The ‘medicine’ is a ‘secret’ yellow herbal paste to be swallowed with a live ‘murrel’ fingerling. Vegetarian patients are given the paste with jaggery. However, the Goud family says the medicine is effective only if swallowed with the fish. It is believed that if taken for three consecutive years, it cures asthma. Sheer belief attracts thousands to the event, despite the controversies surrounding it. 

‘I have come here for the second time. It has given some relief and I hope it will cure the problem,’ said Ramakrishna Reddy, a patient from Kurnool town of Andhra Pradesh. Rationalists and some rights groups had challenged the family’s claims, terming the practice unscientific and superstition. After the substance was tested in laboratories, the high court had observed that while its efficacy was not proved, it is not harmful either. Fisheries department officials said they had made arrangements to supply 50,000 fingerlings for the annual event.

Clearing the hurdles for the event, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday suspended the orders of Lokayukta regarding the arrangements. A trust run by the Goud family had submitted to the court that they had been distributing the fish medicine for over 160 years. In 1997, the state government had asked the family to shift the venue from their ancestral house in the congested bylanes of Doodhbowli in the old city. Last year, the event was shifted to a ground at katedan on the city outskirts. The authorities had failed to control the crowd, leading to stampede, which killed one and injured several others.

The Goud family claims that the secret formula for the herbal medicine was given to their ancestor in 1845 by a saint after taking an oath from him that it should be administered free of cost.

He said they had not yet received copies of the Lokayukta order. ‘We don’t want to comment without going through the order,’ he said. ‘We are continuing the arrangements, as we don’t want to inconvenience guests coming from outside the city and the state,’ Goud said. Lokayukta Justice B. Subhashan Reddy had asked the government not to sponsor or support the event, saying there is no scientific proof that the substance cures asthma. While observing that it is only a superstition, the ombudsman said Goud can continue practising it as there is no law restraining such practices.

Justice Reddy, however, made it clear that public funds should not be used for the event. He said Goud should make his own arrangements for the supply of fish. Every year, the fisheries department supplies fingerlings to thousands of patients coming from different parts of the country.  The Lokayukta has also directed that the family, and not the government, should pay Rs.2.69 lakh to the Exhibition Society for using the grounds for the event, and suggested that the society obtain an undertaking from Goud that he will pay the amount in a month.

Since only two days are left for the annual event to begin, the Lokayukta allowed the government to make arrangements like supply of water, sanitation, ambulances and security this year, and asked the government not to make such arrangements from next year.  It said police and other departments may provide the amenities from next year by collecting the cost from the organisers, as is done in case of other private events.

The orders came on a petition by Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sanghham, a body fighting for children’s rights. The petitioner had sought orders to restrain the government from spending public funds for the event. Thousands of people every year take the ‘wonder drug’ administered on the occasion of ‘Mrigasira Karthi’, which heralds the onset of monsoon. It is believed that if taken for three consecutive years, it cures asthma. The family claims to be distributing the fish medicine free of cost for over 160 years. It renamed the drug as ‘prasadam’ a few years ago following controversies after some groups approached courts, seeking a ban on what was termed an ‘unscientific’ practice.

The fish ‘medicine’ lost its popularity as controversies erupted around it. The number of patients visiting the city each year to take the medicine has also come down in recent years. A few thousand people turned up at last year’s event, which was held at a ground on the city’s outskirts and marred by stampede, in which one person was killed and about 50 others were injured.  The Goud family, which believes that the herbal formula was revealed to their forefathers by a holy man, claims that four lakh people would turn up for the medicine this year.

Source: IANS

The ombudsman reserved its orders on a plea filed by Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sanghham, a body fighting for children’s rights. Achyuta Rao, president of the Sangham, told IANS that the orders would be pronounced Tuesday. The petitioner questioned the government’s action in making all arrangements for the gathering of people like supply of fish, security arrangements, water, sanitation and other facilities. Lokayukta Justice B. Subhashan Reddy observed that the state government’s action in permitting such a conglomeration and allotting public property not for any public purpose comes within the ambit of “maladministration” – an aspect triable under the Lokayukta Act 1983.

The Goud family of Hyderabad has already announced that it would distribute the fish medicine at Exhibition Grounds June 8 and 9.
Various departments submitted their reports to Lokayukta. Ranga Reddy district collector, in his report, informed that five acres of government land allotted to the family would be taken back. The land was allotted a few years ago at Katedan on the city outskirts for the family to grow the herbs, whose paste is stuffed in the mouth of a ‘murrel’ fingerling before it is slipped through the patient’s throat.

Thousands of people every year take the ‘wonder drug’ administered on the occasion of ‘Mrigasira Karthi’, which heralds the onset of monsoon. It is believed that if taken for three consecutive years, it cures asthma. The family claims to be distributing the fish medicine free of cost for over 160 years. It renamed the drug as ‘prasadam’ a few years ago following controversies after some groups approached courts, seeking a ban on unscientific medicine.

Source: IANS

There was utter chaos as the authorities failed to make proper arrangements at this new venue, located about 10 km from Exhibition Grounds, Nampally, where the Bathini family had been earlier administering the fish medicine. The patients gulp down a live ‘murrel’ fish with a yellow herbal paste in its mouth, which is believed to provide much needed relief, if taken for three consecutive years. For vegetarians, the family gives the medicine with jaggery. The last minute change of venue threw the arrangements out of gear and caused severe inconvenience to patients coming from various parts of the country.

A large number of people, including women and children, had been waiting outside the gates since Thursday night. They complained of poor arrangements by the administration. Every year, authorities with the help of NGOs make elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event. The members of Bathini family started free administration of the ‘miracle drug’ at 8 a.m. The family claims to be giving the fish medicine free of cost for last 163 years. The family administers the medicine on the first day of ‘mrigasira karte’, which heralds the onset of monsoon. Despite the controversies which hit the popularity of the fish drug in recent years, people continue to come every year in the hope of finding some relief to their nagging respiratory problems.

The family had been distributing the fish medicine at their ancestral house in the narrow lanes of Doodhbowli in the old city. However, in 1997 the venue was shifted to Nizam College Grounds due to communal riots in the old city. It was subsequently shifted to Exhibition Grounds to ensure smooth conduct of the event. The fish medicine lost its popularity in recent years after some groups,working to inculcate scientific temper among people, termed it a fraud. They also approached the court, claiming that since the herbal paste contains heavy metals and can cause serious health problems.

Bathini family claims that the tests in laboratories conducted as per court orders revealed that the herbal paste is safe. It changed the name of fish medicine to ‘fish prasadam’ to avoid legal problems. The family claims that the secret formula for the herbal medicine was given to their ancestor in 1845 by a saint after taking an oath from him that it should be administered free of cost.

Source: IANS