HYDERABAD: Does the alignment of planets and stars at the time of an individual’s birth determine his/her destiny? Will the person settle abroad or in home country? Would the individual suffer from life-threatening ailments such as heart attack, cancer, etc.? How can all these aspects be predetermined? Is there no such thing as the ‘free will’ of an individual? Are we bound to fate’s inescapable gravity?
These and many other questions were bubbling in my head when I went to meet renowned astrologer Dr TS Vineeth Bhatt at his home in Bowenpally a few days ago. He radiated energy – one could feel it from close quarters. As though reading my mind, he asked me to give just my full name and age. No date of birth, no time of birth, no place of birth. Just name and age. I sat there feeling smug, wondering if he would be able to tell the major events of my life thus far. After a couple of minutes, he began speaking.
I had gone abroad for studies. Check. I’m staying along with my parents in an own house that is not on the ground floor. Check. No major health issues thus far. Check. The current profession I’m working in is entirely different from my previous roles. Check. And he went on and on and on, and every single one of what he said was one hundred percent true. How much accurate and on what other aspects would he be able to speak if details such as birth date and time of birth were given, I thought to myself.
Not surprisingly, his clientele includes a galaxy of politicians, IAS/IPS officers, film stars, and other prominent individuals. And Dr Vineeth Bhatt has been honoured with the ‘Best Astrologer of the World 2017’ Award at Russian Parliament in Moscow in 2017. Noted historian Viktor Kondrashin conferred the Award on him, and Andrei Svintsov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Information Policy, awarded him the certificate.
He also looks into numerology, the study of numerical values of letters in the name of an individual. “Each letter has a number assigned to it. The addition of numbers corresponding to a particular name along with the numbers in the person’s date of birth gives the ‘lucky number’ of that person,” he says.
He has done ‘Idol-fixing’ for 77 temples across the country, including two in Warangal thus far. At 38, he is reportedly the youngest person in India to have done this procedure. “Sometimes, a temple is constructed haphazardly, without much thought. There is a nine-day process consisting of Yajnas, Homas and other rituals, after which an idol can be fixed in a temple. A normal stone is transformed into a powerful and energetic object in this duration,” he adds.
How did he get interested in astrology? “At the age of seven, I had my thread ceremony. I learned the basics of astrology from my grandfather, with whom I used to travel a lot. I studied in a Sanskrit school in Kerala from Class V to Class X. My grandfather was an eminent astrologer, idol-fixer, ayurveda expert and numerologist. At 16, I officially began to take clients,” he says.
“If a doctor is unable to ‘detect’ something that is ailing you, or if a person is in hospital for long but unable to overcome his/her symptoms, in those cases, we check if the person has been under the ‘influence’ of something that cannot be explained by science. We then perform necessary pujas to remedy the condition. There have been many cases of this nature that have been resolved successfully,” claims Babu, his assistant.
“In some cases, doctors have predicted that a person will die within the next three months. When we checked the horoscope, we found that there everything was fine, and the person will go on to live for another 20 to 25 years. And they have recovered and done well,” adds Krishna, his other assistant.
“Moreover, if the problems in our current life are determined to be the result of ‘past-life karma’, then those issues can be rectified. The name of the procedure is ‘Akhamarshana Sukta Mantra Havanam’. Not everyone can do it, as it needs expert supervision,” says Dr Vineeth Bhatt.
Not just face-to-face interactions, Dr Vineeth Bhatt also responds to email queries from seekers. His assistant Krishna handles emails and replies to users based on the inputs given by him. Those interested in reaching out can email thirumeni9@gmail.com or call +91 95733 83838.
— Shyam Yadagiri shyam@newindianexpress.com @shyamyadagiri