July 26, 2025 • 8 mins
An age-old belief in astrology has snowballed into a $7 billion industry.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Astrology is so big in India that venture capital is
jumping in. By Pretty Sonny and Akriti Sharma read by
Ramesh Methani. A financial analyst typically starts the day scouring
earnings reports and macro trends. J. Purtail does that too,
but he also studies planetary charts and moon cycle trackers.
(00:21):
The forty three year old commodities and currency trader consults
the cosmos as seriously as he dissects balance sheets. Mercury
governs went to trade, Jupiter signals expansion, and Saturn warns
of slow downs. He says one of his most memorable
trades was a call option timed precisely to an astrological
(00:43):
window that generated more than a ninety times return. The
market has its moods. Astrology helps read those moods better
than some technical indicators, said Batail, who has practiced financial
astrology independently for the past fifteen years. Faith kicks in
usually when people get burnt by market swings, he said.
(01:04):
Astrology has long been stitched into the fabric of Indian life,
shaping decisions around marriage, money, and even baby names, but
fueled by apps and a younger generation seeking guidance, the
once intimate practice of consulting trusted diviners is taking route
more widely, from stock trading to therapy and career planning.
(01:26):
India's total astrology market is estimated to be worth more
than seven billion dollars, and the digital segment alone is
expected to grow tenfold by March twenty thirty, according to
Bengaluru based Red Sea's Strategy consultants last year. India stock
exchanges have long set aside a sixty minute trading session
during the Valley festivities each year that's aligned with the
(01:48):
Cosmos and believed to usher in good fortune, but astrology
based trading is practiced year round by many Financial news
channels like CNBC, AVAS and et Now have invited astrologers
to comment on market moods through a celestial lens, with
guidance based on planetary alignments rather than stock specific tips.
(02:10):
Celebrity diviner Chadak Daruala, for example, has predicted bullish returns
for energy and defense stocks for July, citing auspicious moves
between Venus and Saturn. But Dale offers his services to
institutional and proprietary traders, most of them based outside of India,
charging two hundred and ten dollars for a business consultation
(02:32):
and five hundred dollars a month to access as astro
trading dashboard. He advises on sectors, entry points, and exit timing,
all dictated by celestial charts. The rising influence of astrologers
and finance has drawn scrutiny. As recently as twenty twenty three,
India Securities regulator temporarily banned two people for offering astrology
(02:55):
based stock tips, ordering them to refund fees. Doling out
investment advice in India requires registration with the regulator, though
astrologers can skirt around the rules by predicting broad sector
trends rather than offering specific buy or sell advice. Beyond finance,
online platforms offering astrological advice are thriving. Among the most
(03:18):
prominent is astro talk. The app processes more than five
million paid consultations a month and generated more than twenty
two thousand repees two hundred and fifty dollars in revenue
per minute last year, according to its founder, Punitthe Gupda Gupta,
a former software developer who founded Astrotalk in twenty seventeen,
(03:40):
is now in talks to bring the firm for an
initial public offering within the next two years. The platform
hosts more than thirty thousand astrologers across over two dozen countries,
and Gupta says revenues growing in India and beyond. How
As the rebel who told my family not to consult
astrologists because it didn't make sense, Gupta said, if someone
(04:01):
like me can come around, maybe there are millions more
who just need a platform they can trust. About eighty
four percent of astro talks, seventy million users are under
thirty five years of age, and for many, checking horoscopes
and booking consultations is as routine as scrolling social media.
The question most frequently posed to the platform when will
(04:22):
my ex come back? The app asks for a name,
birth details and location at first tap. Within seconds, users
are matched with astrologers hesitate, and the autochat kicks in.
Don't worry, You've got this, I'm here to help. Users
are soon conversing with astrologers who have star ratings, reviews,
(04:43):
and specialties across love, career, and finance, and are encouraged
to make such exchanges a daily ritual at weekends, full moons,
and late in the evening. The app sends WhatsApp or
SMS text messages encouraging users to log in as free minis,
and its expire a message pops up recharge once to
(05:03):
get the answers you're looking for. Rates go as high
as two hundred and fifty reupias a minute, turning a
ten minute chat into the price of a fancy dinner.
