The company sells "astrological guidance using the Indian vedic astrology principle" through various modern media, such as telephone and the Internet, as well as off line.

The three kinds of service offered are free, automated and personalised. Personalised advice on a name change, delivered by e-mail within 72 hours, costs US$45 (Bt1,600).

Its service is categorised into personal, for example questions concerning marriage and life in general, and professional, jobs and businesses. Both kinds of advice are in equal demand. Its website receives about 100,000 unique hits per day from 130 different countries.

Unable to reveal the revenues of the company, Pandeet said only that the company had a 40-45-per-cent share of a 4-billion-rupee (Bt3.17 billion) astrology market and had been growing by almost 100 per cent annually since its inception in 2003. Pandeet said the overall national market grew by 40 to 50 per cent per year.

"We want to create and consolidate a fragmented astrology market," said Pandeet, adding that Ganesha Speaks would act as a link between fortune-tellers and the public. According to Pandeet, with a staff of 150, including the nationally renowned Bejan Daruwalla, the company is currently the number-one astrology service in India.

Pandeet likens his service to that of CNBC Asia's financial advice. He said the astrologers did not provide exact answers or give clear "what-to-do" instructions but instead offered the ceiling and floor. Customers then have to pick their "sweet spots". "There is always an element of free will in it," said Pandeet.

The company has recently launched its UK service in line with its expansion strategy. Pandeet wants to enter the "lucrative" European and American markets for their good profit margins from the exchange rates but acknowledges that there are cultural barriers to break, in particular the "unscientific horoscope". "In the UK, we have a slight terminology problem," said Pandeet.

Ki Nan Tsui

The Nation