Thousands of people turn up at Hyderabad Nampally exhibition ground to swallow ‘fish prasadam’

In spite of the extreme heat, people from neighboring states and all across the country turned up to take ‘Prasadam’, in spite of the long lines.
Crowd at Hyderabad’s Nampally Exhibition grounds
Crowd at Hyderabad’s Nampally Exhibition grounds
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On a scorching summer day when the temperature soared to 38.3 degrees Celsius, hundreds of people gathered at Hyderabad's Nampally Exhibition grounds on Friday, June 10, braving the heat to receive a dose of the controversial 'Fish Prasadam.' Among them was Mahendra Singh, a 60-year-old farmer from Daulpur, Rajasthan, who had traveled 28 hours by train with his friends Rishabh Singh and Santosh Sibgh to be part of the event.

While most people were scrambling to secure tokens and join the long queues, Mahendra Singh and his companions chose to wait under the shade of a tree due to their age and physical weakness. They had arrived a day earlier and had been camping at the venue ever since. Mahendra Singh expressed their predicament, stating, "We have no choice but to wait. Once the rush subsides, we will proceed." Despite the mental and physical toll, they were determined to experience the much-hyped 'Fish Prasadam.' Their return ticket was booked for June 11.

His friend Rishabh however was clearly running out of patience after seeing the massive crowds thronging the venue. “The government is providing support, but if you are not fit and can’t line up, what do you do?”, he asked. All three of them are into farming at Daulpur, which is about 300 kilometers from their capital Jaipur in Rajasthan. Except for when they go to eat food at a nearby hotel, they will sleep and stay at the Exhibition ground itself, since renting a room will be expensive.

The event, which is supposed to end the next day in the afternoon, however may stretch late into the night, said police officials at the site.

The 'Fish Prasadam,' touted as a cure for asthma, is administered by the family of Bathini Harinath Goud, who claims to have been practicing this tradition since 1845. Volunteers stuff a yellow paste into the mouth of a murrel fish and then force-feed it to the visitors. However, due to objections raised by the rationalist group Jana Vignana Vedika, the (erstwhile) Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that the substance cannot be considered medicine and therefore termed it 'Fish Prasadam.' The Bathini family claims that the wriggling fish clears up phlegm and recommends people to take it for three consecutive years to be permanently cured of asthma, a claim lacking scientific backing.

After a hiatus of three years due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event resumed, attracting a large crowd from as early as 8:30 am. Despite the absence of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness or potential harm of the paste, faith drew thousands of people, especially from outside Hyderabad.

While some attendees were genuinely seeking relief from respiratory ailments, others, like Mahbub Pathan from Udgir, Maharashtra, attributed a reduction in pain to the 'Fish Prasadam.' He had traveled for 12 hours in sweltering heat along with his family and acquaintances. However, not everyone was able to smoothly proceed through the queues. Volunteers and police personnel had to hold back the surging crowds at the Exhibition ground.

“I have some breathing problems, and also the left side of my jaw hurts due to some reasons. I need to take a tablet before eating everyday due to that. But after I had this fish once, my pain had gone down considerably,” Mahbub told TNM. 

To receive the 'Fish Prasadam,' individuals were required to purchase a fish from the Telangana Fisheries department for Rs 40. The volunteers swiftly administered the fish, causing some recipients to nearly choke. However, food and water were provided by local support groups, offering some respite to those who had traveled from out of town.

Some of the people at the event also took the ‘Fish Prasadam’ for kicks, since they were accompanying family members. Rakhi Singh (30), a native of Madhya Pradesh, was one of them. “I don’t have any ailments but I thought this will be helpful in some way since it is beneficial for others. I came here with my husband and in-laws. We will go back today itself,” she said. 

Like her, Ajay Singh Chauhan, and his two brothers Vishal and Yuvraj were also at the venue on Friday. By around 10 a.m., they were able to buy their fish, and finish the process. At the end point where the ‘Prasadam’ was being administered, it took five more seconds for the process to finish and end. 

By Friday afternoon, over a lakh (100,000) people had already attended the event, with expectations of even larger numbers the following day. Senior police officials at Nampally Exhibition grounds stated that they might have to continue operations until the following night and maintain traffic restrictions accordingly. A senior police official told TNM that nearly one lakh persons had obtained the fish prasadam as of Saturday morning.

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