Night Muhurat After 15 Years for Bathini Fish Prasadam

Hyderabad: The annual fish prasadam administered by the 180-year-old Bathini family will be held on June 8, with this year’s ‘Mrigasira Karthi’ muhurat falling at night after a gap of 15 years, necessitating additional security arrangements.

The event, associated with relief from bronchial ailments, has been conducted since 1845 and draws thousands of people to Hyderabad from across the country and abroad. The distribution, which began at the family’s residence in the Old City, later shifted to Nizam College and subsequently to the Exhibition Grounds at Nampally, where around 1 lakh people were administered the prasadam last year.

Members of the Bathini family said, “This is the fifth generation of our family administering the fish prasadam. We neither charge money nor advertise it. People come to us purely by word of mouth.”

Family member Amarnath Goud said, “The fish prasadam will be administered from 9 pm on June 8 and continue for 24 hours. The puja for preparing the prasadam will be held at 10 am on June 7 at our ancestral house.”

Fisheries Corporation chairman Mettu Saikumar, who held a review meeting on Monday, said, “We are making 1.40 lakh Korameenu, or murrel fish, available for distribution, which will be more than sufficient. However, buffer stock will be kept ready in case more is needed.”

He added, “This year, as the muhurat begins at night, additional police forces will be deployed. Special task force teams will be posted around the venue to prevent miscreants from taking advantage of vulnerable people. Fourteen government departments, along with NGOs, will be involved in the event. The Fisheries Department is setting up 35 counters this year, compared with 16 last year. A dedicated queue line has also been arranged for the elderly and persons with disabilities.”