When we read an individual horoscope, the set of predictions we whip up at best benefit a limited few the individual and close ones in his orbit. Mundane predictions, however, when undertaken painstakingly and constructively have the potential to help society at large, and in turn impact nations and all humanity. If the credibility of these predictions rises in the popular perception, a day could dawn when astrological considerations are officially applied to plan national affairs: a re-emergence perhaps, of the times of Vikramaditya and Varahamihira, when astrologers commanded the respect that the Abdul Kalams of today do.

The Raj Jyotishi must come back, informally, if not institutionally, to help us govern better.

With Independence Day looming and the Budget declared a few days ago, it would be instructive to see India’s economic future from an astro perspective. India is Asia’s third largest economy but continues to be crippled with a huge infrastructure deficit and uninspiring economic indicators. Why do we persist in being so weak in so many crucial areas when we are so abundant in natural and human resources? Even countries like Malaysia and Singapore, who got their independence much after India, have developed their roads and rivers much faster and better. Considering the resources available to us, the cognoscenti in developed countries wonder why India did not choose to develop to its full potential.

Should we be satisfied with feeble explanations of projects getting stalled due to objections from environmentalists and local committees? Or alibis cited by bureaucrats and politicians relating to frequent elections, or the toll taken by rapidly changing governments? Was it a blunder to insulate our economy from outside forces in the license-permit raj era? Is financial conservatism responsible for the mess we find ourselves in? If we had taken up the project of linking up our rivers 30 or 40 years ago, would there have been no water or power shortage today?

These are vexing questions with no easy answers. Do we blame our leaders and policy makers? Or should we blame the stars, since they influence us all? Should we blame our own policies or can we apportion a part of the blame to our neighbors? Clearly, neighbors across the borders or neighbors and rivals within the constituency are important for India and Indians.

Astrologically too, we need to be concerned about our neighbors. With so many planets in the third house, neighbors are a problem indeed. This is what we have been witnessing since India’s birth.

Pakistan is among the worlds most dangerous failed states. Should we compare ourselves with it?

Both India and Pakistan got their freedom from colonial rule at an inauspicious time. Using available resources, Pandit Surya Narayan Vyas, Dr.Rajendra Prasad and Pandit Hardeo Sharma Trivedi helped India get freedom at a better time (During Abhijeet Muhurta of midnight of 15th August, 1947) in comparison to Pakistan.

With the concentration of planets in the fourth house, our western neighbor has an inferior horoscope when compared with India’s independence horoscope.

Apart from external threats, the domestic scenario is difficult and challenging: the fiscal deficit is at a record high, a delayed monsoon is further threatening the economy and the global meltdown is making matters worse. The meltdown has proven that the American influence on the global economy is all pervasive, although India claims it is protected due to its financial conservatism In spite of this, we have our stock markets crashing and jobs getting lost by the hundreds of thousands as a fall-out.

The economic survey has asked the government to review labor laws to push growth in employee-intensive sectors due to the economic downturn. Debt from overseas markets for developing infrastructural facilities like highways and economic zones has been permitted but is no longer flowing.

The sad part is that when the diagnosis called for a major surgery in better dasha periods two years ago, Dr. Manmohan Singh, under the pressure of the left parties, tried to tinker, to manage the economy with small doses of tonics and vitamins as perhaps he could not be a surgeon Even if he turns an economic charmer now like the rope charmers of the past and pulls off the great Indian rope trick, he cannot set the economy on track.

How long will the impact of the meltdown last ?

The American independence horoscope, that consistently gave correct indications, shows normalization by mid- 2011. Bush was stunned by terrorism and the impact of his reactions was felt all over the world. Obama inherited the financial crisis and so did the rest of the world.

The Indian Independence chart can be trusted as it also has shown consistently and credibly the events of the past 61 years.

The Saturn dasha up to 1965 was a period of consolidation as Saturn is the 9th and the 10th lord.

Mercury, seventeen years up to 1982, was a period of commercialization and development of financial and educational institutions. Mercury is 2nd and 5th lord.

The Ketu dasha from 1982 to 1989 gave rise to religious fundamentalism with Punjab terrorism rising to its peak and Kashmir terrorism being born.

Venus dasha upto 5th September, 2009 gave motor cars, mobile phones, a further boost to womens liberation and disputes within and outside. Venus is the 1st and the 6th lord. It gave good results as that of the Lagna lord; and disputes, rivalry as the 6th lord.

