KANNUR: In the swirl of controversy over CPM state secretary M V Govindan’s recent visit to an astrologer, one fact is often overlooked: A V Madhava Pothuval is no ordinary soothsayer.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to industrialist Gautam Adani and Supreme Court judges, Pothuval’s clientele reads like the who’s who of India’s political and business elite. ‘Guruji’ to his north Indian clients, Pothuval’s links to the corridors of power began more than a decade ago.
In 2010, when Amit Shah was embroiled in a legal fight in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, three acquaintances of Shah approached the Payyanur astrologer with his horoscope.
“I didn’t know Amit Shah at the time,” Pothuval recalls.
“My relative, Sudha Menon, recommended me to his family. They had to wait three hours at my home, but I predicted the exact date when he will be relieved from the case. When it came true, it sparked a relationship of trust that has endured to this day.”
The following year, Shah visited him in Payyanur. Pothuval took him to the Payyanur Subramanya Swami temple and the Thaliparamba Rajarajeshwara temple, suggesting offerings such as the ‘swarna kuda pooja’ and ‘swarna vel’.
“He performed all of them wholeheartedly,” Pothuval said.
“From then on, we met several times in Payyanur, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Gujarat. Even last month, during his Kerala visit, he came to see me here.”
In 2012, Pothuval met Narendra Modi, then the Gujarat chief minister. On examining his horoscope, he told Modi it contained a rare ‘chakravarthi yogam’ - an ‘emperor alignment’. “Within two years, he became prime minister,” Pothuval said.
“That meeting began a respectful connection that continues today. His ‘chakravarthi yogam’ will last for many more years,” he points out.
If Shah was the political bridge, Adani became a personal friend. The industrialist visited Payyanur in 2021 for a family horoscope reading -- a trip that drew political controversy after Congress leader Mullappally Ramachandran alleged that Adani secretly met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan the same day.
“The media claimed I arranged the meeting,” Pothuval said. “It’s all lies. I was with Adani from the moment he landed until he left. We visited the Sri Rajarajeshwara Temple, he ate at my home, and we discussed astrology and family matters. He still seeks my advice before major projects.”
Pothuval’s reputation rests on a more than a century-old family legacy. His uncle, V P K Pothuval, founded Jyothi Sadanam in 1915, shaping it into one of India’s most respected Vedic astrology centres. He earned the title ‘jyotisha chakravarti’ from the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.
His sons Narayana Pothuval, Jagadheesh Pothuval, P Madhava Pothuval along with A V Madhava Pothuval took over Jyothi Sadanam in 2018. Then it was already an address known to politicians, film stars and industrialists across India.
“I once saw Jayalalithaa’s horoscope before she entered politics,” he said. “It was given to me by Swaraswathy amma, mother of the Travancore Sisters: Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini.”
Though adept at predicting the national political scene, Pothuval kept his silence when it came to Kerala. Hailing from a town better known for communist banners than crystal balls, he admits that he was once a staunch CPM supporter.
“Our village was a CPM stronghold. Over time, I became familiar with Congress and BJP leaders. Now, I have friends in all parties. Many of them have approached me to have their horoscopes examined. I don’t follow any particular party, but when I vote, I have a clear choice.”
His discretion has been key to his reputation -- though controversies such as Adani’s 2021 visit and now Govindan’s meeting have occasionally thrust him into the spotlight.
The latest uproar began when Govindan visited Pothuval at his Payyanur home a few days ago, prompting questions about why a leader of a party known for its scepticism of superstition would seek out an astrologer. Pothuval shrugs off the speculation: “It was a friendly, personal visit. No politics, no predictions.”