Stars In Their Eyes, Indians Bark Up The Wrong Banana Tree

THE battlelines are drawn in the Indian city of Kolkata between the camp of reason and reasons massed opponents.

Rationalists want the Government to ban certain forms of advertising on astrology television channels. Astrology-crazy Indians object because they are unable to cope with life without the daily advice of these latter-day "therapists".

Kolkata has seven or eight 24-hour astrology channels, a cause of great dismay to the unpopular Science and Rationalists Association, based in the city.

"We want advertising banned because some of these astrologers are going too far. Apart from peddling their usual rubbish, some are advertising on TV that they can cure cancer and AIDS," said Prabir Ghosh, the association president.

Mr Ghoshs views have a weak following. Most Indians blindly believe in astrology, including its wackiest, quackiest nostrums.

One of these was on display recently when famous actress Aishwarya Rai, 33, was reported to have married a tree. A banana tree, to be precise.

Rai, a former Miss World, is engaged to Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and they are expected to marry next month. Abhisheks father is Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.

Reports say that, on the advice of their astrologer, the Bachchans — the revered first family of Bollywood — had Rai perform her nuptials with a tree to offset the evil influence of her status as a "manglik".

"Manglik" refers to the position of Mars in someones horoscope. Anyone who marries a "manglik" runs the risk of sickness and early death.

According to astrologers, the only way to negate this mismatch of star signs in what is being billed as the "wedding of the decade" is for Rai to first marry a banana tree.

The "rationale" is that the curse of early death will fall on the poor tree, sparing Abhishek.

The Bachchans genuflection at the altar of superstition shocked few Indians, for whom faith in astrology is an article of faith that cuts across all social classes.

Indians seek blow-by-blow astrological help on every aspect of life, not just marriage but whether to accept a job offer, what career to pursue, when to buy a car, how to defeat a truculent labour union, conceive a child, or win over a recalcitrant lover.

For every action or decision they contemplate, they seek an "auspicious date". Some astrologers — including the newspaper horoscopes — are so detailed that they virtually tell you which day you will have to call the plumber in or when to expect flatulence.

Superstition is so powerful that Indians will do whatever their astrologer tells them. The latest fad among the rich and famous is to add an "a" to names to be sure of health and prosperity.

So author Shobha De, known as Indias Jackie Collins, is now "Shobhaa" and south Indian politician Jayaram Jayalalitha is "Jayalalithaa".

Earlier, consultations with astrologers tended to be in person — some big, wealthy, joint families still have in-house astrologers who have been family retainers for generations.

But astrologers have migrated en masse to television screens, where they enjoy massive popularity. Most of Indias entertainment and news channels have a daily astrology slot. Television astrologers tend to keep their hair long and wear saffron robes, like Hindu holy men, to give them more "credibility".

"They have viewers calling in with their problems or writing in. Some do tarot cards, others do numerology. They predict all sorts of things, even things like whether the Rai and Bachchan marriage will survive," said Palati Vasanthi, director of the Centre for Media Studies in Delhi.

In Kolkata, meanwhile, Mr Ghosh has tried to wean his friends away from astrology but with no luck. Recently, he discovered that a Kolkata politician frequented an astrologer who was a fake. He was a car mechanic who doubled as an astrologer for extra income.

"He knew nothing about the stars but he was very glib. When I tried telling the politician that he was relying for advice on a mechanic, he refused to hear me out. Ive heard he still goes to the same man," Mr Ghosh said.

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