Banamathi is a forgotten word nowadays. About 30 years back and before, it was a common term heard in parts of Telangana. When women used to have Banamathi, they get into a sort of trance. Some women shake their body and cry hysterically with hiccups. Some also call the name/s of the people, who made Banamathi on them. People, in general, consider it as witchcraft performed on the victim by someone intentionally. Some people say the enemies engage Mantragallu - the people who know Mantra or Tantra and invite the witches to pervade on them. As a result, it was believed that some women suffered from Banamathi.

It was more prevalent mainly in rural areas. In poor families, women suffered Banamathi more. Otherwise, women suffering from Banamathi were also suffering from different family problems. I have observed that as a family started earning a good income, the Banamathi started disappearing from such families. Also in those days, girls got married at an early age say seven years onwards. Most of the girls were twelve years old by the time they got married. There was always continuous work at home, as there were joint families, which were large in size. That is about twenty people in each family. They also need to work in the fields. This was a heavy burden on women. The insecurity and suffering of women in a family could be the reason for this psychological condition of women. In disguise, the women through Banamathi could let their emotions out and found some relief.

People in villages identify very few people as Mantragallu who are considered as responsible for performing witchcraft which leads to Banamathi. Sometimes the villagers upon suspicion, they break their front two teeth, so that they cannot utter the mantras - a kind of sounds. Some of them were killed by the villagers too.

I heard that once there was a good Mantragadu, he asked four people to hold the legs of a cot. They said that the cot moved with the men up over the steps and went into a room on the first floor and touched a pillow. Inside the pillow, a plastic doll was found with kumkum, turmeric, lemon and bangles. He is said to be having the power to cure women with Banamathi. No men ever got Banamathi. With the improvement in communications and Television, at present, there is no one suffering from Banamathi. Probably such cases of depression and trauma are treated through medicine and psychiatrists.

Recently, I was asking one of the women who suffered Banamathi in the past, why it is not much prevalent now in their village as it was used to be 30 years back. Her answer was simple, the Mantragallu are not existing to do Banamathi. Say in her village of about 400 families at least 40 women had Banamathi in the past. She could not comprehend the reasons for the disappearance of Banamathi over years.

The ugly face mask often is used on the facade of new houses and buildings to avoid the attention and jealousness of enemies