Indian asthmatics fish for a cure in annual ritual

Tens of thousands of asthma sufferers flocked to a southern Indian stadium yesterday to swallow live sardines smeared with a yellow herbal paste they believe will cure their breathing problems.

Despite doctors’ criticism, the Goud family has drawn throngs of people for years with a secret fish and herbal formula it says it received from a Hindu saint about 170 years ago. They give it away for free annually and refuse to reveal the mix, saying the saint warned it would lose its potency if sold commercially.

One man died of a heart attack and several others sought medical attention for breathing difficulties after waiting hours for the treatment, Hyderabad police said. They said the stadium was unprepared to deal with the 70,000 people who rushed the gates when they opened.

The family offers the treatment annually on a day selected by astrologers.

After swallowing the live fish, believers are told to abstain from fried foods and for 45 days must keep to a strict diet of 25 different foods, including lamb, rice, white sugar, dried mango, spinach and clarified butter.