The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum

Like the Samvatsara day, the calendar too has a special significance. Being lunar in character like Hijri, neither its beginning nor its end follows a specific date or time. It is shorter than the Christian Calendar and is a little above 354 days. The shortage, however, goes on accumulating and is filled up by an intercalary year (Mala-masa) which repeats itself after about three years. For instance, the Samvat under review is itself an intercalary year with its total duration going up to April 13, 2002. Obviously, the length of the year stands expanded by one month more, stretching its total duration upto 385 days and about 15 minutes. The month of Ashvina this time is a twin or a duplicated month which has two phases — Adhika Ashvina and Shudha Ashvina.

Like the Samvatsara day or its celebration, the Samvatsara phaladesh too is no less important. In olden times, especially before Partition, listening to or going through the recorded version of the Samvatsara had become a popular activity. People thronged the priests, pandits and astrologers to gather first-hand information about stars and their effects.

The name of the incoming Samvatsara is Jaya, which literally stands for victory. However, in the present case it is victory after passing through an ordeal. It is a hard nut which may crack only at great peril and for which no sacrifice can be too great. The new Samvatsara warns the authorities at the helm of affairs against complacency. Alertness and playing safe are the only protective measures that need to be resorted to with a firm resolve.

The next top positions are that of the King and his Prime Minister. It is a strange co-incidence that both the major power centres have been bagged by the fair sex — Moon and Venus. Thus, the year under review is a significant one for the welfare of womenfolk. They are destined to make a mark socially, politically and even economically. Their rights, privileges, demands or whatever has remained on hold so far are likely to be met without much struggle.

It is rare that both Moon and Venus are occupying the same abode. It is also peculiar that both of them are on an "ascendant". It can be assumed that women in active politics will have a lot of clout to dictate terms or to make or mar the future of contenders for power. In view of this, it may not be an exaggeration to astrologically label the New Year as a "Women’s Year".

The King occupies Pisces, which is a friendly sign but is portentous at present because it has run into combustion. The state of combustibility for the head is a serious matter. It can diminish the influence of the party in power with the electorate. The other possibility is that the wing responsible for governance could run in direct or indirect contravention to the think-tank of the ruling class. There is a possibility of chaos and anarchy in the corridors of power. Peace and progress shall be on a sharp decline.

The Prime Minister, a second-in-command and the King’s co-occupantdoes not see eye to eye with the Head. This defiance on the part of a natural ally creates a conflict between the two centres of power and the common man will have to bear the brunt for the indiscretions of his masters. To aspire for a smooth and amicable governance when a spate of disharmony is allowed to rule the roost is like living in a fool’s paradise. It can only encourage insurgency and vandalism. With the two main authorities at a different wave-length, the cabinet as a team fails to take any bold decision especially on controversial issues. India’s solar chart too does not show any promise.

The alignment of stars in this sector is of no consequence. The King is sandwiched between two malefic stars (Mars and Ketu) which is termed as Kartari yoga in astrological parlance. Kartari means "Scissors", that is supposed to lop off anything that touches it. There is, however, a ray of hope. The lord of the house of luck (Sun) is exalted. Sun can act as an elixir (Sanjeevani) in such a forlorn situation.

The second ominous deficiency is the combustion and debilitation of Mercury, the lord of the house of governance. So about the sad state of governance the least said, the better. With the country’s management and security having been jeopardised, the institutional framework that aims to protect political and constitutional propriety will reduce the total scenario into a farce. Money, mafia and muscle-power shall rule the roost.

The Cabinet’s lack of cohesiveness notwithstanding, there is a silver lining beyond the dark clouds. It is generally a rare example that as many as eight out of ten ministerial berths have gone to the benefic stars. It is, therefore, a most auspicious year for India to make her presence felt in the comity of nations.

The third horoscope which performs a pivotal role in ascertaining Samvatsara’s potential is the Aardra entry chart which will be assuming its reign at 2.42 am on June 22. How far the current year is viable or otherwise for trade, commerce, agriculture, industry and economy as a whole depends on the starry position held by this horoscope.

