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Journalism of Courage
With job cuts and money troubles problems uppermost in their minds, anxiety of what the future holds this year is on a high with people consulting astrologers and fortune tellers and even rummaging through websites that predict the year ahead.
Typically, as the year draws to a close it is seen that interest perks up for astrological services which promise to reveal what is in store in the year ahead but this year the feeling of insecurity due to the economic meltdown has prompted many to seek solace in unusual places.
“We have seen a spurt in the number of people who are visiting us. Typically the economic crisis and the extensive media coverage a lot of people are ordering predictions from us,” says Meena Kapoor, owner of Astroyogi, a website offering astrological services.
Well-known astrologer Bejan Daruwala predicts next year to be one of progress for the backward people. “2009 will be a much better than 2008 beginning the month of April when Jupiter enters the sign of Aquarius representing the progress of the common people.”
He claims that when Jupiter, which symbolises money, progress and prosperity enters into Aquarius, there will be financial improvement and there will less security threats to nations.
“The planets Saturn representing security and Uranus representing sudden disaster were in a very bad position for last year and from 2009 the situation will be better,” says the 78-year-old astrologer.
A spurt in terror strikes with the most recent being the attacks in Mumbai along with a dip in financial fortunes of those investing in stock markets are leading people to refer to astrologers, palmists, tarot card readers etc.
“We have an umbrella of celebrity specialists as well as in house specialists who provide answers to readers’ questions. This year we have found that there are a lot of people have placed orders from several specialists at one time alone,” says Kapoor.
In the US, the online astrology market accounted for nearly USD 100 million annually according to a survey done in 2006. Today it accounts for nearly USD 200 million annually. In India itself, this business was estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore in 2006. Today the market potential is estimated to be around Rs 40,000 crore.
Kapoor’s Astroyogi site has also seen an increased demand by the NRI readers who are eager to consult an Indian expert.
“Out of all the services we provide, palmistry is the most interactive section and it is used very, very extensively. We also have a lot of numerologists whose services are among the popularly requested services,” says Kapoor.
