‘Err…,’ Sonali said and cleared her throat. ‘You are someone who at any point needs love, for you love is your greatest wealth,’ Sonali’s training as a lawyer had helped her choose the right words. Caroline beamed and Vyas blushed. And Sonali didn’t want to play a spoilsport. Caroline wanted love, no doubt—and quite frankly demanded it—but not always from Vyas. One look at some of the other lines on Caroline’s palm confirmed that her affair with Vyas was not to last. Yet instead of feeling sorry, somewhere at the back of her head, Sonali felt relieved. For Vyas.
‘And what else?’ urged Caroline impatiently. She was used to being impatient around Vyas. ‘You can try doing some business of your own; working under someone won’t suit you.’ Caroline didn’t answer and Sonali had to hastily amend, ‘If you run a business it will be successful, since you have rather shrewd business skills.’ Caroline gave half a smile as if she was already plotting her next move.
Astrology, Sonali knew, was as much an art as it was a science. Since astrology involves conveying the inherent truth to a rather narcissistic human race, a dash of diplomacy is always helpful.
‘Okay, go on,’ Caroline said simply as if she had paid Sonali for her services. Sonali spent the next twenty minutes sugar coating the truth. Behind long sentences as she predicted ‘the future’ for Caroline. The future being nothing but the sum aggregate of a person’s present circumstances coupled with one’s personality traits.
‘Finished?’ asked Caroline as if
she
had been expending the energy of her vocal chords for the past half hour. Then rubbing her sweaty palms together, she declared, ‘Actually I don’t believe in astrology.’ Ankur who had found it more
interesting to play with the fork in his plate all through Caroline’s long list of queries, stopped, startled. Ankur had heard a lot of those ‘height of hopefulness’ and ‘height of honesty’ kind of jokes. This simply had to be the height of hypocrisy. ‘Excuse me?’ countered Sonali recovering from the sudden shock of Caroline’s declaration.
Caroline suddenly smiled as if to ease the situation. A woman can instantly sense if another woman is getting ready for a fight. ‘I mean, it doesn’t make much sense, does it?’
Wow! This was something new, thought Ankur. After spending Sonali’s energy and half an hour of their group’s collective time, Caroline grandly announces her views. Nothing about Caroline made much sense.
‘Anything that does not have its basis in truth, will not last so many centuries,’ Sonali said simply.
‘But how can one’s future depend on the movement of some star and moon and other such crap?’ Caroline said in a tone that seemed to suggest that she was used to getting into arguments with people. The Lioness of course was prepared. She had, after all, spent five years training as a lawyer. But Sonali realised that a calm explanation would be of more help and so the Leo lady began.
‘Astrology is based on the bio-rhythmic cycles of the body that begin from the day we are born. The moon being a satellite has a powerful effect on the water bodies. So it’s logical to deduce that the moon might have some effect on us given that human body is 75 per cent water. In fact, it is said that the pull of the moon is so strong that senile people are prone to getting a degree more insane on full moon days.’ Sonali paused here probably as a hint to Caroline. The lady lawyer was in full form. She wasn’t going to let Caroline with her bleached hair get away so easily.
‘A new born’s body comprises 83 per cent water and so it’s quite natural that not just the moon, but also the sun, the life giver on earth will bear some impression on the little life. The elements exist in tandem. That’s where the theory of a person’s sun sign comes from.’ Sonali explained to an audience listening in silence.
‘Astrology is also based on the theory that energy is never wasted. Science tells us that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It only changes forms. On the human plane this can be translated to mean Positive energy and Negative energy. Yin and Yang. According to Newton’s third law of motion—to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction—hence the energy that one releases, be it good or bad, has to come back to you. Karma, that’s what one calls it,’ Sonali said even as Ankur found himself thinking of his recent good turn to Rohit.
‘Nature is rather integrated. Everything depends on everything else. The food chain is the prime example. Hence without a doubt, Nature follows a pattern. So also with astrology. It is said that if one does a good deed today one can almost calculate the time when the good deed will be returned to you. That precise are the laws of the Universe. Order is after all, Heaven’s first law,’ Sonali emphasised. Souvik listened intently, neatly arranging the haphazardly placed plates around him.
‘Hence astrology only seeks to act as a guideline. One’s present circumstances are but the result of one’s past actions. This sometimes stretches to several lifetimes. Otherwise, nothing else explains the fact that some are born into stark poverty while some into laps of luxury. Yet the cosmic force has ordained that if a person genuinely wants to make amends, circumstances are arranged to provide for evolution of the soul. That way destiny is dynamic, it keeps changing.
Anech
is the old Pali or Prakrit word for “changeable”. It is perhaps the only word that Buddhist monks are encouraged to chant when they are not involved in the absorbing silence during Vipassana meditation.
‘The human body, as also the world, is in a constant state of flux. Therefore astrology in its truest form involves going deep within through meditation to uncover the answers that the soul already knows. It’s like when one is on the ground floor one can hardly see a car that is at the end of the road, yet if you watch from the terrace, you can almost calculate the time the car will take to cross your front gate. Something like those Time, Distance, Speed sums in school, remember? Astrology, that way, is almost maths, on a much higher plane. Actually its called a metaphysical science,
meta
being the Greek word for “beyond”. Astrology can
sometimes go beyond the explained laws of science. The same thing is said about miracles. In fact recent research in quantum physics has revealed the existence of a plane parallel to the physical world,’ Sonali finished finally.
