Dahod women hope to battle coronavirus with weeklong fast, prayers

VADODARA: With no medicine or vaccine in sight, many seem to be taking resort in their faith to ensure that novel coronavirus beats a retreat. Women in Garbada taluka of Dahod district have been fasting and travelling from village to village to pray at temples as a part of the drive.
Word spread in some villages in Garbada taluka that if women fasted for seven days and prayed at temples of goddesses in different villages on these days, Covid-19 would leave the country.The women have been fasting since then and taking steps to ensure that the novel coronavirus does not affect us.
Sources said the rituals were being discussed in Dahod since over a week now, but gained momentum. After fasting and praying at temples of villages, the women are supposed to worship a peepul or banyan tree and feed children to mark the occasion of the successful conclusion of their fasts and prayers. Shakudi Ajmal from Simaliya Bujarg village said that the prayers were being offered across the taluka. "This is being done to ensure that corona goes away," she told media persons.
The district administration also came to know about the incident on Sunday, but has decided not to intervene. Sources said information so far revealed that no large crowds were gathering and women were coming to temples alone or in small groups.
"We have come to know about this only recently. The executive magistrate has been asked to counsel people who are involved in the practice," said Dahod district collector Vijay Kharadi.