The best dasha of the horoscope of Sun will commence from 4th September, 2009. It is the dasha of the 4th lord. So rulers can expect to fly higher than ever before. They will be able to consolidate and deliver. The fourth lord Sun in the third again indicates neighbors and partners, the most striking feature of India and the Independence horoscope.

In recent times we had the dasha of Venus-Mercury from 5th September, 2005 to 6th July, 2008. This was the period of the boom in the IT sector. Mercury is the 2nd and 5th lord, both representing wealth in the Indian Independence horoscope. It also signifies IT. As it also represents finance, the share market went up to a record high during this period . Venus and Mercury also represent TV and films. We saw a phenomenal growth in this sector. They are also Significatiors of beauty and superficiality, which was also felt in plenty during this period.

Then came the dasha of Ketu which confronted us with ugly realities like the terrorist attacks of 27th November, 2009 in Mumbai. Koorma Chakra of this year indicates problems from the eastern border when Mars comes to Gemini in August 2009.

We are already into dasha chiddra (the period before commencement of a
mahadasha) It indicates major uncomfortable changes -the storm of transition before stability. Some hints are there in Times of India of August 2,2009. Are the steps mentioned there the steps that can take us to an ammunition dump yet to explode?

On the brighter side the advent of Sun dasha from 4th September promises to be an era of solar energy.

In the dasha of Sun, we can expect some major positive changes. Armed with a stronger political mandate, the government is planning to kickstart the stalled disinvestment programme and other such measures to bring the economy on track.

Both the magazine and the website of Journal of Astrology are in for major changes .

The road map for them has been prepared . The changes are visible now . Our partner who takes the load of the website Chanderji, is enthusiastic. Mr. K.N. Rao recalls his first meeting with Chanderji . It was way back in 1994 when Mr. Rao had packed all to shift his residence from Telegraph lane to Saraswati Kunj, that Chanderji showed up unannounced.

There was an instant rapport between the two. Instead of asking him to come some other time, Mr. Rao asked him to speak out his horoscope as all the astrological ephemeris were lying in cartons. Chanderji knowing Astrology was struggling to fix his Lagna, which was on the border. With two questions, Mr Rao fixed his Lagna as Taurus. Many successful predictions followed, including that of his delayed marriage at the age of 35. Every time he came from the US to settle his marriage he went back disappointed. On one occasion, Mr Rao predicted that this time disappointment would be replaced by celebrations in his house. And behold!

Chanderji married the girl next door who was waiting for him. The relations with Mr. Rao got better and stronger through the Vishnu Sahastranaam association and the website of the Journal of Astrology and marketing of books and the magazines in the US that Chandraji is looking after since 1998.

Mr Rao’s telecast on the solar eclipse of 22nd July on Star News on 18th , 19th and 21st July

This was a sensation. He reiterated with force and in straightforward terms that it is fraudulent to base predictions on Saade Sati , Ashtam Shani or eclipses because they merely give transit results which our dependent on the dasha and antardasha which a person is going through.

A Rashi is not the decider but is limited to a negligible influence which has to be combined with other factors like basic promise (Yogas) dashas and transit of the remaining planets from Lagna and Sun as well , ashtakvarga points and many more contributions restricted to the horoscope of an individual. Mr V.P. Goel and Mr. Manoj Pathak further emphasized these points with their presence in the studio of Star News on the 22nd July,2009.

We were blessed with the much needed thunderbolt for our campaign against the unscrupulous ponga pandits who have dominated the TV channe s. The fraud being committed by them through the TV channels got exposed. Mr Rao says this was perhaps a duty assigned to him by the almighty God.

During a sitting with Mr Rao on 24th of June 2009 he had explained to me why rains would come around the eclipse of 22nd July, 2009. I had quoted him in the July 2009 News Letter which was released in the first week of July.

Mr Rao had said let the Moon come in Neer and Amrit nakshatras with Sun Mercury and Ketu there would be plenty of rainfall . He had also considered the Adra Pravesh Chart and Sapt nadi chakra. After a drought situation there has been heavy rainfall all over India. In Indore, it rained continuously for 36 hours around the eclipse day and all most all of north and central India which was rained starved before had widespread rain during the eclipse time.