BHOPAL: Most astrologers take up their profession by way of family tradition; some learn it from gurus directly or from institutes run by association of astrologers and another category learns it through self-study, plenty of which is available online.
Perhaps for the first time, the Madhya Pradesh School Education Department is including astrology, along with two other traditional practices of Vastu and priesthood, as vocational courses through the government-run Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Sansthan in Bhopal.
“We’re starting one-year diploma courses not only in astrology, but also in Vastu and Paurohitya (priesthood) by the MPSS, which hitherto was only confined to administering Sanskrit education in government schools of the state,” MPSS director PR Tiwari sais, adding, “As far as I know, only Banaras Hindu University has one-year diploma course and that too only in astrology.
Sources in the school education department said that the three courses are the brainchild of school education minister Kunwar Vijay Shah, who aims at creating a rich pool of astrology and vastu experts, besides purohits.
They will be skilled to offer professional services not only to clients in the country, but serve the thriving population of NRIs and Indian aboriginals in countries like Mauritius, Surinam, Fiji and Trinidad.
The three courses will have 30 seats for Class XII passouts. “There will be no caste barrier for applying for enrolment to these courses, but preference will be given to those who are well-versed with modern technologies. We want to produce experts who can work with modern gadgets by using the ancient wisdom,” Tiwari said.
Syllabus has been prepared with help from experts from across India and includes more hands-on training and less theory.