Clairvoyant parrots in India a dying breed, with astrologers’ birds seized by conservation officials
- Parrot astrology, using specially trained parakeets that draw tarot cards from a deck, is a centuries-old tradition in southern India
- But astrologers are having their birds confiscated as animal welfare and conservation groups look to protect the creatures
Dressed in a white shirt and sarong-like dhoti, Gopalakrishnan Sholamalai sits cross-legged under the shade of an old fig tree, on a lane leading to one of southern India’s most important Hindu shrines: the Meenakshi Amman temple.
The place of worship lies at the heart of the ancient city of Madurai, home to a population of three million and 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the Western Ghats, a mountain range that is one of the eight most biodiverse regions in the world.
Usually Sholamalai is encircled by groups of people who want their fortunes told, but today the 74-year-old, who is renowned in these parts as a parrot astrologer, doesn’t have a single customer – or a parrot.
His bloodshot eyes stare vacantly as people throng the busy street around him. A sign tacked to the tree advertises his skills in astrology and other areas – he can also read palms and feet – but there are no takers.
Parrot astrology – kizhi josiyam in the Tamil language – is a centuries-old custom prevalent in southern India. Parrots, considered to be clairvoyant and regarded as a divine symbol, have deep historical links to Madurai, being the favoured bird of the goddess Meenakshi, the reigning deity of the Meenakshi Amman temple.
Parrot astrologers use specially trained parrots to draw cards from a deck, with which they tell the customer’s fortune. But with awareness of animal welfare issues rising in India, the tradition is in jeopardy.