Hyderabad(June, 10) : The ‘fish prasadam’, promoted as a cure for asthma, is administered by the family of Bathini Harinath Goud, who claim to be following the tradition since 1845. Volunteers stuff a yellow paste into the mouth of a Murrel fish and then force-feed it to visitors. However, due to objections raised by the rationalist group Jana Vigyan Vedika, the (erstwhile) Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that the substance could not be considered a drug and hence was called ‘fish prasadam’. The Bathini family claims that crawfish clears phlegm and advises people to take it continuously for three years to get a permanent cure from asthma, a claim that lacks scientific support.
After a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event resumed, attracting large crowds as early as 8:30 am. Despite the absence of scientific evidence supporting the paste’s effectiveness or potential harm, the belief attracted thousands of people, especially from outside Hyderabad.
The crowd gathered at the exhibition ground had to be stopped by volunteers and police personnel.
