The annual festival in the city of Nampally in Hyderabad prepares to receive hundreds of asthma sufferers during the first week of June, which often heralds the start of the monsoon season. Patients receive treatment at the event by ingesting live fish mixed with a medicinal paste.
Every year, people wait in queues at the Nampally exhibition grounds to get the wonder remedy known as "Fish Prasadam," which is thought to treat respiratory issues.
The Telangana state government organizes the event in a lavish manner each year. Around 2 lakh fishlings were purchased by the Department of Fisheries in 2018, and 80,000 people attended the event. Experts from the criminal department were among the more than 2,000 police officers who were on duty during the festival.
What exactly is all the fuss about this fish prasadam, where did it come from, and why is it so well-liked?
First, let's know what fish prasadam exactly is.
It consists of live fingerling murrel (snakehead) fish that has been filled with a yellow herbal mixture. The asthmatic patient must then forcefully swallow this slimy mixture without water when it is placed in their mouth.
What is the origin of Fish Prasadam?
This is the plot of the tale that resembles an Amar Chitra Katha tale: A wandering, drenched holy mendicant from the Himalayas came to the door of the Bathini household on a stormy Mrigasira Karti night in 1845. He was hungry and worn out. He was fed, given dry clothing, and given a place to stay for the night by Veeranna Goud, the toddy trader who lived in the home and was known for always helping those in need.
The fish treatment for respiratory problems was revealed to Veeranna Goud by the sage the following morning as he was leaving the home. Veeranna's great-grandsons, Vishwanath Goud and Harinath Goud, are presently honoring the heritage and serving the fish prasadam.
When is it safe to swallow?
Every year, on Mrigasira Karthi, the day that heralds the arrival of the monsoon, those who have asthma or other respiratory conditions must eat this mixture along with a fish. Additionally, the guests are given dietary instructions and instructed to consume the fish prasadam for four to six years in a row.
Do vegetarians use a different recipe?
The prasadam is served to vegetarians without fish. It is said that vegetarians take a lot longer to recover from their respiratory diseases while using the yellow herbal paste that is combined with jaggery.
How does the prasadam work?
The Goud family claims that the prasadam works in the following way: they assert that the little live fish wiggles within the person's throat pushes the phlegm, and eases breathing, aiding the person in overcoming the respiratory disease.
'Fish prasadam' treatment: what to do and what not to do
Water shouldn't be consumed for 30 minutes after taking the medication.
The recipients of fish prasadam are given three further doses of the "medicine" to consume once every two weeks when they return home. For 45 days, they should adhere to a rigorous diet.
Is it offered without charge to the public?
There is no charge for the fish prasadam. However, the government sells the murrel fish to the general public for Rs. 25 per piece.
The prasadam's popularity
To get the prasadam, thousands of devotees go to Hyderabad every year around this time from all around India and even from beyond. The Department of Fisheries produces about 450 kg of prasadam and occasionally sells thousands of fishlings at the event.
Government officials have throughout the years planned amenities like free meals, drinking water, and access to restrooms due to the popularity of the prasadam distribution event.
Superstition or a cure?
At least one asthma sufferer out of every ten resides in India, where there are an estimated 1.5–2 crore asthma patients worldwide. Asthma is reported to have higher economic consequences than both TB and HIV/AIDS put together.
For those who live with asthma, the thought of being free from this chronic illness that drains their finances is too alluring.
It has frequently been disputed by scientists and campaigners.
The Indian Medical Association even challenged the traditional remedy's components in court. They asserted that heavy metals included in the herbal paste might seriously harm one’s health.
The Goud family has refuted these claims, claiming that the herbal paste has been examined in labs in accordance with court rulings and found to be safe.
(Inputs from various media sources)
(HN)
