12 January,2009 02:44 PM IST | | Lavanya Srinivasan
MiD DAY spoke to three fortune-tellers to check out their predictions for a year that began with money problems and job cuts.
Clairvoyance
Ashleyy, who describes herself as a clairvoyant, said, "This problem will prevail through the middle of 2009 and probably even longer."
She said her prediction wasn't based on "any particularly refined insight".
"This had to happen sooner or later. The way the market was going up, it had to come down. At one point a square foot of land was sold at Rs 50,000. Whether it was Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore, that was way too much," she said.
The downturn will last about three years, according to Ashleyy. "We've seen about 10,000 jobs cuts in Bangalore. The recession hasn't spared anyone," she said.
She said there could be light at the end of the Satyam tunnel. "You could lose your job but no one can take the skills away from you," Ashleyy said.
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Tarot
Amaano, who reads tarot cards, believes the next two months are going to be the toughest.
"The card that I've picked is called The Hierophant. It represents the need for us to examine our belief systems, and how they affect our lives. The Hierophant can be a dominant, overbearing figure," she told MiD DAY.
As the recession gets worse, wars could break out, Amaano predicted. "But I see light in May and I don't see things worsening after that," she said.u00a0
Astrology
Vedic astrologer Shanmuga Iyer predicts tough times at least till the end of 2009.
"The charts say this year is bad for finances. Guru (Jupiter) is transiting makara rashi (Capricorn) and the recession will last all year. We have to hang in for at least 10 months, praying for no further damage," he said.
Referring to Satyam, Iyer said many more lies and blunders would be exposed this year.
"This is not a good time to change jobs, but investing in metals is a wise thing. Stay away from real estate," he suggested.
House astro
Balaji Narasimhan, MiD DAY's resident astrology buff, makes similar predictions for this year.
"For most of 2009, Guru (Jupiter) will be neecha (fallen) in Makara (Capricorn). When Guru is fallen, growth and expansion are affected. So, 2009 is not going to be a good year. Things will improve by end-2009, when Guru moves to Kumbha (Aquarius)," he said.
He also foresees some conflict.
"The independence chart of India is running Sukra-Ketu-Guru from March 9, 2009 to May 4, 2009. With Guru neecha, India may face agony and conflicts during this time," he said.
And the word from the world of economics...
To balance out predictions from crystal gazers, MiD DAY also spoke to Dr Ramanujan, professor of economics, Bangalore University.
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"It's best to resist the temptation to give in to predictions of unconditional gloom," he said.
He suspects some economic observers are going overboard with their doomsday predictions.
"On the likely depth of the recession, it has been often said that this may be the most severe recession 'in decades'. But not being too judgmental and going by how the market is doing, the economic slowdown will last two years," he said.
"The banks will act as a weight around the neck of any economic recovery in the latter part of 2009," Ramanujan predicted. "They will likely continue the slow process of recapitalisation and clean up the mountains of toxic assets for a period longer than just the next few quarters."
