Dowsing

Some people claim that they can identify not only water sources under the ground but also predict the quantum and quality of the available water. Dowsing or water divining does not seem to be a science. Probably the dowsers have some paranormal capabilities. My experience narrated below, may be relevant to those who are interested in the subject.

I was Project Administrator and per pro of Apollo Tyres Ltd when we acquired land for the company’s first plant, at Perambra, Trichur District, India. The Kerala State government had assured that a captive pipeline would be laid from the intake well on Chalakudy River for uninterrupted water supply to the plant. Nevertheless, we wanted to assess the groundwater potential at the 100 acre land. This assignment was given to a reputed dowser from Ahmedabad. The year was 1974 or 1975. As required by the dowser, a plan of the site was provided to him when he checked into a hotel at Cochin.

Next morning out of curiosity I went to the site to watch the dowser in operation. He showed me the site map on which he had made several markings. They were, he explained, coordinates – the point from which he would start the search, the likely areas where water would be available and so on.

I told him that it was incredible that a dowser could locate water sources on a map, sitting in his hotel room. The dowser explained that hopefully at some future date the practice of water divining would reach a stage when dowsers may not have to visit a site to locate its groundwater availability. I don’t know whether this has happened yet.

The dowser started from the spot he had marked on the plan the previous night, holding a pendant on a chain in his outstretched right hand. As he neared the place marked 1 on the map, the pendant started moving in a circle (not sideways) and it was whirling quite fast when the spot was reached. This was repeated at seven locations. I was quite sure that the dowser was not manipulating the pendulum.

At one spot where the equipment was rotating at high speed, the dowser asked me to hold it. The moment I took the chain from him, it stopped spinning. When I put my left hand under the dowser’s armpit and gripped as directed by the man, the pendant began moving again almost as fast as before. Apparently, there was some conductivity through the dowser’s body that passed on to me.

Out of the seven locations the dowser had identified, if I remember correctly, five proved reasonably successful.

Ends.