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October 22, 2005

Prediction Dead Wrong

by Red Wolf

India: Predictions that don't are common fare for The Prattle, but usually it's the bigger doom and gloom variant that catch our attention, so it's time for a change of pace.

75-year-old Kunjilal Malviya, an astrologer who lives south of the Madhya Pradesh state capital Bhopal in central India, had been meditating in his house after announcing he would die Thursday between 3.00pm and 5.00pm local time. Sure it's not earth shattering, but at least there's a chance he could rectify the situation with a little self-intervention if his prediction wasn't up to par. The local cops, fearing just such an action, posted officers nearby on suicide watch.

A police official confirmed the astrologer was fine and quoted his family members as saying the prediction failed because many of those gathered had prayed for him to live. We are afraid of his prediction coming true because all his predictions till date have been correct, his son Anirudh said by phone earlier Thursday. My father had predicted the death of my grandfather 15 years ago and it came true exactly like he calculated.

While the good astrologer survived his predicted demise and would be in for a bit of good-natured ribbing in many parts of the world, the locals in India take these things seriously and can get a tad rowdy.

Malviya's prediction is not the first of its type by an Indian astrologer. But in the past, crowds have beaten up astrologers when their predicted demise failed to occur.

Astrologer wrong on the big prediction - Daily Times, 22nd October 2005.

Posted in Love Thy Neighbour at 01:21. Last modified on July 14 2009 at 16:46.
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