Poor run in IPL: Preity Zinta seeks Chandraswami's blessings

Hardwar, Apr 9 : Apparently upset over the poor run of Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing third edition of the Indian Premier League, team's co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta met self-styled godman Chandraswami here and performed an 'Aunshthan'(fire ritual with chanting of mantras).

While the film star kept the media at bay regarding the purpose of her visit, it is said she sought blessings of the godman and performed the fire rituals for a turnaround in the fortunes of her squad which has lost eight of the ten T-20 matches played so far.

Sources in the Chandraswami camp confirmed that she along with her mother Neelprabha met the godman yesterday.

Preity, 35, took a dip in 'Neeldhara' of the holy Ganga here and subsequently performed the fire ritual with the godman for three and a half hours, the sources said, adding she left 'Dharam Nagri'after taking his blessings.

Her visit to Chandraswami comes on the heels of Kings XI's having hit the bottom of IPL points league table.

Though her visit to the godman was kept a closely-guarded secret, a section of the media got wind of it. First she was to come by plane at Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun. But at the last minute she along with her mother reached here by three helicopters owned by an industrial house. The daugher-mother duo reached the Kumbh camp of the godman in a convoy of cars, the camp sources said.

Chandraswami has set up his Shivir(camp) on the Swani Chinmayananda Ghat(banks) of the Ganga river in the Saptrishi area of the Kumbh Nagar here.

Preity first took a holy dip on the the Swami Chinmayananda Ghat and then along with the godman performed the special fire ritual in a closed room for around three and a half hours. During the ritual, besides the godman, Preity, Neeprabha and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand were present in the room.

Earlier, it has been learnt that Preity visited Dharam Gangeswar Temple and performed Rudrabhiskek (ritual offering of the Panca-Amrita or the five forms of nectar as honey, ghee, curd, milk and water).

Videocon, which recently made an unsuccessful bid to get a new T-20 team, are in talks for buying the Punjab outfit whose owners are not happy at its performance.

The Punjab side had been bought for 76 million dollars.