“My foray into the world of prediction was almost pre-determined, hailing from a lineage of astrologers. With three generations into this, I was expected to take forward the skill and therefore, was refrained from enrolling in schools. But little did I realize then, that the same activity would grow to become a joke and with time, even obsolete, rendering me with very little to take care of my household eventually.

Today, at thirty-five, I’ve seen some of the toughest moments, financially, especially after the onset of the Coronavirus crash. With my work completely being dependent outside, on wandering crowds, the money flow saw an abrupt halt with the lockdowns. Earlier, I was a familiar face at Chennai’s Besant Nagar beach spending my evenings with a purpose. Today, I’m barely able to get work, and even if a few loyal clients call me, it requires me to cycle, and walk all the way from Tambaram.

Then there’s another itch too, specific to my field, which is the plethora of questions I get asked for using a parrot. The animal is literally a part of my family, but there are some out there, who often push people like us to a corner, under the scope of animal welfare. Not to mention, people’s skepticism over abstract concepts like astrology is another hurdle that I’m striving to overcome every day, with quality predictions.

I just hope there comes a day when people take us, genuine folks in the astrology community, seriously, because looking at the scenario now, it feels like we won’t even last a decade. Or even if survival isn’t possible and there’s a unanimous agreement amongst society to shut down parrot-based astrology, then I pray that the government helps us with alternative job opportunities, giving us a means to sustain!

With three young children to take care of, this is the only fear that’s looming large in my head. As days keep rolling with little to no customers, I know I can even survive with a glass of tea, but I wouldn’t ever want my kin to suffer further, due to lack of education or good health. As a father, I want to free them from this vicious circle of poverty and be in a position where just getting through the day doesn’t feel incredibly painful.”