After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the famous fish prasadam event will resume at Nampally in Hyderabad on Friday, June 9. Lakhs of people are expected to gather at the exhibition grounds in Nampally to receive a live, wiggling fingerling fish stuffed with herbal paste, a so-called miracle cure for asthma, administered by the Hyderabad-based Bathini Goud family.
The event, supported by the government, was inaugurated this year by Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav. The government has taken steps to ensure that the lakhs of people coming from various states to receive the prasadam face no inconvenience, said Srinivas. He noted that people have a lot of “faith” in the fish prasadam administered by the Bathini Harinath Goud family members.
Firstly, what is the fish prasadam made of?
It comprises live murrel (snakehead) fingerling fish stuffed with a yellow herbal paste. This slithery concoction is then slipped into the asthma patient’s mouth, who must swallow it without water.
Asthma patients or individuals suffering from respiratory diseases must consume this paste via a fish on the day of Mrigasira Karthi each year, which marks the onset of the monsoon. Additionally, visitors are prescribed a specific diet and advised to take the fish prasadam for four to six consecutive years.
How is the Prasadam Effective?
The Goud family claims that the prasadam works in the following way: the small live fish wiggles inside the person’s throat, pushing the phlegm and making it easier for the individual to breathe. This, they assert, helps tackle respiratory conditions.
Dos and Don’ts of the ‘Fish Prasadam’ Treatment
Do not drink water for half an hour after the medicine is administered.