Indian astrologer lives after predicting own death

October 21, 2005

Reuters Thursday October 20, 02:29 PM

BHOPAL, India (Reuters) - Hundreds of people flocked to a village in

central India on Thursday to see if an astrologer who forecast his own

death would indeed die as predicted.

But the 75-year-old man survived the day.

Kunjilal Malviya, who lives south of the Madhya Pradesh state capital

Bhopal, had been meditating in his house after announcing he would die

on Thursday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m (10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

British time).

A police official confirmed the astrologer was fine and quoted his

family members as saying the prediction failed because many of those

gathered had prayed for him to live.

" We are afraid of his prediction coming true because all his

predictions till date have been correct, " his son Anirudh said by

phone earlier on Thursday.

" My father had predicted the death of my grandfather 15 years ago and

it came true exactly like he calculated. "

Police have been posted near the house to prevent the astrologer from

killing himself, authorities said.

Millions of Indians consult astrologers about their futures as well as

marriage and job prospects.

Malviya's prediction is not the first of its type by an Indian

astrologer. But in the past, crowds have beaten up astrologers when

their predicted demise failed to occur.

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