Fortune telling based on palmistry, astrology, numerology, horoscope,etc is very famous in India. Today this has turned to be a profession and a source of income to many people. Since ages immemorial people in this sub-continent are very religious and fortune cautious, so they constantly check their fortune status with the help of these fortune tellers. Just do a Google on 'Fortune Telling + India' to find a torrent of 1,290,000 links.
Today, after a tiring journey from my aunt's home, I was walking back to my flat. It seemed as if someone were following me but I neglected it just reminding myself that I was just one year old in this city and am not hostile to anyone important[hope you recall many movies]. After some time I could not resist and turned back like a hero to see a boy. The boy was about 16 years old and seemed to be very religious with all kunkam and vibudhi spread over his forehead. He had a bag swinging against his shoulder and some books in it. I was pleased and asked him what he was expecting from me and to my surprise he said "I will tell your fortune, please show me your hand". I simply said 'No Thanks' but he was following me like a shadow. I repeatedly tried to convince him that I don't believe in all those but he repeatedly conveyed that he was an expert and everything would happen as he predicts. I was fed up after some time and smiled at him as a sign of willingness. He said me to sit on the pile of sand on the road side but I insisted him to come to my flat and surprisingly he was crazy enough to walk half a kilometer.
I started walking towards my flat accompanied by him. Meanwhile I asked him 'Where do you come from?' and 'Is this your profession?'. He said that he was from Maharashtra and fortune telling was his family profession. Next I asked him 'Did to study?' He conveyed that he didn't study fortune telling and he practiced it from his grandfather since he was young enough. He even said that he never attended a school but knows only to read Tamil but cannot write. He even said that their mother language had no written script but was only used vocally. After a while he got tired and said why don't we finish it here since he has to walk all the way back. I felt it reasonable and sat comfortably on the pavement adjacent to the road.
He starting with 'Please open you palm wide enough that every mark on it would appear.' I did so and he started saying that my hand would take 21/- service charge[I was happy that it was tax included]. I don't believe in all this but anyway thought of helping him. He explained me that the cost was determined with the number of points[both +ve's and -ve's] he was about to convey. His predictions include:
a. My hand represents a 'Lotus Flower'. As lotus flower slides away any water drop, I do not care about what others think and won't face any complaints or hostility from others.
b. In next 21 days something very special is going to happen. :-D
c. He said that I must have got married at 21 otherwise would only get married at 29 :-(
d. Don't believe your friends. People around you are as poisonous as snakes are. Don't stand as a surety for you friends.
e. Just don't declare before an action is done.
f. You are going to fly abroad very soon.
These are some of the positives I remember. Interestingly he explained me that good things and bad things must not be said at the same place. So we shifted our location to the opposite pavement. There he said that something serious was going to happen in your life, so just think of a number below 500. I thought and said 365 and he said that was a very good number and I have to give it to god. He then continued asking me to keep that amount in my hand and close my fist. Fortunately[u will know it further] I didn't have so much and said that I had only 80/- and I closed it in one fist and closed the other fist also. He asked me to think of two god's against each fist and I followed him. He tried to predict the god and fist combination but it failed. To my surprise he said that there is something serious going to happen in you family and I need to do some anna danam[nice idea]. He then shocked me saying that I can even give that amount to him as 'kanuka'[gift] and they would do the relavent puja's[prayers]. I was unmoved and said him that I will take care of anna danam and prayers. He repeatedly tried to convince me and at last even tried to frighten me saying some bull shit predictions.
I candidly said him that I am going to pay only 21/- what I promised. He again tried to frighten me about misfortunes but I remained unmoved. Then he came down to 20/- 'kanuka' in Indian style and even went down to 10/-. I handed him 21/- and I said that if some prediction turned true I would give you the total 365/-. I pointed out my flat and asked him to comeback after 21 days to know if some miracle had happened. He left silently talking to himself[not really].
