Kochi: The visuals of prominent astrologer Kanippayyur Narayanan Namboothiripad predicting a near-dry spell in the hilly forest areas of Kerala, especially in the catchment areas of the state’s hydro-electric projects, during the monsoon has become an instant hit on WhatsApp as most of predictions went wrong.
In his popular Vishu Predictions, broadcast in a leading television channel in April this year, he had predicted that the state would get heavy rainfall from last weeks of June to first week of July but it will be weakened till the first week of August. While he predicted moderate rainfalls from August 1 to 17, the state witnessed a heavy rain and the most devastating flood that ever happened occurred in this period.
He also predicted that there will not be enough rain in the hilly forest areas of Kerala as compared to the previous year, and warned the government and Kerala State Electricity Board to be more conscious about power generation and supply because of the shortage of rains could impact the overall power situation.
The astrologer, however, was short on facts on this count, too, as hydel power meets less than 30 per cent of the state’s energy requirements.
Kanippayyur, a revered astrologer, has reportedly admitted his mistake but said it was not astrology but humans that go wrong.
