HYDERABAD: All roads leading to the Exhibition Grounds, especially from the Nampally railway station, saw an unprecedented rush with the ‘fish prasadam’ being distributed by Bathini family to thousands of asthma patients who descended from various parts of the country and abroad.
Marking the onset monsoon — Mrigasira Karthi, the annual event is being conducted by Bathini Goud family since over a century.
“It is all about the faith that the medicine will work. Some come here, take the medicine and see the change within a year and some don’t. People are coming only because it works, otherwise why would they come,’’ said M Prakash Goud, a volunteer present at the event.
Like Prakash, many volunteers and groups have extended their service for the event including NCC cadets from local city colleges and Agarwal Seva Dal among others.
The murrel fisherlings which forms the base for the ‘prasadam’ is stuffed with a herbal paste that makes the ‘prasadam’ (medicine). Though several people have raised doubts about its authenticity and its healing properties, the family, however, keeps the recipe for the paste a trade secret.
Dr Shyamala, a professor of pharmacology, doesn’t see any magic property in the fish, but the paste with which they administer might have a medicinal value. “Asthma will not be cured once the medicine is taken, but people with the placebo effect, a psychological effect that the receptors of the medicine, may perceive a personal expectation makes all the difference. Moreover, there can be nausea, skin irritation and vomiting if the body rejects the ‘fish medicine’ if not properly administered,’’ she added.
A set diet is to be followed for the desired effect by the people who gulped the fish ‘prasadam.’ Patients are advised not to have water until half-an-hour after the medicine is administered.
“I have seen my brother recover from the disorder after he had taken the medicine and since then I wanted to try. I am sure it will reduce my asthama problem,” said Rakesh Kumar, an asthama patient who has come from Hubli in Karnataka.
Till late in the night, according to the fisheries department, which stocked 60,000 fishes, 47,000 people took the ‘prasadam.’ “It is expected that 10,000 more people will take the medicine till morning (end of Mrigasira Karthi),’’ an official said.