That fickle thing called fate

I was watching the climax of Lage Raho Munnabhai last night, in which Munnabhai and Circuit were trouncing an astrologer and ranting about how futile the whole horoscope and stars thing is. I have often pondered over this myself. As far as I go, I have some clear beliefs and some grey areas.

I firmly believe in the power of prayers and chanting. I firmly believe in Karma and “good begets good” (Having said that, I have become such a devil in recent times that I feel Satan would get an inferiority complex). In my high school years, my super sweet Hindi teacher said infinite times “Betiyon, humein manushya janma chaurasi lakh yoniyon ke baad milta hai, isliye ise kabhi vyarth nai jaane dena chahiye” (We get the human incarnation after 5.4 million births and hence shouldn’t waste it-AVM girls reading this, raise your hands for a high five!). However, there are sceptics to this too. I once mistakenly deleted an excel I had worked on for hours and told Top Cat that it was all because I had killed a snake in my last birth and so had to struggle and fail a lot in life.  He said in a deadpan way, “Of course-stupidity has nothing to do with it. I must have been a horrible, horrible serial killer then, since I have to put up with you in this birth.” However, I don’t care. These philosophies are non-negotiable for me. In fact, when I really feel sorry for someone going through a bad time, my ultimate words of consolation are, “Don’t worry-everything will be fine. Only good things happen to good people” and “I’ll pray super hard for you.” Both of which I truly believe.

However, there are grey areas as well-gem stones, horoscopes, numerology and the like. My mother believes very firmly in these, sometimes putting me into tricky situations. She made me wear these really uncool rings when I was going through a bad phase. After I wore the rings, things only got worse. And that’s not even taking into account all the teasing I was subjected to any time my fingers were noticed. So I went and whined to my mother about how things had gotten worse after wearing the rings, to which she said, “Imagine HOW bad they could have gotten had you NOT worn them!” What can anyone possibly say to that!

She also believes very firmly in auspicious dates and periods. So I end up paying extra rent because there is no auspicious period when my lease expires and I would otherwise be homeless. I also had to join my current job a month after the date my boss desired for the same reason i.e. no auspicious date before that. I was idiotic enough to tell him the real reason to which I got the sarcastic response, “Of course of course…we can’t have someone like you joining us on an inauspicious date”.  But I know my mother loves me too much and would worry insanely if I didn’t follow her wishes in this matter, so have stopped arguing altogether.

Then there is the whole horoscope issue. I firmly used to believe what Ganesha told me every week in Sunday times. But then, in Bombay times, which is a supplement of the very same newspaper, Peter Vidal and his readings told me something completely contradictory. I got very confused as a result. (I wont say anything more about TOI-I think they are in enough of a mess as it is!) As if that wasn’t enough, sub branches like Numerology and Tarot came up and complicated life even more. I was supposed to have terrible luck in my job according to one reading, but was due for promotion according to another. My dream guy was right around the corner as per one, but I was supposed to have a heart break as per another. So then, I decided to do what suited me the best-believe all the nice things in all of them. So basically, at any given time, depending on the number of horoscopes I choose to read, I am blessed in love, have a promotion happening, have a page 3 social life and amazing health. Cool na! (Don’t ask if this is really happening or not…hint: if it were, do you think I would have the time to be blogging at the rate that I am?)

I am not trying to make any point in this post or give an opinion one way or the other. I have absolutely no idea how these things work or even whether they work. I just go ahead with life and hope my stars will take care of themselves. In the meantime, if any of you reading this had “you will have to read nonsensical rambling on someone’s blog today” in your daily horoscope, please pass on the contact details of your astrologer!