All those who cry foul for insignificant gestures -like kiss of love -as derogatory to our culture, please show your presence now and say THIS is actually killing our cultureThis is a serious issue, please don't laugh.A popular Kannada television channel is telecasting a self proclaimed astrologer Satchidanandababu Guruji, who gives out predictions like these: “For Kumbha Rashi people, three to six months after marriage, there is a danger of being raped, or possibility of being raped by husband's elder brother or younger brother. Or possibility of being raped in the rapist's room or house.“For Makara Rashi, between the age of 8 and 12, there is a possibility of rape, or a possibility of being raped by parents and colleagues. For Meena Rashi, there may be an attempt of rape by the neighbour woman's husband. For Dhanuss Rashi, there is a possibility of getting raped between the ages of 60 to 64. For Vrishabha Rashi, possibility of being raped between the age of 12 and 16.“What planetary movement causes rape? What kinds of children are affected by rape? What kinds of women are prone to rape? Again, this is no joke or parody. A programme like this gets telecast and no responsible person in power opens his mouth to say a thing! Is this our culture? Can one claim to be an astrologer by saying such things? Why should he and the channel in charge not be arrested and put behind bars, like they did for Veena Mallik? Neither the channel nor the fraud astrologer has any idea of the extremely dangerous repercussions of such programmes.Worst still the “remedy“ (Parihaara) he prescribes is as follows: “Recite a mantra. Om kreem kreem kreem kaalike kleem kleem kleem sarva shatru naaam prahaar bhanjaya maaraya vispotaya, kleem kleem kleem, kreem kreem kreem phat. The rapist will run away.Write the mantra in red letters on a white paper and hold it tightly along with turmeric and Vibhuthi in your hands during attempted rape. Take turmeric and Vibhuthi and apply on the rapist. He will collapse or will run away scared.“He also predicts that, “If a male child is born on Tuesday, he will suffer from temper tantrums, he will start smoking at an early age or he will meet with accidents repeatedly.“Now, don't the police and politicians, who felt that permitting Kiss of Love is against our culture and it would create havoc in the society, see that these kinds of thoughts being spread on a popular medium like television is suicidal? Why are they silent? Has the cat got their tongues?UPROAR ON SOCIAL MEDIAIn contrast, the social media is in uproar. Everybody is screaming their hearts out against this and demanding legal action against the channel. In fact, a Facebook page has been created (http:goo.glrAFKG8 ) and is being supported by many angry people. An interesting point that has come up in the discussions is that such astrology programmes are not designed by the channels but are paid commercial slots purchased at very high price by the astrologers.As these programmes get the astrologers huge clients, they are ready to spend a lot of money for this. In fact, a TV channel employee said that these astrologers become so powerful that they even decide what questions should be asked, how the interviewer should dress up, how the set should be decorated, etc. As there is a large viewership for such programmes, the channel will only be too happy to accommodate them. The channels never bother to find out the credibility of the so-called astrologers or their predictions. As a result, we have these extraordinary predictions about rape.Now, why is action not taken against the man and the channel? Why can we not file a PIL against all such dangerous programmes? Anyone making these kinds of predictions will only help bury astrology in a deep hole. In a research paper “A Scientific Inquiry Into the Validity of Astrology“, written by John H. McGrew and Richard M. McFall, Psychology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, it is explained how astrologers did not even agree with one another's prediction, let alone make accurate predictions, even though they were using the same methods and systems to arrive at their conclusions.In the case of these stupid predictions about how, when, and may be even why, a woman or a child will be raped, and how reciting a mantra and smearing turmeric and Vibhuthi will weaken the rapist, are an absolutely inhuman act. More so because the man blatantly predicts that a mother, father, brother in law or a neighbour will be rapists! All those who cry foul for insignificant gestures like kiss of love as derogatory to our culture, please show your presence now and say THIS is actually killing our culture. And believe me Kannadigas are not like this.