NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 27, 2007: Over 100,000 people packed New Delhi last weekend for India’s biggest gathering on body, mind and spirit, which showcased the growing interest in alternative remedies. The Nakshatra 2007 seminar and exhibition attracted renowned astrologers, numerologists, palmists, Vasthu Sastra experts, pyramid science consultants, gemologist, yoga teachers, tarot card readers, magnet therapies, acupuncturist, Reiki healers and scholars of ancient Indian wisdom. They suggested ways to overcome stress, health, finance and emotional challenges and how to remove unseen and unknown forces through self-healing methods. Vasthu Sastra and Vedic astrology dominated the seminars as many visitors were seeking for solace through the 5,000-year-old science of dwelling and wanted to know their future through horoscope analysis. The occasion also highlighted several areas of confusions and contradictions in the practices of Vasthu and feng shui from China. While Vasthu disallowed and regarded the rearing of fish, hamster, birds and turtles as sinful, feng shui sees them as prosperity symbol. International Institute of Vedic Astrology director Prof Vishnu Bhaskar from Delhi said dwellers should look at the similarities and goodness of both sciences instead of their differences as both are aimed at harmonious living. “Instead of disputing the teachings and practices, an individual should recognize that these ancient values hold a lot of logic and truth.” Although Vasthu is older than feng shui, some Vasthu practitioners have begun incorporating the tools and gadgets of feng shui to solve defects in houses. This is because the feng shui products are appealing and give people a sense of connection to the cosmic energies. But in the case of Vasthu defects in houses, remedies are found via the art of placement of things within a property.
In the astrological world, prominent healer Sunil Kumar Garg was an attraction at the expo because he could predict the health and future of an individual by studying the person’s teeth structure and lines in the finger nails. Almost all Indian astrologers at the gathering were equipped with palm computers and laptops loaded with modules on astrology, matchmaking, numerology and the Indian almanac. The people of India have embraced computerized astrology reading. By comparison, the traditional manual method is time-consuming and sometimes inaccurate. Since astronomy and astrology are inter-related, she said, people should be made to understand the importance of following some principles of Vedic Science to see the difference in their life. “The main objective of the gathering was to eliminate the misconception about Indian sciences,” said Abha Bansal, director of Future Point, which has produced several versions of astrological software.