Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MSP)

Mangalore, May 27: It may be recalled, that Prof Narendra Nayak, local head of the Indian Rationalist Association, had as in the past, thrown a challenge to people giving predictions based on their perceived supernatural powers, to come out with their specific election predictions for a questionnaire prepared by him, asking them to file their entries by the counting day and had announced a cash reward of one lac rupees for the all correct entry.

Nayak has now informed, that the soothsayers who took up his challenge, have fallen flat. He says, that the challenge was posed to make the elecltoral candidates and their dear ones who flock the astrologers to find out about their chances, auspicious hours for filing nomination etc., aware of the efficacy of the so called science of astrology on which they so heavily lean on.

Nayak says, that he had received a total of 140 entries in response to his challenge, many of which were not complete, as people treated it as a quiz rather than a challenge to the predicting capabilities. Out of this, 83 entries were of non-serious nature, with the rest treated as serious attempts. He has informed, that the award of one lac rupees as announced by him, would have gone to any person with 21 right predictions from out of a total 25 questions in the questionnaire.

The contestants, he notes, gave different methods that they used, for answering his questionnaire. The foretellers based their predictions on horoscopes, prayers, insight, touching water and feeling its vibrations, prayer to the Allah before writing down the answers, etc., One person made the prediction on the basis of his political experience, as his wife was the vice-presidentof a gram panchayat.

Nayak has added that a foreteller named Sujatha from Dharwad, who based her forecast on the basis of press reports and television channels, got highest points at nine. The second position was shared by two people, only one of whom admitted to have referred to astrological preditions alongwith the media surveys, while writing down answers. Entrants who claimed to be having super sensory powers, failed miserably and 33 of them got zero marks.

Nayak, while regretting his inability to convey the results to individuals who accepted his challenge, has asked them to refer to election results announced through the media and compare the same with their entries. He also has informed that the announced reward could not be disbursed as no one was found to be eligible.