HYDERABAD: Touted to be a cure for asthma, the famed ‘Fish Prasadam’ will be administered to individuals for free at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds from 8 am on June 9 for a period of about 24 hours. Members of the Bathini family, who started the initiative 178 years ago, on Tuesday announced that the wonder drug couldn’t be administered in the last three years due to Covid-19 but look to continue the practice as usual.
Thousands of patients suffering from asthma converge at Exhibition Grounds in the first week of June, especially on Mrigasira Karti, every year hoping to receive the ‘Fish Prasadam’. However, for about a decade, rationalists have challenged its efficacy. The wonder drug was also taken to court by the Indian Medical Association, which alleged that the herbal paste contains heavy metals that can cause serious health problems.
Addressing a press conference here, Bathini family members — Bathini Amarnath Goud, Bathini Gowri Shankar Goud, Bathini Shiv Shankar Goud, Bathini Santosh Goud and others — said Fish Prasadam will be administered on Mrigasira Karti from 8 am on June 9 and till next morning this year. The yellow herbal paste is inserted into the mouth of a live fingerling, which is then stuffed into the throat of a patient. For the vegetarians, a separate concoction is prepared with jaggery. However, vegetarians need to take the medicine for a longer period.
The organisers said they are coordinating with Exhibition Grounds authorities and other related departments involved in the drive. State government bodies and departments such as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL), Fisheries and Police departments will make elaborate arrangements for the successful administration of the ‘Fish Prasadam’, they added. It is alleged that the recipe for the wonder drug was given to the family by a saint in 1845 under the promise that it would be administered to people for free.