Fish prasadam distribution begins amid massive rush at Nampally Exhibition Grounds

The annual fish prasadam distribution for asthma patients commenced at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Monday night. Organised by the Bathini family, the two-day event witnessed a massive turnout, with thousands of patients arriving from different parts of the country

Hyderabad: The annual distribution of the famous ‘fish prasadam‘ for asthma patients, coinciding with Mrigasira Karthi, commenced at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Monday night.

Administered by the renowned Bathini family of Hyderabad, the two-day event drew thousands of people from various parts of the country seeking relief from respiratory ailments.

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This year, the auspicious ‘muhurat’ to start fish prasadam administration fell at 9 pm Monday, prompting the administration to deploy round-the-clock security and overnight civic amenities.

A massive rush was witnessed as the 23-acre exhibition grounds quickly filled to over 80 per cent capacity. By Monday 2 pm, all queue lines were packed. Around 25,000 patients waited in designated queues across the grounds, while another 15,000 took shelter inside the permanent Numaish stall structures.

The members of the Bathini family, who were manning the counters, administered the herbal formulation along with the live murrel fingerlings, which were supplied by the Fisheries Department. To reassure the massive gathering, the family put up banners at prominent locations stating that ample quantities of the formulation had been prepared.

For smooth conduct of the annual event, the district administration undertook massive efforts. Extensive arrangements, including heavy police deployment, public address system in multiple languages, free drinking water and toilet facilities, were taken-up by multiple government departments.

Horse-mounted police were deployed for crowd control at the exhibition grounds to control the large crowd that had gathered. Rope parties were deployed at the queue lines to control the heavy rush.

Several NGOs took the lead in catering to the patients and their attendants, serving free meals, fruits, biscuits, tea, and juices. A large number of organizations also displayed flex boards detailing the dietary guidelines patients must follow after taking the prasadam.

Meanwhile, the local ragpickers turned enterprising vendors, capitalising on the rush by selling small plastic containers for Rs 10 each. Desperate patients eagerly snapped them up to secure their murrel fingerlings while waiting in the long queues.

“For the first time, I came to Hyderabad for this purpose. I have been suffering from asthma for the past several years, though I have been medicated, but not cured. Through some Nepalis who are in the city, I came to know that asthma can be cured through fish prasadam,” said Jagat Bahadur Sunar (75), who travelled from Nepal to Hyderabad to receive fish prasadam for asthma.

A homemaker, Savitha, from Beed in Maharashtra came to Hyderabad with her relatives for the fish prasadam. She said, “For the first time, I came for fish prasadam. One of my relatives got some relief from asthma due to fish prasadam. I hope I will also be cured of asthma.”