Starry Calculations

Today, most politicians are surrounded by political astrologers: those highly numerate cruisers of the solar system who have advised leaders ranging from Indira Gandhi to V.C. Shukla, the late Dinesh Singh to Arjun Singh on when to file nominations or begin campaigning, what clothes to wear, what policies to follow and when to betray their party for another. According to a recently published book by former IAS officer and eminent astrologer K.N. Rao, Kamala Nehru's marriage to Jawaharlal, the declaration of freedom at the stroke of midnight, the rule of the Gandhi dynasty were all planned according to the perambulations of planets. This time, the con-figuration of stars at the time of filing nominations show, according to Rao, confusion in political alliances, revolts and bloodthirst because Saturn, Mars, Ketu, Sun and Mercury are in one house.

A politician may shrug off what his wellwishers tell him, brush aside the uncomfortable facts of market surveys, but can he possibly ignore the voice of the celestial bodies? Certainly not. Arjun Singh has been advised by his astrologer to switch from safari suits to kurta pyjama to alter his planetary plight. Jagannath Mishra once slaughtered 108 goats and bathed in their blood to influence his stars. Indira Gandhi clapped a prominent guru, Swami Poornanda, in jail for fear that he was performing a yagya which would destroy a favourable moment in her stars. The late Charan Singh was advised by an astrologer that unless he betrayed Morarji Desai he would never become prime minister. And the late Dinesh Singh was reportedly kept alive by a 'shanti' puja performed by a pandit from Pratapgarh, after doctors had given up hope.

"Politicians come to us," says K.N. Rao, tapping away on his computer, "for career guidance. They ask, 'what are my chances, when should I file my nomination, will I get a ticket at all?' But I am a conservative astrologer. And I don't believe in ritualistic sacrifices and tamaasik pujas which, in my opinion, only boomerang on the person concerned and are often used as tools to exploit politicians. I believe in saatvik puja and I can give advice on a favourable time."

"For this election, no good time was available for filing nominations. Since candidates were required to file their nominations between 10 am and 3 pm, astrologers had a hard time because within these five hours only the fag end of Vrisha was available and that too for 10 minutes. The next lagna was Mithuna from where the 10th house of Karma was very bad. The third lagna was Karka from where there existed chances of communal, caste and other troubles. Before 3 pm, Simha would have risen and been available for a short time but this was a suicidal time. In no other elections did astrologers have such great difficulty choosing a right muhuratha as in the present one." So all candidates who came to Rao were advised to file within the 10 minutes of Vrisha lagna. Or else face the wrath of the Milky Way.

N.K. Sharma is Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's astrologer, a trusted confidant who is now also his political adviser. "Although my father was well-versed in astrology, I am not an astrologer but I do know a bit about it. A number of people do not even understand what astrology is," Sharma says, sitting in a room shielded from the outside world by tinted blue glass. "For many, it is simply a selling point, a dhanda. But Jyoti-shved is a part of the Vedanta, taken together with the teachings of the Vedas to reach a higher level of awareness where an individual is free from gravitational pulls, where there is true happiness and contentment, not fleeting happiness that one gets from consuming too many sweets." Sharma foresees a confused state of affairs at the moment: "We are passing through a transitional phase both for the Congress party as well as for the government. Leaders are insecure and need to know when it is a good day and a good time for them to start their political activities."

Most political astrologers now all work on computers. They cast the horoscope of the party as they would cast a horoscope for any individual, taking the date of the formation of the party and its time. The Congress is seen as the grandchild of the Indian National Congress, after the formation of the Congress(R) in 1969 as its parent. Ajay Bhambi who runs an astrology agency—Nakshatra Niket—says this is a good time for the BJP because Venus is ascendant in not only the country's horoscope but also in the BJP's. "If the BJP can become more liberal in its attitude, it can do wonders. Narasimha Rao's horoscope shows a major period of Mars and a sub-period of Sun, so this is not a good time for him. But Atal Behari Vajpayee's stars are very good."

Bhambi claims to have predicted Rajiv Gandhi's death, that there would be a midterm poll in May 1991 and that the Congress would find it difficult to form a government on its own. Rao says he had told the BJP a year-and-a-half ago that they were wrongly projecting L.K. Advani as their leader. When certain Congressmen asked about their prospects in 1991, he not only told them that they would win but that they would get ministerial berths. "It's important to find the time of free will—of purushartha —when an individual can do something that can alter his fate. That is the favourable time," says Rao. Since a Hindu's time on earth is crowded by pre-determined moments, only an astrologer can advise when one can squeeze in a bit of individual endeavour.

Faith and Reason have always co-existed in India, says veteran astrologer Lachman Das Madan, editor of the magazine, Babaji. "Astrology is a pure science, based on calculations, but it requires the blessings of God. In other countries, people do poll surveys, in India poll surveys are done through astrology, what is wrong with that? Why do people not believe it when it has been proved right time and time again?" Madan proudly displays a photograph of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in his office. "Several prime ministers have sat where you are sitting now," he declares. Sometimes telling the truth to a politician can be tricky." Arjun Singh was a great friend of mine, but after I told him that he could never be prime minister, he cut off relations with me and even tried to stop clients from advertising in my magazine."

Man is, said astronomer Carl Sagan, "star material", made of the same stuff as Mars or Neptune. Not surprising, therefore, that at election time hung parliaments are written in the sky and an insecure prime minister needs only to gaze heavenward for a tally of his future votes.