch it.”

I opened my mouth to argue but found nothing. I took a 1-hour interview with him and got a lot of insights about Mayong and traditional healing practice.

Teaching and learning folk medicine is a complex affair. There is no specific method or institution for teaching it. Anyone willing to become a bej approaches a reputed bej. The bej normally declines to teach the novice. But if the novice is persistent enough, he may be accepted as an apprentice if he fits into the ideal image of the carrier of the tradition.

After learning for some time as an apprentice of the bej the novice begins his independent practice. The period of apprenticeship may vary from novice to novice and teacher to teacher. It may be anything between a few months to a few years. It has been noticed that the bej takes only a grown-up man for an apprentice.

Most of the bejes declared while interviewing that they have not taught their trade to anybody. The reason, as most of them said, was that there was nobody whom they could trust to be the inheritor of their knowledge.

The bej should have great temperance. He should be able to restrain himself from using his powers and know-how for petty personal benefits. If the bej is satisfied that the candidate has the ideal qualities, then he only accepts the novice as his apprentice. 

Almost every bej agrees that his guru was a greater bej and that he did not teach him all he knew. Every bej thinks that he does not know the whole of bejali and believes that some could do miracles. Moreover, the bej has great possessiveness for his bejali because of which he keeps certain secrets to himself and desists from teaching it to any of his apprentices.

Mayong Anchalik College, located in Rajamayang, Morigaon district, has introduced a Skill Enhancement Course designed to integrate traditional knowledge into modern education, offering students a structured opportunity to learn about Mayong’s healing practices.

This course, part of the college’s commitment to preserving local heritage, covers the theoretical and practical aspects of traditional healing, including the identification and use of medicinal herbs, the chanting of mantras, and the cultural context of rituals performed by bez.

The curriculum aims to bridge the gap between traditional and modern knowledge systems, equipping students with skills that honor Mayong’s mystical legacy while preparing them for contemporary career paths, such as ethnobotany or cultural tourism.

The Skill Enhancement Course is experiential, involving hands-on training where students learn to identify local herbs like tulsi (holy basil), ryniaw, or jasieh, which are commonly used in Northeast Indian healing practices .For example, students might be taught how to prepare a tulsi-based concoction for respiratory ailments or a jasieh-infused poultice for digestive issues, guided by course instructors or invited bez.

The course also includes modules on the spiritual dimensions of healing, such as the use of mantras like Thumuri Ban or Atma Bandhani, which are historically significant in Mayong for curing ailments or providing spiritual protection. By formalizing this knowledge within an academic framework, the course ensures its accessibility to a broader audience, including students who may not belong to traditional bez families.

The introduction of this course reflects a growing recognition of the value of indigenous knowledge systems, as seen in similar programs across Northeast India, such as those at Gauhati University, which promote research on traditional practices (Gauhati University, 2024). The course also addresses the decline in traditional healing due to modernization and urban migration by engaging youth in a structured learning environment.

Students who complete the course gain a deeper appreciation for Mayong’s cultural heritage, with some pursuing further studies or careers in herbal medicine or cultural preservation, thereby ensuring the continuity of this knowledge. Mayong Anchalik College has organized several seminars to raise awareness about traditional healing practices, inviting prominent bez like Tilak Hazarika to demonstrate their techniques and educate students.

Dr. Utpal Nath shared a captivating tradition. When a snake bites someone, the villager moves quickly to traditional healer. If the bitten person is strong enough, they rush to find the bez, the local healer whose knowledge is trusted by all. If they’re too weak to move, a loved one hurries to the bez’s home, carrying the weight of urgency.

But when they arrive, the bez does something surprising: he gives the messenger a quick slap on the face. It’s not out of frustration,  it’s the first step, a signal that the healing process has begun.

The bez then starts a careful sequence of five steps to save the person’s life. He tries one method, then another, using skills passed down from those before him to fight the venom’s poison. Each step is a new chance, a fresh effort to bring the person back to health. The village watches closely, holding onto hope as the bez works through each stage with steady hands and a calm heart.

If the first four steps fail to stop the venom, the bez turns to the fifth and final stage, held in a quiet, sacred placethe cremation ground. There, he creates a private space by building a circular wall with a clean white cloth.

Inside, only the bez and the patient remain, with no clothes on, hidden from all eyes. The bez begins chanting special mantras, his voice strong and unwavering. These aren’t gentle prayers. In a bold act, he speaks directly to Lord Shiva, using sharp words, even insults, like, “Save this person, Shiva, or your daughter will face trouble!” He chants with fierce resolve, pouring all his energy into the ritual, until the person either recovers or the venom wins.

If the patient stands up, healthy and strong, the village rejoices, praising the bez for his skill and care. But if the person doesn’t make it then…….

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