Letter to the Hoot—mumbo jumbo in the Hindu

IN Opinion | 21/01/2005

The article promotes the view that Vastu is a science, whereas it is not recognised as such by the scientific community.

Dear Editor,

I am a long-standing subscriber to The Hindu and my daughter is an avid reader of Young World, its weekly supplement for young readers. The articles published in it are usually of good standard, educative and entertaining. But I was shocked to read an article titled ‘Feel the Energy of the Earth` by Uzma Ausaf in the Delhi page of January 7, 2005 edition. It was an interview with a self-styled `Vastu expert`. The article promotes the view that Vastu is a science, whereas it is not recognised as such by the scientific community. The article creates a false impression about Vastu by quoting the ‘expert`, "Vastu is an independent art dealing in equipuncture in earth."

What on earth is ‘equipuncture`? The article further claims that certain "earth energies," if taken care of during construction of a building, will "synchronise with nature" and prevent earthquakes! Readers of Young World must be learning at school that earthquakes are caused by movements of tectonic plates etc. What will they make of this mumbo-jumbo dished out by a reputed newspaper?

R. Rajesh
48/13, East Patel Nagar
New Delhi 11008

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