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On thin ice

Last time around, it was statues of Ganesha drinking milk. This year, the seawater at Mahim beach has suddenly lost salinity and turned sweet. And once again, thousands of believers turned up to witness the "miracle" and partake of it, quite a few even carted away as much of the water in bottles as they could. (In between, all sorts of idols drank milk to boot!)

All this even as the municipal bodies and other scientific organisations had a perfectly sane explanation for the phenomenon and warned the public that the water was unfit for drinking. Indeed, authorities say this area of coastline is contaminated by thousands of tonnes of sewage every year.

Are people going overboard with their faith? Should the authorities step in and put an end to this kind of gullibility?

RAKESH MEHAR finds out what Bangaloreans think.

I think such actions are dangerous because you never know what's in the water that you are drinking. Miracles do happen, but such events cannot be termed miracles. People should listen to experts.

Gaurav
Student

I definitely believe in miracles. They depend on where you are coming from and your belief in the supernatural. A miracle could be just about anything that happens around you.

Isaac
Techie

People always get carried away by all these gimmicks. There are these extremes among people. Some who are completely sceptical and others who are blind believers. You can't help it.

Viswas
Techie

I think the Mahim beach incident is more of chemicals than miracles. These are all just beliefs that people cultivate in their minds. Even the waters of the Ganga are considered sacred though they are polluted.

Surya
Student

You could look at it either way. After all, the water becoming suddenly sweet is strange. It isn't like somebody sweetened it. But, if drinking the water is a health hazard, the government should stop it.

Leena
Student

This is a bad incident but faith is a strong part of being a human. But, it seems like the people on Mahim beach are overdoing things and maybe someone should step in and put a stop to it.

Kiran
Customer service representative

I am a religious guy and I do believe in miracles. I am one of the guys who fed milk to the Ganesha idol. Science may be able to explain such incidents, but I believe God created science, so these are still miracles.

Prabhu
Techie

There is always a scientific explanation for such events. Some people's belief is so strong they look for any opportunity to celebrate it. But the government should put a stop to it for the people's safety.

Varun
Techie

This is a scientific issue rather than a miracle. There are proper explanations for all these "miraculous" events, such as capillary action causing the idols to suck up the milk. People should not count them as real miracles.

Puneet
Support engineer

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