The most dismal picture is that of the Moon. Like the previous two horoscopes, this too paints the Moon in a poor shape. The Moon is combust in the lunar chart, afflicted by Kartari Yoga in the solar chart and is again combust in the third horoscope. Venus has however, improved her position to some extent but that does not matter much.

So one can expect India’s economy to go from bad to worse. With the rise of inflation and the population explosion, the money market will be in a tight corner. Retrogressive and anti-poor policies of the government could demoralise the common man. Shortage of power and frequency of cuts will be a big blow to the economic sector. It can cripple it to the point of no return. With Venus being slightly in a favourable mood, a well-thought- out approach by our experts can save the economy from getting more messed up.

Let us now turn towards India’s natal chart. According to Vinshottari Mahadasha, Saturn was the first planet to operate over free India’s destiny. Saturn is Indian’s sign lord but was combust when India broke the shackles of slavery. Saturn’s Mahadasha continued up to July, 1963 — a period of great turmoil for her. The same Saturn has become operative again from May, 15, 2000 but this time the main dasha is that of Venus, while Saturn performs the secondary role in the Antar-dasha. Venus, being the lord (Lagnesh) and a benefic planet, is committed to peace and tranquillity. While Saturn, a confirmed hawk, is a war-monger. So a head-on collision between the two is but natural. It is, therefore, crystal-clear that as long as both these stars remain at the helm or keep on challenging each other, the chances of any improvement both at home or abroad shall be few and far between.

The total impact of all the four horoscopes taken together leads us to draw the following conclusions:

A year of roaring progress for Indian women. They will march ahead, assert themselves more and widen the area of their influence and authority.

Not a favourable year for the heads of the ruling party and the main opposition. They will lose their shine politically and may fail to keep their followers in line especially at the grassroot level.

Despite facing unwarranted wrangling and deep dissensions, coalition culture may drag on as before.

J&K shall be facing war-like conditions. Rehabilitation of refugees who left their home and hearth may linger on. Peace initiatives with terrorist groups are likely to further complicate the Kashmir imbroglio.

An year that is ominous for J&K and P.O.K. Governments. With law and order having come to naught, it may become formidable for them to retain power.

Large-scale violence, fundamentalism, religious bigotry and ethnic flare-ups shall be at their peak in Afghanistan, J&K, some parts of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, U.P. Bihar and Bengal.

The rate of crimes against women will climb up ceaselessly. Cases of molestation, rape and abduction may become common. It will become too hard for those living in remote areas to save their honour from anti-social elements.

India will make a significant progress in defence preparedness, space and computers. The country’s nuclear club will buzz with activity, thus increasing its stockpile of arsenal more gigantic.

The ruling parties, either at the Centre or the states, will have to dabble with populist policies. The voters may relish these short-term gains but the country as a whole will be at the receiving end.

Samvatsara’s stay with the grocer is ominous. There will be acute shortage of foodgrains. Scarcity of essential items, adulteration in eatables, withdrawal of subsidies and mismanagement of food distributing agencies will act as a pile on camel’s back. The fate of those below the poverty line will become pitiable.

Among clouds, Pushkara is difinitely anti-rain. Rohini as a fence-sitter is a spent-force. Samvartaka and Vasuki could, however, pour sufficient rain but the areas under their sway are not so wide. Some parts are likely to remain parched, while other areas (especially mountainous ones) will overflow with water. Samvatsara’s choice of deer as a mode of transport also creates some deficiency in rainfall. Fast like deer, the people will, however, be in hot haste to finish every job that comes their way well on time.

Trade bottlenecks will be softened. Direct and indirect foreign investments will grow substantially, but India will have to rely extensively on external capital to bridge the gap between exports and imports. At home front, the diverse policies sponsored by different political affiliations will remain a stumbling block. Despite the trend towards liberalisation, the economy at the national level will continue to limp due to the divergent views held by coalition partners.

The stock market shall remain volatile for a much longer period. The fluctuations will be so fast and varied that it will leave the hardline speculators high and dry. According to an indigenous phrase — Pal mein tola, Pal mein masa will be the true character of the market’s sliding trend. It will give utmost surprises even to the genuine investors. The role of foreign players will also be as dominant as before. The market, will, therefore, demand care and caution to the extreme.