Walter Mercado

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Walter Mercado Salinas^[1] (born 9 March 1932), also known by his stage name Shanti Ananda, is a Puerto Rican astrologer. On 8 January 2010, and after a fifteen-year relationship, Mercado announced that he and television network Univision have parted ways.^[2]

Early years

Mercado was born on 9 March 1932, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he spent some of his childhood.^[3][4][5]

Television debut

In Puerto Rico, he hosted a weekly astrology television show, first on WKAQ-TV, and later on WRIK-TV (channel 7 in Ponce). Westinghouse remained a steady and long-time sponsor.

When WRIK-TV was bought by Tommy Muñiz, Mercado stayed for two years, then moved his show to WKBM-TV which later became WLII-TV, Tele Once (Channel 11). From 1994 to 2009, he appeared on Primer Impacto, which airs on the Univision network. He also appears on various radio segments.

Name change

In October 2010, Mercado announced that he would now be referred to as "Shanti Ananda," a translation in Sanskrit of "peace happiness."^[6] He says a "being of light" imparted a spiritual revelation to him, which he refers to as his "authentic mystic name." He is planning to write a book in 2012 under this new name.

Legal challenge

In January 2012, Mercado lost a lawsuit against Bart Enterprises International, for which he was trying to prevent from using his name and likeness in future commercial ventures. Mercado, who signed a contract with the company in 1995 severed with the company in 2006, which resulted in litigation being filed by both parties against each other. Chief Judge Sandra Lynch of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that Bart Enterprises can continue using Mercado's name and likeness in future commercial projects.^[7] When asked about his legal case over the rights to his name he replied, "I worked for many years, and gave some releases without thinking much about human wickedness."^[8][9]

Health condition and recovery

In January 2012, Mercado was flown to Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, with cardiac problems.^[10][11] He said he "had gone and seen death and came back to life again". Since the experience he said he has changed. He said he wants to work with Puerto Rican youth, plans to establish the Shanti Ananda foundation, create a mystic center, and donate three of his lavish capes to a museum. Most of his sumptuous capes had already been sold at auctions.^[12][13]

Filmography

• La Mujer de Aquella Noche (1968)^[14]
• Hoy (2003)^[15]
• Chasing Papi (2003)^[16]

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans

References

External links

• Walter Mercado at the Internet Movie Database

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