From the archive record
Parrot fortuneteller in Kanyakumari. Parrot astrology or Parrot fortune-telling is a type of astrology popular among the Tamils of Tamil Nadu, Telugus in Andhra Pradesh, India and Singapore. It involves using green parakeets which are trained to pick up Tarot like fortune cards.The parakeets are trained specifically for this. A parrot astrologer/fortune teller typically sits beneath a tree or by the side of the road where people congregate in numbers. He has a cage which contains one or two trained parrots. The tarot like cards are either spread out or stacked in front of him. They are 27 in number representing the Indian cosmic system. Each card contains the image of a Hindu deity and some cards contain images of Buddha or Virgin Mary with Infant Jesus. When a patron sits before the fortu