Sacred and Profane: For curious seekers of the mystical

Unusual customs and strange rituals always piques your curiosity. A new book, titled Sacred and Profane, by Dr G S Sachdeva brings these narratives forward. According to him, “This book is an anthology of narrations about unusual customs, fascinating beliefs and strange rituals across the world. Whatever may be different perceptions about them; these bestow joy and solemnity on the believers. For example, the millennial youth may pride on the innovation of live-in relationship yet Adam and Eve were, perhaps, the first to celebrate such a relationship and the Pahari Korba community has been enjoying this for centuries.” 

A graduate with Social Psychology, and Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, Sachdeva who culminated his education with Doctorate in Law from School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, disregards the popular view that that unusual rituals and customs are extinct in the times of artificial intelligence and adds, “A wedding procession without the dulha is unthinkable, so is the all-female baraat of the dulhan. Or a festival of abuses by woman, which may have psycho-cathartic effect and emotional relief to spit out pent up venom of resentment to lighten the heart in a society where women were repressed. Thus, customs and rituals, howsoever unusual, had social purpose and acted for emotional relief and strengthening of the belief in personal betterment. A curious reader will find the book interesting and gripping while a scholar, a mine of raw material for research.” 

In this Sage publication we also come across the viewpoints of KK Nohawar, Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi, who has penned interesting foreword for the book. 

​“Sacred and Profane has been ‘crafted’ and created for the sole purpose of educating the reader and making him/her aware of the ‘person next door’– what is the ‘baggage’ he/she is carrying, and why does he/she behaves in a particular way,” he says.