Thousands throng Bathini's famed ‘Fish Prasadam' at Nampally
Hyderabad: Thousands of Asthma patients and persons with breathing issues thronged to the Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to take the famed 'Fish Prasadam' being provided by the Bathini family on the occasion of Mrigashira Karte.
Close to 80,000 people consumed the prasadam by midnight and the number is expected to cross over a lakh by Monday afternoon. A septuagenarian died of cardiac arrest while waiting for his turn in the queue lines during the distribution of Prasadam.
As part of the century-old tradition, the Bathini Goud's family performed pooja in the wee hours and started the distribution at 9.30 am. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar along with PCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, Fisheries Corporation Chairman M Sai Kumar and others inaugurated the distribution of Fish Prasadam.
The herbal medicine in the form of a paste along with a Murrel fish is inserted into the patient's mouth. If taken for four consecutive years, the medicine cures asthma, believe many patients. This has been challenged by the scientists, rationalists and other experts. Though the number has come down during the last few years, the patients' tryst with the Prasadam is not dying down as there were several who have come for three to four times consecutively. The Prasadam was not distributed during the COVID pandemic period.
The administration had made elaborate arrangements for seamless experience for the asthma patients. The premises were barricaded with 42 queue lines with separate enclosures to manage the crowd. There was heavy police bandobust at the Exhibition Grounds maintaining the queue lines. People not only from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, but several aged persons came from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other places also arrived, hoping to getting cured from the long pending ailment. Some of them had reached late night on Saturday.
While the government provided fish, drinking water, lighting, special buses and other infrastructure, the philanthropist organisations also provided helping hands by organising food, tea and other stalls. The Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust, which has been associated with the Bhathini family, Agarwal Samaj, Kanyakubz Samaj organised a mega food camp for the needy. Similarly, the Jaiswal Samaj and Jadhav Seva Mahila mandal had offered evening snacks to the visitors.
Speaking during the occasion, Ponnam Prabhakar said that the Bathini family has been doing a great service to mankind. He said that the family which has been serving the patients should be provided Padmashri by the Centre. He said that the Congress government in the State was also supporting this programme by involving eleven departments. He lauded the Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust for their services, stating that the organisation started their work a week before and provided all the necessary support to the visitors.
Recalling his association with the Bathini family since 1995, PCC Chief Mahesh Goud said he had suffered with asthma and recovered after taking the Fish Prasadam. He said that several Pharma companies tried to lure and also threatened them but the family did not buckle under pressure and continued their services. He said that the state government should also recognise their services.
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