Getafix brews his magic potion only for Asterix and the Gauls, but this druid in Pondicherry has a clientele cutting across battle lines.
RK Balagnanasekar claims his kajal will help candidates attract voters.
PONDICHERRY: Getafix brews his magic potion only for Asterix and the Gauls, but this druid in Pondicherry has a clientele cutting across battle lines.
RK Balagnanasekar, a self-proclaimed expert in jana vasiyam (the magic of attracting people), says 16 candidates from Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are using his secret preparation to bolster their election campaigns.
"They are doing extremely well, but I don't assure all of them electoral victory," claims the 52-year-old who has put a price tag of Rs10,000 for a small portion of the preparation. Called anjanam, the black paste resembles kajal. "The candidate has to apply anjanam lightly on the eyes. It won't be visible, but once you wear it, you can feel the magnetism – how people get drawn to you and get influenced by your words. Twelve candidates from Tamil Nadu, including three VIPs, and four from Pondicherry are already using it.
Even candidates of so-called rationalist parties come to me," he claims. Balagnanasekar, who took voluntary retirement from the Tamil Nadu agriculture department in 1989, says he learnt the tantra from a yogi in Kerala. The druid keeps his clientele list as secret as the ingredients of his anjanam. "The ingredients are common herbs. The proportions and the mantras make it magical," he says.
"It can make anyone magnetic." What if his magic does not work for a political bigwig? "I have predicted that a few of my clients would win. For the rest, I have assured only better winning chances. After all, anjanam ensures only personal magnetism, not electoral victory," he reasons. "My popularity is going up and I am slowly clearing my debts. Soon I will shift to a bigger, air-conditioned office."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}