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Banking on stars: Lucknow varsity to provide paid astrological consultation
Lucknow University’s finance committee has approved the detailed fee structure for the astrology consultancy centre.
It seems the ‘cash-starved’ Lucknow University is banking heavily on the stars to shore up its finances and has approved a plan to charge fees ranging from ₹500 to ₹3100 for consultation to be provided by its astrology consultancy centre (Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra) that is all set to get going full throttle on the campus.
The move comes about 25 years after Lucknow University was among the first universities to start the Jyotir Vigyan course as a ‘modern science’, drawing flak then, and less than a year after the kendra was launched as a test-project. The university has now decided to make it fully accessible to the public, albeit for a fee.
The university’s finance committee on Friday approved the detailed fee structure for the astrology consultancy centre. The Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra will offer advice under one roof on a number of issues, from career choices and health concerns to marriage prospects, political fortunes and vastu among others, according to the approved plan.
“Vice chancellor Prof JP Saini gave consent for prescribed fees for different services via Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra,” said Shyamlesh Kumar Tiwari, co-ordinator, Jyotirvigyan department.
University officials said the services will be offered strictly as per approved norms, with fixed fees, defined consultation time and mandatory documentation.
According to the approved plan, most consultations based on birth charts will be for a minimum duration of 15 minutes and will cost ₹1,500 per session.
These include advice on career and income sources, health issues, education, marriage, children, housing and financial status.
Shorter consultations on foreign travel prospects, social status and prestige, and political career analysis have been fixed at ₹500 for 15 minutes. ‘Hora astrology’ and palmistry sessions will be available for 30 minutes at ₹700, while numerology-based counselling will be charged at ₹1,700.
More specialised services, including interpretation of omens and dreams, will be offered for 30 minutes at a fee of ₹1,900. Horoscope matching, including manglik analysis, has been priced at ₹1,500.
A short horoscope will be delivered within three days for ₹500, a medium horoscope with ‘lagna’ and ‘chandra charts’ within seven days for ₹1,100, and a detailed horoscope with shadvarga analysis within 15 days for ₹3,100. A computerised horoscope with shadvarga analysis will be available within a day at ₹1,100.
Residential vastu advice will be charged at ₹5 per square foot and commercial vastu consultations at ₹15 per square foot, subject to submission of a site map with clear directional details.
To make the services more accessible within the campus, the finance committee has approved a 15% discount on consultancy fees for university officers, employees, their family members and students of the university.
All payments will be made in accordance with the university’s financial rules, and consultations will be provided only on production of an official receipt issued by the finance department. Officials said detailed guidelines on appointments, documentation and conduct of consultations will be issued shortly, ahead of the centre’s formal launch.
Former Lucknow University vice chancellor Professor Roop Rekha Verma condemned the move.
“I condemn the initiative as it is highly non-academic and not a science. Universities should remain centers of knowledge and research. It cannot start selling products. A lot of research needs to be done to explain the rationale of calling it Jyotir Vigyan,” she said.
“I have no objection to universities teaching astrology to students as a subject. But I really don’t approve of the idea of setting up Jyotish Pramarsh Kendra to be run from LU, a seat of knowledge,” Verma said.
