As the dawn of Thursday ushered in Mrigasira Karthi , a large number of people entering the Exhibition Grounds marked the beginning of the annual ritual when members of the Bathini family administer fish medicine to those suffering from asthma and other breathing disorders.
The 24-hour event was kick-started by Minister for Commercial Taxes, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, at around 9 a.m.
He was joined by Deputy Chief Minister Mohd. Mahmood Ali and Home Minister Nayini Narsimha Reddy. The Bathini family was equipped to administer the medicine to about 1.5 lakh patients this time.
The annual event has been on since 1989, when the Bathini brothers were helped by the Hyderabad district administration and the city police to organise the camp at Exhibition Grounds.
Earlier, the fish medicine was given to people at Doodh Bowli residence of the family in old city, a tradition that was started in 1845. The police made sure that there was no stampede and regulated thousands of people who arrived at the Exhibition Grounds with the firm belief that the fish medicine would cure them of respiratory disorders. There were at least a dozen-and-a-half counters where the Bathini Goud family members administered the medicine.
Vegetarian variety
Interestingly, there was a vegetarian variety too, for those who feel queasy about swallowing a live fish. Bathini Harinath Goud, one of the two brothers who has been carrying on the tradition, said, “For those who are not comfortable swallowing a live fish stuffed with the medicine, we give them the same medicine mixed with jaggery.” Once the medicine was administered, patients were given a pamphlet that lists out 27 edible items that they can consume and 24 items that they need to avoid, over a period of 45 days. Patients were also given tablets that they need to consume.
