Stars of India

Astrology and fortune-telling are big business in India. This book records the author's journey across the subcontinent and the numerous different kinds of experts in prediction that he meets, and what they have to say. It also includes examples of Indian do-it-yourself fortune-telling.

---

Astrology and fortune-telling are big business in India. Many Indians regularly consult an astrologer and business and government decisions have been known to depend on the position of the planets. In this book the author tracks down the subcontinent's numerous different kinds of experts in prediction. Beginning his journey at the Temple of Somnath in Gujarat, he traverses the country. The book records his experiences along the way. In Kerala he witnesses the mysterious astrological ceremony known as the asta mangela, which is to discover why a family or temple is having problems; in Ladakh he is attacked by a Tibetan oracle for being an "unbeliever"; in Ujjain he meets a silent guru who has not spoken for 40 years; and in Delhi he meets Indira Gandhi's former clairvoyant. Finally he meets B.V. Raman, said by every Indian astrologer to be the greatest living astrologer in the world. Also included are many examples of Indian do-it-yourself fortune-telling, from how to tell the future by the moles on your body, to the Indian method of judging a person's character from the size and structure of their genitals.