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BANGALORE, INDIA, July 04, 2004: Amid a haze of sandalwood incense, K.N. Somayaji fields yet another call from his bank of telephones, this one from the Indian subsidiary of a U.S. auto-parts manufacturer. It sounds like just another business conversation, but Somayaji, a balding, round-faced man with three stripes of sacred ash smeared on his forehead, is neither banker nor businessman. He is a guru. “The divine force of God appears before me on a daily basis in the form of troubled and needy people, and I am here to guide them,” he says. Somayaji is both astrologer and a specialist in vaastu, similar to the Chinese tradition of feng-shui in that it seeks to ensure good fortune by means of structural and interior design. The Indian auto-parts firm had turned to the holy man after orders from their new factory fell far short of expectations. Somayaji determined that the plant owed its troubles to poor vaastu, and dispatched a team of Hindu priests to the site. After 48 days of prayer, the company returned a profit in May. For thousands of years, Indians of all castes and income levels have consulted mystic astrologers. In rapidly modernizing India there is abundant anecdotal evidence that many top businessmen routinely, if discreetly, consult astrologers and other mystics on personal issues and corporate matters. Somayaji, 45, is as comfortable in the language of high-tech and business as he is with the astral implications of the planets. “It’s a science of vibrations,” he said. He charges no set fees, but lives comfortably on the donations from clients, many of whom live abroad and pay for his frequent first-class trips around the world.



Astrology has its sceptics in India, and prominent academics challenged in the courts a government decision to permit Indian universities to award degrees in astrology. “Science is committed to the truth, and astrology is not a science,” said Pushpa Bhargava, a biologist who was among the plaintiffs. “Government must not support irrational systems in any way.” However, India’s Supreme Court ruled, “since astrology is partly based upon movement of the sun, earth, planets and other celestial bodies, it is a study of science at least to some extent.” This was a major victory for astrology, also known as jyotisha, from the Sanskrit word for light. “Astrology is associated with all kinds of mumbo jumbo which has nothing to do with jyotisha,” said Gayatri Devi Vasudev, editor of Bangalore-based Astrological Magazine, founded by her great-grandfather in 1896. “It is a science which sheds light on areas to which you do not have access otherwise.”



In any case, believers seem far more numerous than doubters in India. Marriage ads typically ask potential spouses to submit horoscopes along with photographs and biographical information. Politicians openly consult astrologers before filing their election papers, and Bollywood producers routinely seek counsel from “numerologists,” before deciding on the titles of new films. Somayaji his wife and two young children make their home Bangalore, where he runs a religious school for Hindu devotees. Somayaji is a minor celebrity in India, where his predictions sometimes turn up in major newspapers. Many come to him with personal problems. A father consulted Somayaji on the marriage prospects of his pretty, well-educated daughter. Following a favorable prediction, the relieved father touched Somayaji’s feet, handing over a wad of rupee notes, which the guru pocketed without comment. Not everyone gets good news however, and sometimes clients leave in tears. Roopashri Gopalaswamy, 27, a business consultant recalls Somayaji’s visit with a hint of awe. “He walks in, goes around for five minutes and then he was able to give us a complete breakdown of the company. A couple of times we’ve gone against his advice, and we’ve paid the price,” she said.

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