There is a disclaimer in the small print, however, services
on its website are for entertainment purposes only. Primraj, a
tech savvy user in his twenties who's tried more than
(05:24):
ten astrology apps, says they follow a script. Most of
them tell you exactly what you want to hear, he said,
asking to be identified by only his first name out
of privacy concerns. A typical tactic is to offer a
few free minutes, then drop a vague but dramatic twist
right before the time runs out, urging users to pay
(05:45):
to hear the rest. He said. Some sites are now
using AI to pass through astrological data and provide consultations.
Astrosage AI, which created an algorithm powered platform called brigu
dot ai in twenty eight eighteen, is testing thirty AI
avatars while supporting a network of thousands of human practitioners.
(06:07):
In ten years, people will use astrology ten or even
one hundred times more than today, said founder Beneath Bunde.
The company says astrology involves complex calculations, and AI can
outperform human astrologers in speed and accuracy, answering at least
five times as many questions in the same amount of time.
(06:28):
AI doesn't judge, it isn't biased, and it's always available,
said Munsei Shah, vice president of venture capital firm AXL,
which led a one and a half million dollar seed
funding round for AI astrology start up via earlier this year. Still,
there are concerns the industry is growing too fast, with
a flood of apps needing no certification, privacy worries about
(06:52):
the volume of data being exchanged, and wrong predictions that
keep trying to lure more spending. The online platform are
a game changer for people trying to make a living
by reading the planets. Those new to the industry can
earn from thirty thousand rupees a month, and top practitioners
can raken as much as one million rupees on apps
(07:13):
like astrotalk. According to Gupta avinash Daditch, a third generation
astrologer from Poleeda in the western state of Rajasthan, used
to make fifty thousand rupeas a month offering in person readings.
Since joining astrosage AI, he charges one hundred and twenty
rupeas a minute and now earns nearly three times as much.
(07:34):
He's bought a home and upgraded to a car from
a scooter. I never thought astrology could take me this far,
he said. It's not all smooth sailing, though, as astrologers
increasingly find themselves of advising clients on all matters of life.
We're not just reading charts anymore, said celebrity astrologer ride Baal,
(07:54):
who charges ten thousand rupees per session. We're counseling people
through heartbreak, anxiety and career dilemmas.
Astrology is so big in India that venture capital is
jumping in. By Pretty Sonny and Akriti Sharma read by
Ramesh Methani. A financial analyst typically starts the day scouring
earnings reports and macro trends. J. Purtail does that too,
but he also studies planetary charts and moon cycle trackers.
(00:21):
The forty three year old commodities and currency trader consults
the cosmos as seriously as he dissects balance sheets. Mercury
governs went to trade, Jupiter signals expansion, and Saturn warns
of slow downs. He says one of his most memorable
trades was a call option timed precisely to an astrological
(00:43):
window that generated more than a ninety times return. The
market has its moods. Astrology helps read those moods better
than some technical indicators, said Batail, who has practiced financial
astrology independently for the past fifteen years. Faith kicks in
usually when people get burnt by market swings, he said.
(01:04):
Astrology has long been stitched into the fabric of Indian life,
shaping decisions around marriage, money, and even baby names, but
fueled by apps and a younger generation seeking guidance, the
once intimate practice of consulting trusted diviners is taking route
more widely, from stock trading to therapy and career planning.
(01:26):
India's total astrology market is estimated to be worth more
than seven billion dollars, and the digital segment alone is
expected to grow tenfold by March twenty thirty, according to
Bengaluru based Red Sea's Strategy consultants last year. India stock
exchanges have long set aside a sixty minute trading session
during the Valley festivities each year that's aligned with the
(01:48):
Cosmos and believed to usher in good fortune, but astrology
based trading is practiced year round by many Financial news
channels like CNBC, AVAS and et Now have invited astrologers
to comment on market moods through a celestial lens, with
guidance based on planetary alignments rather than stock specific tips.
