Bathini Goud Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Bathini Goud Brothers is a Goud
family living in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
, India
. The Goud family is known for the cure of asthma
, thru a home made ancestral remedy, the treatment involves the swallowing of live fish (2 Inch) filled with medicine, claiming that it will cure asthma
. The Goud Family cliams, they had been successively offering the treatment for more than 160 years, crediting the secret to their great grandfather Bathini Veeranna Goud, a toddy tapper.
The family consists of the Harinath Goud, Sri Vishwanath Goud, Uma Maheshwar Goud, and previously included the late Somalingam Goud and Shivram Goud.
species also classified as Ophiocephalus) of 2 in. to 2.5 in. (1.8 cm to 2 cm) in size. Then fish with medicine is slipped into the mouth of the asthmatic patient.(The fish is slippery, so there is no problem in swallowing it) This live fish moves, wagging its tail and fins, through the throat and negotiates the phlegm
congestion, providing cure to asthma
, it is claimed. The advice is to continue taking the treatment together with a strict diet over 45 days during each of three consecutive years. The claim is that this will give a complete cure from asthma.
Bathini Fish Medicine is served and administered on a specific day called "Mrigishira Karthi", which is fixed each year by astrologers and normally coincides with the arrival of monsoon
rains, the first or second week of June. Bathini Fish Medicine is given on Mrigishira Karti Nakshatra. Three doses of the extra medicine is also provided to patients, which is to be taken on three successive kartis: Arudra Karthi, Punnavasu Karthi and Pushymi Karti, these days being spaced each fifteen days, making a total of 45 days. After taking Bathini Fish Medicine the patient has to be under strict diet control for 45 days.
along with white bread to the laborers who had been working hard, as a charitable
donation. In 1845 a holy man (Hindu
saint) happened to meet him and gave him a secret formula of some miraculous herbs, and blessed the well and the place of administration of the treatment. He instructed him to offer the treatment free of cost to asthma sufferers.
It is claimed, the secret formula was passed to Shiva Ram Goud who later passed it on to Shanker Goud. The popularity of the supposed cure greatly increased during Shanker Goud's tenure and then was passed down to his five sons. It has been the practice of the Goud family for the past 160 years to offer this medicine free to those who need it.
In 2004, the BBC
and CNN
reported on the popularity of the supposed cure, not only in India but also abroad.
An organisation named Jana Vignana Vedika, a rationalist organisation, filed a petition in city court for not disclosing the ingredients of the medicine. Scientist
s and the Indian Medical Association
forced the state government and high court to collect the samples to be verified. They suggested that the medicine might have contained steroids, heavy metals and mercury
.
The Gouds cautioned - again without any supporting evidence - against other people using their name and administering the treatment in other parts of India and the world. They said that their treatment would only be given in Hyderabad at the Exhibition Grounds on the day of Mrigasira Karthi.
Division Bench, on 27 January 2006 declined to interfere and pass any orders regarding the administration of the substance popularly known as fish medicine. They reasoned that although the treatment had no medicinal value, analysis had shown the samples to not be harmful. They said that "if people flock to have a substance out of faith the courts cannot interfere".
The bench was closing petitions filed by the Jana Vignan Vedika organisation and others. The petitioners complained that even after it was established that the substance distributed by the Bathini Goud Brothers had no medicinal value, no action had been initiated by the government and against the claims of a cure for asthma.
Goud
The Goud are caste found mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Maharastra. Gouds were involved in soma development in ancient days.-Origin:...
family living in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Goud family is known for the cure of asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, thru a home made ancestral remedy, the treatment involves the swallowing of live fish (2 Inch) filled with medicine, claiming that it will cure asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
. The Goud Family cliams, they had been successively offering the treatment for more than 160 years, crediting the secret to their great grandfather Bathini Veeranna Goud, a toddy tapper.
The family consists of the Harinath Goud, Sri Vishwanath Goud, Uma Maheshwar Goud, and previously included the late Somalingam Goud and Shivram Goud.
