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)