“One visit can change your life,” says the presenter on a Telugu news channel. Planets spin against a spacey backdrop behind him – a popular effect on such segments. Astrology is based on the premise that the movement and placement of stars and planets has a bearing on your life. While normally such forces lie out of your control, there is a huge market for ratna rashis, or astrological gemstones. These stones, which correspond to your name, star sign and date of birth, can supposedly be worn to influence everything from your career to your choice of spouse.
The persuaders are a cross-religious tag team – one dons the garb of a Hindu priest and the other is a Muslim ‘astro gemologist’. Together, they speak on the changes you can make to your life by wearing the right stone for your rashi.
“If you wear two types of stones, you will get a beautiful wife. Your will have settlement in life. We are not offering this as a one month or a two month solution, rather it is for a lifetime.”
TV segments like these are commonly broadcast on many news channels, and some states have moved to ban them. Yet the belief in astrology, and in this case, gems, persists – through endless websites, blogs, YouTube channels and the all-important word of mouth effect.
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