(02:10):
Celebrity diviner Chadak Daruala, for example, has predicted bullish returns
for energy and defense stocks for July, citing auspicious moves
between Venus and Saturn. But Dale offers his services to
institutional and proprietary traders, most of them based outside of India,
charging two hundred and ten dollars for a business consultation
(02:32):
and five hundred dollars a month to access as astro
trading dashboard. He advises on sectors, entry points, and exit timing,
all dictated by celestial charts. The rising influence of astrologers
and finance has drawn scrutiny. As recently as twenty twenty three,
India Securities regulator temporarily banned two people for offering astrology
(02:55):
based stock tips, ordering them to refund fees. Doling out
investment advice in India requires registration with the regulator, though
astrologers can skirt around the rules by predicting broad sector
trends rather than offering specific buy or sell advice. Beyond finance,
online platforms offering astrological advice are thriving. Among the most
(03:18):
prominent is astro talk. The app processes more than five
million paid consultations a month and generated more than twenty
two thousand repees two hundred and fifty dollars in revenue
per minute last year, according to its founder, Punitthe Gupda Gupta,
a former software developer who founded Astrotalk in twenty seventeen,
(03:40):
is now in talks to bring the firm for an
initial public offering within the next two years. The platform
hosts more than thirty thousand astrologers across over two dozen countries,
and Gupta says revenues growing in India and beyond. How
As the rebel who told my family not to consult
astrologists because it didn't make sense, Gupta said, if someone
(04:01):
like me can come around, maybe there are millions more
who just need a platform they can trust. About eighty
four percent of astro talks, seventy million users are under
thirty five years of age, and for many, checking horoscopes
and booking consultations is as routine as scrolling social media.
The question most frequently posed to the platform when will
(04:22):
my ex come back? The app asks for a name,
birth details and location at first tap. Within seconds, users
are matched with astrologers hesitate, and the autochat kicks in.
Don't worry, You've got this, I'm here to help. Users
are soon conversing with astrologers who have star ratings, reviews,
(04:43):
and specialties across love, career, and finance, and are encouraged
to make such exchanges a daily ritual at weekends, full moons,
and late in the evening. The app sends WhatsApp or
SMS text messages encouraging users to log in as free minis,
and its expire a message pops up recharge once to
(05:03):
get the answers you're looking for. Rates go as high
as two hundred and fifty reupias a minute, turning a
ten minute chat into the price of a fancy dinner.
There is a disclaimer in the small print, however, services
on its website are for entertainment purposes only. Primraj, a
tech savvy user in his twenties who's tried more than
(05:24):
ten astrology apps, says they follow a script. Most of
them tell you exactly what you want to hear, he said,
asking to be identified by only his first name out
of privacy concerns. A typical tactic is to offer a
few free minutes, then drop a vague but dramatic twist
right before the time runs out, urging users to pay
(05:45):
to hear the rest. He said. Some sites are now
using AI to pass through astrological data and provide consultations.
Astrosage AI, which created an algorithm powered platform called brigu
dot ai in twenty eight eighteen, is testing thirty AI
avatars while supporting a network of thousands of human practitioners.
(06:07):
In ten years, people will use astrology ten or even
one hundred times more than today, said founder Beneath Bunde.
The company says astrology involves complex calculations, and AI can
outperform human astrologers in speed and accuracy, answering at least
five times as many questions in the same amount of time.
(06:28):
AI doesn't judge, it isn't biased, and it's always available,
said Munsei Shah, vice president of venture capital firm AXL,
which led a one and a half million dollar seed
funding round for AI astrology start up via earlier this year. Still,
there are concerns the industry is growing too fast, with
a flood of apps needing no certification, privacy worries about
(06:52):
the volume of data being exchanged, and wrong predictions that
keep trying to lure more spending. The online platform are
a game changer for people trying to make a living
by reading the planets. Those new to the industry can
earn from thirty thousand rupees a month, and top practitioners
can raken as much as one million rupees on apps
(07:13):
like astrotalk. According to Gupta avinash Daditch, a third generation
astrologer from Poleeda in the western state of Rajasthan, used
to make fifty thousand rupeas a month offering in person readings.
Since joining astrosage AI, he charges one hundred and twenty
rupeas a minute and now earns nearly three times as much.
(07:34):
He's bought a home and upgraded to a car from
a scooter. I never thought astrology could take me this far,
he said. It's not all smooth sailing, though, as astrologers
increasingly find themselves of advising clients on all matters of life.
We're not just reading charts anymore, said celebrity astrologer ride Baal,
(07:54):
who charges ten thousand rupees per session. We're counseling people
through heartbreak, anxiety and career dilemmas.
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