(Astrologers make merry in economic downturn)
ECONOMIC TIMES 23TH NOVEMBER 2008.
Not everyone is unhappy over the turmoil in the global financial market. For people who can gaze into the crystal ball and predict the future, business these days is not bad at all. So even as bad news keeps pouring in from the stock markets and thousands of jobs are lost, many Indians are looking for divine help. In a world of financial chaos, people are increasingly finding astrologers more reliable than portfolio managers. In fact, astro sites and astrologers in the country have reported an increase in traffic of nearly 25-50% over the last two months. Not surprisingly, issues at the forefront are jobs and the stock market. The economic downturn has also taken a toll on relationships since stress levels are much higher and people are constantly on the edge.

Since the financial storm started in Wall Street and then spread to India, the Sensex has lost a whopping 34% in valuation. With the impact of the economic slowdown sinking in, thousands of jobs are being cut as companies are in downsizing mode.

“In terms of people seeking consultations through either our in-house or celebrity astrologers, there is a spike of around 40-50%. Obviously, some astrologers who have an expertise in the area of finance are the ones that are the most sought-after on astroyogi.com. In terms of consultations, there is a spike of 70%,” says Meena Kapoor, CEO of astroguru.com.

Leading astrologers say they are getting professionals from across sectors, consulting them on how to combat the effects of global meltdown. “Every time the market goes down, there are more queries and the subscription shoots up,” says financial astrologer, Ashok Motiani of indianmarketastrologer.com. Delhi-based astrologer Richa Shukla agrees: “Since the Lehman crisis, we have people queuing up for astrological advice. There has been more than 50% increase in the number of queries that I handle.” Professionals are nervous. They want to know more about the global economy and how it will affect their company and their life. MK PANDEY of astroguruindia.com confirms that after the financial crisis there has been a significant increase in the membership numbers. “There has been at least a 25% increase in our subscription, and increase in the site traffic is much more. A lot of people are showing interest in our stock market astrology report,” he says.

With companies across the globe downsizing and professionals facing fears of being given pink slips, prior knowledge about career issues is definitely being sought. Questions that professionals are asking astrologers include if they are about to be laid off, and if they are already laid-off, then what should be their next move. “We have seen that suddenly these people are asking questions about their career, is jobs loss imminent for them? What are the kind of career moves that they need to make at this point? Will their business pick up in the near future around when,” adds Kapoor.

Astrologers say that there is a huge increase in the number of young professionals, who were casual visitors earlier, wanting to read their finance forecast for the day as a reference point prior to making investments. “These professionals are in the age group of 35-40 years and want to know how to sustain whatever little investment is left. They want to know when the stock market will resume its upward movement,” says Shukla.

Another interesting trend that the astrologers have pointed out is that there has been an increase in relationship related questions. “There has been a significant increase in the number of queries that we have been receiving. But interestingly, these queries are not only about investment and career, but also about personal and social life,” says Dinesh Wadhawan, CEO of indiatimes.com.

Astrologers feel that with increasing stress, both at the financial and work front, there’s increasing pressure on personal relationships as well. “Stress is affecting personal relationships too. The impact is huge and the psychological and emotional ripple effect can already be seen seeping down to relationships.” Says Kapoor.