By Justice Katju
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These days the Indian media is full of horoscopes and astrological forecasts, and evidently a large section of the Indian people willingly lap up this humbug and nonsense. A few examples are given below :
https://www.hindustantimes.com/astrology/horoscope
https://www.deccanherald.com/horoscope
https://www.astroyogi.com/horoscopes
https://www.astroyogi.com/horoscopes/daily
TV channels that beam programmes on astrology have high viewership ratings. The Indian media promotes superstitions and backward ideas to divert people’s attention from the real issues facing the nation. The media owners regard the media as only a means of making money, and consequently in India recent tendencies show the media playing an extremely reactionary role. by promoting superstitions like astrology and backward ideas, and diverting attention of the people from the huge real issues facing India, which are socio-economic, such as widespread poverty, massive unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second Indian child is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for our masses, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, etc.
Most businessmen, politicians, lawyers, professors, students, unemployed youth, etc believe in astrology, and often visit astrologers ( who make a lot of money from their spurious vocation ), wanting to know their future and opportunities.
There is widespread belief in astrology and palmistry among a large number of Indians, which reflects their backward mindsets. Every day one sees horoscope forecasts in the Indian media, which indicates that many people believe in them. People are advised to wear clothes of certain colors, or certain precious stones, depending on their ‘raashi’, for success in some activity or to avoid a mishap. They often go to astrologers or palmists to know about their future and how to avoid a calamity and be successful
Astrology is prediction of future human affairs by study of the movements of the celestial bodies ( the sun, stars, planets, etc ).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology
Palmistry is future prediction by studying the palm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmistry
Astrology is not to be confused with astronomy. While astronomy is a science, astrology and palmistry are pure superstition, humbug, and poppycock. Even a little common sense can tell us that there is no rational connection between our future lives and the movement of stars and planets, or the lines on one’s palm. How can the movement of celestial bodies, or a look at one’s palm, determine whether one will succeed in a business, or become a doctor, teacher, lawyer, scientist or artist, or get a job ( if unemployed ), or die at 50 or 80 ? And how can that tell us how to avoid a misfortune or be successful in some activity ? Yet the vast majority of Indians believe in them, and it is believed that 30% citizens of USA, the most technically advanced country in the world, believe in astrology.
https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/04/11/42552
Astrology apps became popular in late 2010s in America, receiving millions of dollars in Silicon Valley venture capital.
https://www.wework.com/…/the-big-business-of-astrology…
After the attempted assassination of former US President Ronald Reagan, his wife Nancy commissioned a person as a secret White House astrologer.
https://www.latimes.com/…/la-me-ln-nancy-reagan…
In Japan women born in ‘hinoeuma’ year are believed to bring bad luck, and have difficulty in getting married ( like ‘mangali’ girls in India ).
https://blogs.worldbank.org/…/curse-fire-horse-how…
When I was appointed Chief Justice of Madras High Court I was advised not to take oath of office at ‘rahukaalam’ time, which is regarded inauspicious. Many Ministers, Judges, and others take oath of office only at the time advised by their astrologer.
A very senior lawyer of the Indian Supreme Court, who had been Attorney General of India, told me that many of his clients from south India ( who were all educated and well to do ) would tell him not to start reading his brief at ‘rahukaalam’ time.
The University Grants Commission of India decided to give grants to Indian Universities for teaching astrology, and consequently many Indian Universities opened astrology departments, or made astrology as a subject for getting a degree.
Astrology as a subject of study in degree courses in India was introduced by the University Grants Commission ( UGC ) in 2000 on the order of the then BJP HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi ( who had been a Professor of Physics in Allahabad University, and therefore, being a scientist, was expected to be against an unscientific thing and superstition like astrology ). This order was upheld by the Indian Supreme Court, which said that astrology was a science.
https://m.thewire.in/article/law/science-astrology-pseudoscience-court-judgments
https://main.sci.gov.in/jonew/judis/26188.pdf
Following this decision the Bombay High Court also held that astrology is a science
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/…/artic…/7418795.cms
Why do most Indians ( and people elsewhere ) believe in astrology, which is pure superstition, unscientific, humbug and nonsense ? After all, many of such believers are otherwise educated, many even highly educated scientists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc
The reason is that in view of the low development of science in the world as yet, compared to what it will be in, say, a hundred years from now, the chance factor is still very powerful in our lives. We plan something, but something else happens. For instance, in my youth I intended to be a doctor, but ended up being a lawyer, and then a judge. A businessman plans on making his business successful, but it often fails. So people believe that there are certain forces which control their lives, and seek to discover them. Due to the low level of scientific knowledge as yet, we are often unable to know these forces, or how they operate. Hence arose the belief since ancient times that it is the celestial bodies ( or the lines on one’s palm ) which control our lives and determine our future. If we act in a certain way by studying the movements of these celestial bodies ( or one’s palm ) we can avoid a calamity and be successful in our lives.
All this is of course superstition, poppycock, and baloney, but a lot of people ( maybe upto 90% Indians ) believe in it.
It is only when science has progressed to a very advanced level ( which may take another hundred years or so ) that we will be able to control our lives, and then what we plan will happen. Till then many people will keep believing in astrology or palmistry, which, as mentioned before, are pure crap and unscientific superstitions.
For progress Indians must adopt the scientific attitude and scientific outlook. In other words, they must develop rational and questioning minds for solving the country’s massive problems of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of proper healthcare and good education, etc. and give up superstitions like belief in astrology or palmistry. But this will take a very long time
