According to Mayan calendar, 21/12/2012 was supposed to be the end of the world

For all those who expected tsunami, earthquake, thunderbolt, lightning, and other disasters on Friday or 21/12/2012 – the day the Mayans “predicted the end of the world” – you can thank one person for waking up safe and sound on Saturday: president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations Narendra Nayak and his Pralaya Prevention Machine.

With television channels broadcasting ad nauseum the clippings from a Hollywood movie showing the end of the world on Friday, Mr. Nayak, speaking at a get-together marking the “post apocalyptic world”, said: “While the people of the world have been going around minding their own business or praying to the supernatural forces to save the world, we the rationalist-humanist groups have been doing it with our latest invention- the Pralaya prevention machine.”

With “sophisticated bio feedback nano technology” the device had been working for the past two days to prevent the apocalypse, he had you believe. The device’s “resonance frequency” counters the “frequency of anything in the universe that can cause floods, tsunamis.”

Other sceptics and rationalist organisations around the world had similarly invented machines to prevent various catastrophes like earthquakes, asteroids, volcanic eruptions among others, he said.

The “secret” of the machine was “revealed” at a get-together at B.N. Laboratory. Peeling back stickers, he said the machine was just a water purification device, and it was through words like ‘bio feedback nano technology’ that people got cheated.

“So many people have paid priests and religious institutions to perform pujas to prevent the pralaya. At least we are doing this for free. The stunt was designed to expose the tricks used by astrologers and priests,” Mr. Nayak said.

Did the media worsen the situation by giving the superstition a repeated telecast? “It is the education system that is at fault. For not making people think and question,” he said. “It is hard to disagree with [Markandeya] Katju (Press Council of India Chairman) when he says 90 per cent Indians are idiots,” he added.