It’s the first day of the year and I seemed to stumble upon plenty of links with horoscope predictions for the year 2009. Curiosity took over and I read some link where some guy told me that Ganesha foresees this and that during the course of the 09. Well, if this guy was in constant touch with Lord Ganesha, I wonder why he has not been able to predict all other bad things that happen in this world, we could have probably averted the financial crisis, terrorist attacks, earth quakes, tsunamis and more.
Being brought up in a semi traditional household I am quite familiar with the process of reading ‘horror’scopes errrr…… horoscopes. Only two reactions can ensue after this amazing and sometimes expensive process. A sense of calmness combined with smugness as all is well with you even if the rest of world is rotting. The other reaction would be panic! It’s time to pull up your socks and start planning visits to various temples and appease the Gods referred to by the friendly astrologer. And expensive the process definitely is depending on what you choose. You can choose from palm reading, horoscope readings or a very future oriented process, where your fate is written on some palm leaves; if you are even familiar with the words ‘naadi josiyam’ the charade of reading you past and your future from palm leaves written several centuries ago you would nod your head in agreement. It seems that the rishis who lived 1000 of years ago knew you would make your appearance in the world far in the future and they have predicted your fate on palm leaves. An ignorant reader cannot read these leaves; reading and translating them requires a lot of special skills and the narrators at the ashram where these leaves are stored have been specially trained just to do this. Locating your leaves and translating them for you would definitely cost you a few thousands. Come on that a pretty small price when you get to know from where your daughter’s future husband is going to come from! The narrator has told you that’s it is definitely from the western direction and the guy probably lives in a house near the sea so that’s where you need to look – just take a stroll along the coastline to meet to future son in law!!! Oh! Wait it doesn’t stop there – you also get tips on how you can avert all the bad aspects that have been predicted by performing a lot of rituals around temples in India, not to forget that you have to give the ‘guru’ of the ashram some dothis and sarees along with cash and fruits as a form of ‘dakshina’. Seems ‘guruji’ wouldn’t need to shop all year for himself and his family. And those who got a peek into their futures would probably see no difference in their way of life in spite of following everything that was suggested very religiously. Seems these men with super powers can replace the need for a God and even the most educated and wise people fall for this. In the mean time I wonder if the archaeology department of India even validated these leaves and shouldn’t these be in some museum as they are priced treasures from the past?
I see astrology as a form of guidance – it can never be perfect and should never be commercialized. Most of these ‘astrologers’ out there are more interested in draining our wallets rather than really analyzing our stars. I am always ready to listen to wise mind but not one that tells me that he can give me a detailed reading if I am ready to part with a few cool thousands and of course he might just make me do that considering that he just hinted of something very terrible in the years to come. If mere mortals could avert all crises, there would be no need for the Supreme Being. However mere mortals cannot replace the man above – the one that I’d like to call ‘the boss’. ‘The boss’ rocks and rules and occasionally allows a few chosen ones to guide the helpless creatures he has put down on this earth. But he definitely did not ask them to create a business out of it. That’s my case and I am sticking to it! Hopefully people get wiser and sensible to guidance and spirituality rather than spending like crazy to know if they would travel abroad!
In the mean time please amuse yourself with these funny horoscopes – they are bound to make you laugh. I found it extremely hilarious.
In a few hours, another year bites the dust. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I am glad to see this one go – It has definitely been a year of unpleasantness for the world as the financial crisis reared its ugly head leaving many people in undesirable straits. India was threatened by terrorists and many innocent lives taken and blood spilt. It was also the year that history was made – the American continent voted for its first African American president and people all over the world rejoiced! It seemed that everyone believed that Mr.Barack Obama had a magic wand locked away somewhere and a wave of the same would flip the entire world to prosperity in the shortest time possible; can’t blame us considering that he did pack the notion of ‘Yes you can’ into our heads.
Personally it has been a year that pushed me to do many things and realize a lot about the person that I am – I found creativity again when I turned to my pencils and sketch books after many years of dormant activity in this area. I found that for every mean person there are probably 10 good ones around. I survived a lot this year purely because a lot of people helped me during crucial times: friends, my boss, my colleagues and sometimes even a stranger at the bus stop. I may never want to have a roommate again, but I think I have learnt to give those around me at least a little credit by placing some trust in them. In fact the year seems to have had a very theatrical conclusion with a fire in my kitchen 2 weeks ago. I freaked out and refused to cook even after everything was set right until my dad convinced me that the fire was a fates symbolic way of telling me that everything mean and ugly had been cleared away making way for a new future. Well I just hope that it is true.
This has also been a year when I found a few friends on the blogosphere. To be honest, I created this blog way back in 2006 and have torn it down at least twice thinking it was never good enough. I always seemed to be stuck in a continuous state of blocked creativity and imagination; in fact I am still stuck there! I made an effort (though not a very good one) to write even if it seemed silly. Thanks to my friends from the blogosphere who take the effort to read my posts, I have been motivated to do a better job with this blog and hopefully the New Year would see an improvement.
2008 I am happy to see you go! You may have shaken lives and cut down jobs, but that still doesn’t stop folks from shopping; the site of the crowded shopping malls is a delight; you may have reminded us that evil exists; you may have broken many a spirit, yet we face each day with hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Every morning a new day dawns,
Every day a new leader is born,
Each day the battle of good versus evil continues,
That good will triumph is definitely ensued.
A very Happy, Prosperous and Joyous New Year to one and all!!
If hopping pots and tree stumps had stories to tell this would be it. I just completed ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ by J.K Rowling. Being an avid reader of the Harry Potter series, I had to read this one too. Meant to be a book of short stories or fairy tales for young wizards and witches, the book gained immense popularity in the final installment of the Harry Potter series ‘The Deathly Hallows’ as the clue to discovering the secret that would end the most terrible war that the magical world has seen in recent times. The book is most definitely meant for a young audience, but succeeds in tickling the curiosity of adult readers and book collectors. JKR has weaved her magic in narrating the tales of the bard as if they were translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger along with foot notes from Albus Dumbledore convincing the readers that this could probably be a real deal. The characters seem funny and clever as in the case of ‘Babbity Rabbity, a witch moonlighting as a washerwomen (she reminds me of Birbal, the wise and witty advisor to King Akbar) or the ‘hopping pot’ a cauldron with a mind of its own’.
Most of the stories and characters draw similarities to the tales from the ‘Amar Katha’ series or ‘Tinkle’ which was a staple literay diet during our wonder years. Every story conveys a moral or lesson for life. My favorite was of course ‘The Tale of the three brothers’ that drives the point that death is inevitable; it can be postponed but never escaped.
A book that can be appreciated by the Harry Potter audience; borrow and read.
To know more about this book visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard
