Last Updated:
The man said that people in India are so superstitious that they will follow anything without questioning
News18
Remember the scene from Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma’s movie, PK, where the two conduct a simple social experiment to highlight how easily people can be influenced when it comes to religion? In the film, they place an ordinary stone at the gate of a college, scatter a few notes and coins around it, and, to make it look authentic, even apply red powder to resemble vermillion, making it appear sacred.
Soon, passersby begin treating the stone as an object of worship simply because they see others doing the same.
A similar experiment has now gone viral on social media, sparking discussions about superstition.
The video showed a young man standing in a long queue at a temple, who planned to conduct a social experiment similar to the one in PK. “India mein kitna zyada log andh vishwas karte hai. Abhi main ek jagah haath lagaunga, mere baad dekhna kitna log wahan haath lagayenge (People in India believe in superstition so much. I am going to touch a spot, and then watch how many people behind me do the same),” he said before putting his theory to the test.
As he and his friends began climbing the temple staircase, the young man casually reached up and touched the ceiling. He deliberately acted as though the gesture carried some religious significance. What happened next confirmed his prediction.
Several people standing behind him are then seen touching the exact same spot on the ceiling as they continue towards the temple. Some even briefly paused to offer prayers after touching it.
Others who had already moved ahead turned back to touch the ceiling before going forward.
“A Boy intentionally touched the ceiling of the staircase in a temple as an experiment to show how Superstitious Indian are. What follows is a shame, everyone starts giving respect to the ceiling of the staircase as if it were some God,” the caption of the post read.
A Boy intentionally touched the ceiling of the staircase in a temple as an experiment to show how Superstitious Indian areWhat follows is a shame,everyone starts giving respect to the ceiling of the staircase as if it were some God
No wonder BJP wins election invoking religion pic.twitter.com/ew6xWgLML3
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) June 5, 2026
Internet Has Varied Reactions
The clip has since sparked a debate, with one user saying, “Okk..let’s understand the psychology, they did this because they are so tired from their life situations, which leads to do these kinds of unnecessary things with hope that something good will happen. Just work hard and believe in yourself to change your fate.”
“People are gullible and with faith in their hearts, they are ready to believe anything. And don’t forget – we have known history of God emerging out of a pillar, hence the faith continues. No need to mock innocent believers. In fact, this just proves how open and tolerant Hindus are,” said a person.
“I mean that is normal human psychology. There are many such similar experiments. Why do you have to associate with a particular religion btw? For example, if 2 or 3 people tend to stare at something, then other people looking them will act the same,” commented someone else.
“Education, coupled with awareness, critical thinking, and logical ability, is required to overcome such blind faith, but that is something the current regime of policymakers does not want. They are destroying public education to ensure that people remain bhakts only for voting,” shared a different individual.
“Too funny, but also sad that people are so dumb. Logic out of the window,” said another person.
About the Author
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
Read More