Waiting for those 21days to complete. Now I understand why 'fortune teller' profession is always at momentum.
This happens to be a very common scene in the sub-continent. Everyone would have at least one such context, just recall!!!!
Today, after a tiring journey from my aunt's home, I was walking back to my flat. It seemed as if someone were following me but I neglected it just reminding myself that I was just one year old in this city and am not hostile to anyone important[hope you recall many movies]. After some time I could not resist and turned back like a hero to see a boy. The boy was about 16 years old and seemed to be very religious with all kunkam and vibudhi spread over his forehead. He had a bag swinging against his shoulder and some books in it. I was pleased and asked him what he was expecting from me and to my surprise he said "I will tell your fortune, please show me your hand". I simply said 'No Thanks' but he was following me like a shadow. I repeatedly tried to convince him that I don't believe in all those but he repeatedly conveyed that he was an expert and everything would happen as he predicts. I was fed up after some time and smiled at him as a sign of willingness. He said me to sit on the pile of sand on the road side but I insisted him to come to my flat and surprisingly he was crazy enough to walk half a kilometer.
I started walking towards my flat accompanied by him. Meanwhile I asked him 'Where do you come from?' and 'Is this your profession?'. He said that he was from Maharashtra and fortune telling was his family profession. Next I asked him 'Did to study?' He conveyed that he didn't study fortune telling and he practiced it from his grandfather since he was young enough. He even said that he never attended a school but knows only to read Tamil but cannot write. He even said that their mother language had no written script but was only used vocally. After a while he got tired and said why don't we finish it here since he has to walk all the way back. I felt it reasonable and sat comfortably on the pavement adjacent to the road.
He starting with 'Please open you palm wide enough that every mark on it would appear.' I did so and he started saying that my hand would take 21/- service charge[I was happy that it was tax included]. I don't believe in all this but anyway thought of helping him. He explained me that the cost was determined with the number of points[both +ve's and -ve's] he was about to convey. His predictions include:
a. My hand represents a 'Lotus Flower'. As lotus flower slides away any water drop, I do not care about what others think and won't face any complaints or hostility from others.
b. In next 21 days something very special is going to happen. :-D
c. He said that I must have got married at 21 otherwise would only get married at 29 :-(
d. Don't believe your friends. People around you are as poisonous as snakes are. Don't stand as a surety for you friends.
e. Just don't declare before an action is done.
f. You are going to fly abroad very soon.
These are some of the positives I remember. Interestingly he explained me that good things and bad things must not be said at the same place. So we shifted our location to the opposite pavement. There he said that something serious was going to happen in your life, so just think of a number below 500. I thought and said 365 and he said that was a very good number and I have to give it to god. He then continued asking me to keep that amount in my hand and close my fist. Fortunately[u will know it further] I didn't have so much and said that I had only 80/- and I closed it in one fist and closed the other fist also. He asked me to think of two god's against each fist and I followed him. He tried to predict the god and fist combination but it failed. To my surprise he said that there is something serious going to happen in you family and I need to do some anna danam[nice idea]. He then shocked me saying that I can even give that amount to him as 'kanuka'[gift] and they would do the relavent puja's[prayers]. I was unmoved and said him that I will take care of anna danam and prayers. He repeatedly tried to convince me and at last even tried to frighten me saying some bull shit predictions.
I candidly said him that I am going to pay only 21/- what I promised. He again tried to frighten me about misfortunes but I remained unmoved. Then he came down to 20/- 'kanuka' in Indian style and even went down to 10/-. I handed him 21/- and I said that if some prediction turned true I would give you the total 365/-. I pointed out my flat and asked him to comeback after 21 days to know if some miracle had happened. He left silently talking to himself[not really].
Waiting for those 21days to complete. Now I understand why 'fortune teller' profession is always at momentum.
This happens to be a very common scene in the sub-continent. Everyone would have at least one such context, just recall!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment