‘Scientific astrology’

Some quacks are interdisciplinary.

A hand-lettered sign hung on the railing of the first-storey balcony of a house. The sign has a blue background with white text on it. It reads, ‘Scientific astrology. Consultation by appointment only.’ It is followed by a mobile phone numbers and the working hours of the astrologer.

I spotted this sign while walking down a road in Mysore.

‘Scientific’ in the sign is a mistranslation of शास्त्रशुद्ध/ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಶುದ್ಧ, literally meaning ‘scripturally pure’ in the context of astrology. Another translation of the word is ‘with textbook precision’ when it applies to law, science, or other disciplines.