Thousands of asthma patients take ‘fish prasadam’

Hyderabad: Over 50,000 individuals coming across from different districts of Telangana and AP and also beyond the State were served with the famous annual ‘fish prasadam’ by Bathini family in view of ‘Mrigasira Karti’ here on Saturday. The family serving the ‘fish medicine’ by the evening had already distributed some 50,000 tokens to those who were interested in consuming the medicine. The medicine will be served till the next morning, continuing the practice of 24-hours of offer. The organisers with active government support have already stockpiled the fingerling of murrel fish has over a lakh of these stored. According to organisers, the medicine will be provided till 10 am on June 9. And as part of preparedness for the event, over 1.5 lakh fingerlings were stored at their disposal.

With fish medicine popular amongst the masses for several decades, massive crowds have turned up during the annual event organised at the Nampally’s Exhibition Grounds on Saturday. The entire space at the venue was occupied by patients and their relatives, most of whom have turned up from the countryside to get benefitted from the free medicine being offered in a unique way. Each year, 50,000 to 1 lakh beneficiaries, despite the best attempts by allopathic practitioners who discourage the people, particularly asthma patients from visiting the place gather here for the fish prasadam. The issue also landed in courts in the past, following claims of certain groups that the medicine might cause other health complications owing to the ingredients.

On Saturday, Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, along with Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar inaugurated the event. GHMC Mayor Gadwala Vijayalaxmi, MP M Anil Kumar Yadav, MLA Danam Nagender, chairman FCSFL (Fisheries Cooperative Society Federation Ltd) Mettu Sai Kumar and others were also present. The Bathini family has been administering the medicine free of cost for over a century and the State governments of Telangana and earlier unified AP have been supportive of this practice. The patients are made to swallow the live fingerling whose mouth is stuffed with the yellow coloured herbal medicine. This method according to the Bathini family is the most efficient for providing relief to patients suffering from asthma and other respiratory disorders. For patients who are vegetarians, the yellow medicine is served with jaggery.