Paranormals 'in action' at Block M Plaza
Paranormals 'in action' at Block M Plaza
JAKARTA (JP): "You will get married next year... Your wife
will be a Japanese or Javanese girl...," a woman wrote down for
a client yesterday at Blok M Plaza, where 15 clairvoyants met
with reporters.
Renata told the client the "voices" were not clear.
"It's not clear whether the voices said Japanese or Javanese,"
she said. "The voices are sometimes in Indonesian and sometimes
in English. I don't know."
The woman, in her late 30s, kept writing down her forecast of
her client's future. "You will go to Japan...," she continued
writing, after saying she was unaware that the client was a
bachelor.
Her cellular phone suddenly rang and she spoke in English to
the caller. "I'm sorry I'm busy now... There are many
journalists here."
The surprised client asked in a very low voice, "How could she
know I've been dreaming of marrying a Japanese woman?"
Renata, whose real name is Lalitya, was one of 17 fortune
tellers, shamans and faith healers with stands in Blok M Plaza.
Another fortune teller ready to "see the past and future" was
Floriana, who hailed from Bandung.
"I'm good at palmistry and reading people's lives through
bridge cards," said the graduate of Padjadjaran University.
She said she always asked clients if they wanted her to speak
frankly.
"You will have another love affair," she said when reading the
palm of a client.
Donny Podosih, a Surabaya-based shaman who uses a pendulum in
his practice, specializes in detecting unearthly presences in his
clients' houses.
"Your residence is hot. Your house was built on top of a
former cemetery," he said, pointing a spot on the sketch provided
by the client.
Si Jambrong has a different specialty. A spooky-looking man,
he claimed to be a supernatural consultant offering something
unusual.
"Housewives who want to sexually please their husbands, and
husbands who want to be sexually superior can come to me," said
Jambrong, who now lives in Surabaya.
Jeng Nanik is another option for men who don't want to consult
with Jambrong. Jeng Nanik, whose commercial name is Jari Putih
Nyi Ayu Piningit, claimed she could cure impotence.
Those with breast cancer or who have had a stroke may consult
Wance Samanhudi, who has an office in South Jakarta. "Ibu
Hartini, Ibu Adam Malik and Ibu Agum Gumelar were among patients
I treated," the 35-year-old Wance said.
Ibu Hartini was the second wife of the late president Sukarno,
while Ibu Adam Malik is the widow of the late vice president,
while Ibu Agum Gumelar is the wife of Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, the
current chief of Wirabuana (Sulawesi) Military Command.
The rare event, which will end on May 14, is sponsored by the
plaza.
A. Stefanus Ridwan S, Blok M Plaza's president, said the event
was a tactic to attract visitors.
"Drawing contests no longer attract people. The goods we sell
at the plaza are no different from those sold at other shops. We
must find a special way to lure visitors," Ridwan said.
The consultation fee is Rp 25,000 and people may choose what
type of fortune teller they want.
"A 10 percent discount is offered to those who have spent more
than Rp 50,000 at the plaza," Ridwan said. (sur)