Amudha, a fortune teller
| Photo Credit: M. Srinath
Amudha sits at the end of a long row of vegetable vendors, food carts, and hawkers on P.T. Rajan Salai in K.K. Nagar. When a passer-by hesitantly slows down to have their fortune — or a lack thereof — predicted, she offers a warm smile, inviting them to trust Jakkamma’s vaaku (word).
Amudha then asks their name, a number between one and twelve, and a flower that comes to mind. After a brief prayer, she tosses a handful of shells, picks up her wand, and proceeds to trace the customer’s palm lines for clues to the future chapters of their lives. But, what’s the story behind this 52-year-old fortune teller?
“I came to Chennai from Salem about 35 years ago. I live in M.G.R. Nagar. Josiyam (astrological prediction) is our traditional occupation. I learnt it from my sister-in-law. We have to fast for 48 days, perform rituals and, only after Jakamma’s command, can we read hands,” she says.
Following the death of her husband, Amudha now lives all by herself; she has no children. As she’s has spent all her life in the same neighbourhood for nearly three decades, she knows everyone, which makes her feel at home. Mornings are spent doing household chores, some errands for her neighbours, and going to the amman temple near her house.
“I go to the Marina Beach [for work] on most of the days, particularly weekends. In the last week, I haven’t gone there. There is no guarantee of money in this line of work. On good days, we get ₹500. But sometimes, we may not see any flow of money for 10 days at a stretch too. With whatever I get, I pay rent and feed myself,” she says.
Amudha starts work at noon and finishes it by 7 p.m. Then she heads home for dinner. She rarely goes out for leisure or visit the city’s landmarks. “We have to work hard to eat,” she says, echoing the reality of working-class women.
Yet, she heaps praises on the city that has given her a livelihood. “There is no other ooru like Chennai,” she says with a beaming smile.
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