NEW DELHI (INDIA) – Plagued by worries about their future in the wake of the pandemic crisis, anxious Indians make a beeline to healers and astrologers like Sanjay Sharma. In his office with a golden hue decked with peacock feathers and crystal balls, Sharma helps clients peek into their future.
“Right now people are really frightened about their future,” said Sharma, who has long hair and sports a big vermilion dot on his forehead. There is waft through the room.
“How will they survive? Will they have their jobs or not? Will their business survive or not,” he added.
In a country which has witnessed infections rising to 3.3 million, anxious people are thronging astrologers, tarot card readers and faith healers seeking remedies to their financial and health woes. There have been more than 60,000 fatalities in the country.
“Whenever our mind is really disturbed and we feel anxious, we come here,” said a client Anju Devi, 52. She sought answers as to why her son’s business was shrinking and the prospects of her daughter’s marriage. “Those who are in depression and taking medicines, they feel uplifted after coming here and it helps them come out of those situations.”
Astrologers, palm readers, numerologists and tarot card readers rake in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Their charges vary from 100 rupees ($1.50) for a quick session with a palmist to several thousand rupees for an extended session with a spiritual guru.
Ajay Bhambi, a reputed astrologer and spiritual consultant who has politicians, Bollywood stars and cricketers among his clientele, said business has gone up by 40% since the pandemic outbreak.
“You keep the hopes alive and see what is exactly stored for them in future,” said Bhambi, who appears in television shows regularly. “If I see a little ray, then I can create a better picture for them.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.