How expensive is the game of the astrology?

Many days ago, I became really sad, when I came to know that that many families are taking the support of astrology to give birth to a child in the auspicious time so that the birth of a baby can change and the future of the child can be made golden. It has increasingly become a way of thinking of people that if a child is born in the auspicious time and with respect to auspicious planets and stars, then he will be fortunate. For this, both doctors and astrologers are being resorted to. But can there be any good fortune without ethics, morals and good education and just by going against nature? After all, how all these discrepancies arose in our society? If we look towards our past, there were a few pundits in one or two cities or in some of the villages, they used to make fool of innocent people using their owls. But today a large section bows their heads in which the educated youth, politicians, actors do come in.

In fact, when India had stepped into the next century era of information revolution along the rest of the world then suddenly this disease had appeared in our society. When Europeans were engaged in creating their own fortune through science and technology, then we sat down by hand in the hands of astrologers. When people there by busy in transmitting science through communication, and connecting the next generation with knowledge and modernity, then to bring India into the abyss, then the arrival of auspicious astrologers on a TV show in the early morning started. In this environment of the information revolution, people like Dati Maharaj were the product of modern India, which was well acquainted with the language of the camera and TV vis-a-vis the attitude of the people.

It was such a shortcut of religion that the other big channels were seen asking about their future from this Baba. As seen in the morning, in the name of Jyotish Baba, all channels for getting more and more TRP, started dipping in this selling of religion. Ranging from a large industrialist to a politician or an actor, who was not interested in it? In such a backdrop how can the middle class be supposed to stay away from this dose of hypocrisy? The true protectors and wise men of religion were surprised by the false interpretation of religion and a new unique establishment of lawlessness and hypocrisy in the name of religion in Indian Society.

Moreover, in the race of blind earnings of future-tellers, the court of the person named Nirmal Baba started appearing. Hereby, through a volume of advertisements, the 'grace' started to rain on the TV Channels.  Meanwhile, Baba never advised anyone for any big penance or any religious conduct, except for a little effort of keeping the money in particular ‘colour’ of purses; keeping a bundle of ten notes in the cupboard, eating samosas with red sauce, placing a two-liter milk on Monday etc-etc. But this asking the colour of samosa and chutney was not so easy. There was a cost of Rs 2000 per person required to be deposited through the bank a few months ago. Entry fee is also charged from children above the age of two years. Assuming, if there are about 20 thousand people in a single gathering, then the amount deposited by them is worth 4 crore rupees. No one can assure for the result of Baba's grace, where it rains, but you can think of this grace of God on baba himself with this much money. Probably because of this trending business, many babas were born like Swayambhu Baba, Sadhu and Sant Kukurmutha etc. sitting on the channels. Even if they are not aware of their own next moment, they pretend to see people's future so transparently that human beings were ready to entrust them to their lifetime deposits. It is said that when a person wanders from the path of religion then the thugs come into the market and they rob innocent people in the name of God, Holocaust, Planet-Star, and fortune etc.

Taking advantage of IT-based revolution, the country's leading news channel have continuously encouraged superstition for promoting their business. Everyone is well aware of the ridiculous and sloppy way of serving astrology programs on these TV shows. When TRP started falling down, the female family-guru were also got incorporated into this mess. Most of the channels have now either showcased beautiful ladies as astrologers or have given place to such baba, which is often seen in odd-looking makeup or excessive make-up on the screen. Even the bust of the female astrologers was rendered cover by the lesser fabrics to earn a greater number of TRP.  Apart from these daily horoscopes, channels also sell life management tools to troubled consumers. When a poor man takes refuge in spirituality, then it is called the blind faith, while when the rich take refuge of spirituality, then it becomes a course of spirituality. There has been a competition between these astrological programs of Hindi channels. Every program is a brand. Everyone has their own fathers and hawks, where all new categories in the world of horoscope have been invented. The country which was once the country of the monks and the Vedas; the land of knowledge and spirituality, has remained today the country of hypocrisy. Now if a family is supporting the calculation of astrology to give birth to a child in an auspicious time, then I can only express sadness, but no wonder.

Ms. Minakshi Sehrawat