An astrologer’s tale
A fortune-teller’s life in the pandemic
Pandit Om Prakash has no customers. The astrologer’s pavement stall is very modest, but a long-time landmark in the area, here in Gurugram, across the road from Civil Hospital.
In his 60s, he opened the future-telling establishment more than two decades ago, and had to suspend it for almost two years after the arrival of the pandemic in early 2020. During this dark period, he mostly stayed at home in west Delhi’s Nangloi. “I reopened it three-four months ago, but hours pass and nobody comes,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone.
This afternoon, the road is jammed with cars and bikes, and the pavement is clogged with preoccupied pedestrians. The stall’s hand-painted flier fixes the consultation fee at ₹51 per question. The astrologer explains that he assists his patrons by laying out the good and bad influences of the
INTEREST}planets affecting them. These days, though, the few ones who stop by are not those eager to know of their tomorrow, but relatives of the recently departed. “I’m then taken to their home where I do the pooja-path that has to be performed before the last rites.” In these instances, the astrologer is offered token money “but I never ask, people give me out of devotion… around a thousand rupees.”lowering his voice, the mild-mannered astrologer discloses that “traditionally my clients are those who are not well-moneyed, and who happen to be confused and troubled about their life and don’t know who to go to...”
This afternoon he has received no visitor for the past two hours. But then he doesn’t worry much and likes to leave things to the will of gods and goddesses, especially Sherawali Maata. Even though the stall is hardly receiving any patronage in the pandemic era, the astrologer has no intention to close it. “This is my purana adda. I have been at it for 25 years. Where will I go if I close it down? At least it makes the time pass.”