Asthma patients being administered the “fish prasadam” by a volunteer in Hyderabad on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA
Thousands from across the country flocked to Exhibition Grounds at Nampally on June 8 for the annual fish prasadam, held on ‘Mrigasira Karti’, the day marking the onset of monsoon according to the Hindu calendar.
The Bathini family administers the prasadam by inserting a yellow paste into the mouth of a live fingerling, which is then slipped into the throat of an asthma patient. They claim this remedy cures asthma and other respiratory ailments.
Though the distribution began at 9 a.m., crowds started gathering as early as 6 a.m. Praveen Yashwantrao Patil, who travelled from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, said, “My relative took the prasadam last year and his asthma was cured. So, I am here this year.”
R.K. Tiwari, 50, from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, arrived at 6.30 a.m. for his second visit. “My niece was cured a few years ago. This time, I am here for my grand-daughter, who has asthma,” he said.
There were four time slots, first from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., second from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., third slot from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday and last slot from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sunday.