Nature of the treatment
Bathini Fish Medicine (also known as Bathini Mrugasira Fish) is stuffed inside the mouth of live murrel fish (ChannaChanna
Channa is a genus of the Channidae family of snakehead fishes. This genus contains about 29 species, but the most well known are probably northern snakehead and the giant snakehead . Channa has a wide natural distribution extending from Iran in the West, to China in the East, and parts of Siberia...
species also classified as Ophiocephalus) of 2 in. to 2.5 in. (1.8 cm to 2 cm) in size. Then fish with medicine is slipped into the mouth of the asthmatic patient.(The fish is slippery, so there is no problem in swallowing it) This live fish moves, wagging its tail and fins, through the throat and negotiates the phlegm
Phlegm
Phlegm is a liquid secreted by the mucous membranes of mammalians. Its definition is limited to the mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that from the nasal passages, and particularly that which is expelled by coughing . Phlegm is in essence a water-based gel consisting of...
congestion, providing cure to asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, it is claimed. The advice is to continue taking the treatment together with a strict diet over 45 days during each of three consecutive years. The claim is that this will give a complete cure from asthma.
Bathini Fish Medicine is served and administered on a specific day called "Mrigishira Karthi", which is fixed each year by astrologers and normally coincides with the arrival of monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
rains, the first or second week of June. Bathini Fish Medicine is given on Mrigishira Karti Nakshatra. Three doses of the extra medicine is also provided to patients, which is to be taken on three successive kartis: Arudra Karthi, Punnavasu Karthi and Pushymi Karti, these days being spaced each fifteen days, making a total of 45 days. After taking Bathini Fish Medicine the patient has to be under strict diet control for 45 days.
Origins
According to the Bathini Goud family, their late great grandfather used to distribute a pot of toddyToddy
Toddy may be:* Hot toddy, a mixed drink served hot* Palm wine, also known as palm toddy, an alcoholic beverage.* The toddy palm...
along with white bread to the laborers who had been working hard, as a charitable
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
donation. In 1845 a holy man (Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
saint) happened to meet him and gave him a secret formula of some miraculous herbs, and blessed the well and the place of administration of the treatment. He instructed him to offer the treatment free of cost to asthma sufferers.
It is claimed, the secret formula was passed to Shiva Ram Goud who later passed it on to Shanker Goud. The popularity of the supposed cure greatly increased during Shanker Goud's tenure and then was passed down to his five sons. It has been the practice of the Goud family for the past 160 years to offer this medicine free to those who need it.
Controversy
The Bathini Goud family have never disclosed the ingredients of the sample, citing the following reasons:- The formula or ingredients must not be disclosed as they fear the medicine will "lose its efficacy". This is because their great-grandfather promised the holy man who gave him the herbs that he would distribute the medicine at free of cost and would never reveal the formula;
- They do not wish to see the exploitation of the medicine by others;
- The remedy will lose its potency if commercialised.
In 2004, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported on the popularity of the supposed cure, not only in India but also abroad.
An organisation named Jana Vignana Vedika, a rationalist organisation, filed a petition in city court for not disclosing the ingredients of the medicine. Scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s and the Indian Medical Association
Indian Medical Association
The Indian Medical Association , the national organization of “Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine”, was organized in 1928, and currently IMA has around 1,78,000 members belonging to different branches of medical profession and function through a network of more than 1700 local...
forced the state government and high court to collect the samples to be verified. They suggested that the medicine might have contained steroids, heavy metals and mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
.
Response to allegations
On 6 June 2004, the Bathini Goud family handed over a sample for scientific analysis in 2004 and 2005. No harmful ingredients have been identified so far. The Bathini Goud Brothers Viswanatham Goud and Harinath Goud brushed aside the allegations and said anyone could collect the samples if they came to the venue on 8 June 2004, when the medicine would be served. asserting that the family had been providing a service free of cost without aspiring for fame. Harinath Goud claimed he and his brothers had been following the advice of their forefathers. He also claimed that since 1845 there had been an increasing number of people following the treatment, but no casualties (see below) .The Gouds cautioned - again without any supporting evidence - against other people using their name and administering the treatment in other parts of India and the world. They said that their treatment would only be given in Hyderabad at the Exhibition Grounds on the day of Mrigasira Karthi.
Court ruling
The Andhra Pradesh High CourtAndhra Pradesh High Court
The Andhra Pradesh High Court is the High Court of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was set up on 5 July 1954 under the Andhra State Act, 1953.Its seat is in the administrative capital, Hyderabad and has a sanctioned judge strength of 39....
Division Bench, on 27 January 2006 declined to interfere and pass any orders regarding the administration of the substance popularly known as fish medicine. They reasoned that although the treatment had no medicinal value, analysis had shown the samples to not be harmful. They said that "if people flock to have a substance out of faith the courts cannot interfere".
The bench was closing petitions filed by the Jana Vignan Vedika organisation and others. The petitioners complained that even after it was established that the substance distributed by the Bathini Goud Brothers had no medicinal value, no action had been initiated by the government and against the claims of a cure for asthma.