I was born in Lashkar, Gwalior, into a Chitpavan Koknastha Brahmin family. At home, we used to keep the traditional Gwalior Panchang, which featured a photograph of the then Shinde (Scindia) Sarkar on its introductory page. The panchang was printed at a press originally established by the Shinde rulers, which later became the Government Press after independence.
Fascinated by the panchang, I decided to learn how to cast birth charts by studying books borrowed from the Central Library. Since old panchangs from previous years were readily available, I pulled out the one from my birth year. There, marked directly on the tithi of my birth, was my exact birth time. Using this, I manually made my chart. I then borrowed more books to understand the deeper mechanics of astrology—learning which houses in the Kundali governed the body, spouse, career, and children, as well as planetary lordships (own houses), and the rules of planetary friends and foes. The panchang even included a Gun Milan table for prospective brides and grooms, which I also studied.
Years later, while living in Delhi, I came across a shop offering computer-generated birth charts with general predictions, and I had one printed for myself. To my surprise, this chart was slightly different from the one I had made using the Gwalior Panchang. I analyzed the discrepancy and found the reason: the traditional Gwalior Panchang was based on the ancient Surya Siddhanta, whereas the modern Kundali software utilized real-time ephemeris data and NASA-grade planetary models.
