Thousands as usual arrived at the Exhibition Grounds on Friday to get fish medicine, popularly known as fish prasadam, which is administered to asthma patients by the Bathini family every year on mrigasira karthi, heralding the onset of monsoon.
The members of Bathini family drop a live murral fish stuffed with a preparation into the throats of people suffering from asthma and other respiratory illnesses. A diet is also prescribed for asthma patients and they are asked to take the ‘prasadam’ for three years in a row.
“Modern medicine provides symptomatic relief, but if a herbal preparation promises cure, it’s worth trying,” said Sushanth Karka, a third-year medical student from Jammu, who was at the Exhibition Grounds on Friday in the hope of curing his asthma. People from neighbouring as well as far-flung States thronged the venue, facilitated by RTC special buses. The police, fire safety administration and the health department stationed several teams at the venue, while Revenue Department made all the arrangements for the conduct of the event. Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav inaugurated the event on Friday.
The Fisheries Department provided over a lakh fish, aged just about a month, which were collected from canals, reservoirs and streams from Medak to Warangal over the last 10 days. However, until 10 p.m. on Friday, only 58,000 fish were used as against over 67,000 fish last year.