There was a collective gasp. The lady lawyer had won her case. Caroline looked sheepish yet a little defiant. She didn’t want to take on the rather well read Sonali. Training to be a lawyer, Sonali already knew this first step towards winning an argument. She had done her homework well. Her sound reasoning and well-researched knowledge of the subject made Ankur actually feel a newfound respect for her. Even the otherwise distracted Souvik and fidgety Pavan had stopped to listen to Sonali with an intensity that almost embarrassed her. Jaishree who had needed no convincing suddenly seemed a little concerned about her own future. Vyas also was impressed, yet he seemed simultaneously nervous because his girlfriend didn’t look too pleased. Sonali couldn’t help it. She couldn’t sugar coat the truth in astrology to suit the dangler wearing ears of Caroline.
‘Yet astrology is not often encouraged since at all times there seems to be a certain element of hocus-pocus involved. If only people stop to understand the science behind it. Besides it’s important to have a strong spiritual base without which nothing can exist. Those who make predictions begin to believe they are celestial bodies themselves, given the amount of reverence they get.
They forget that they are mere postmen and that the letter has been drafted by the Highest Power there is. The very Power which has created the mosquito as also the mighty mountains.’
Sonali’s last line almost met with an applause and even Caroline smiled. It was easier for Caroline to understand something about postmen and mosquitoes than metaphysical ramblings. Even if Caroline wanted to butt in with her own views, Sonali was already busy with the clamour of the astro doubts around her.
‘I’ll be saying only three things about each person, okay. And don’t worry they will all be positive. Since astrology is all about bringing out the best in a person. One’s future or career depends on doing something one is inherently good at. After all, most catastrophes are caused due to human failings. So it helps to know the personality traits one should work on to avoid pit falls,’ said Sonali as she looked at the pit like space between Pavan’s fingers as also some lines. The guy was without a doubt generous as also a little accident prone.
That probably explained his foot in mouth disasters, as well as the fact that Pavan was the unfortunate one to be seated next to Vyas’s girlfriend. But then again Caroline’s whacks must have helped the fussy Pavan’s food to go down faster. Alot had happened during that Saturday lunch. There were just too many things to be digested.
Twenty-Seven
‘The first Indian, in fact, the first Asian law firm to get ISO 9000 certification is the Chennai-based Surana & Surana,’ a class dictation was being called out again by Mrs Sunanda. The class was repeatedly reminded perhaps three million times a day that they ought to start taking things seriously since they were ‘in the final year now’. Assignments followed lectures and evaluations followed assignments. The young lawyers were constantly kept busy. There was hardly any time for anything else. Except for Souvik.
‘How does Jaishree Bose sound?’ he asked playfully as Ankur and he were returning from the library, late one evening. Finishing an assignment always gave the students a sense of relief and Souvik was in an unusually good mood. Ankur slowed his pace. Sonali had told him about Jaishree’s dilemma. He wondered how he would break the news without breaking Souvik’s spirit and heart.
‘Souvik, I think we should go to the canteen. The assignment is over…we ought to celebrate right?’ Somehow Ankur found it hard to say ‘celebrate’ and ‘right’ both together. There was something so wrong about the whole thing. Jaishree was about to be married off and Souvik had absolutely no idea. Right at that moment, even Ankur had no idea of whether to tell Souvik the news before or after their drink.
‘Souvik I wonder, if you’ve heard…,’ Ankur began hesitatingly when they had their chilled cola bottles in front of them. It had been over a month since college had reopened and it was the first time Ankur was opening his mouth with regard to this issue. After having seenhis roommate Vyas’s love life from such close quarters, Ankur wanted to stay miles away from all matters of the heart.
‘What?’ asked Souvik casually stretching out to look at the open sky putting his hands behind his head for support. After finishing a three hour long back breaking assignment in the library, sitting on the plastic chair in the canteen seemed a luxury.
It was rather late in the night. Most students had long since finished their dinner in the hostel mess and even the otherwise noisy canteen was relatively silent except for dishes being washed in the kitchen. Another group of guys sat together smoking in one corner within the canteen. The canteen had two sections. One with chairs and tables put outside while the inner section had bird-dropping-free furniture arranged beneath bright tube lights with posters of ageing super stars who stared from the peeling walls while one ate.
Ankur always preferred to sit out. Especially that evening. It was going to be easier to run. Souvik he knew would be angry, hurt, and disillusioned, if he were to hear the news. It was close to ten at night. Ankur wondered if he should tell Souvik the news the next morning. He had no right to spoil Souvik’s sleep. But then again Ankur had no plans of spoiling his own sleep. The deed simply had to be done.
‘Souvik have you spoken to Jaishree lately?’ Ankur enquired, hoping the answer would ease him of the rather awkward situation. Souvik stopped nibbling on his samosa. ‘Not really, why?’ he asked, taking a sip of the aerated drink. When Souvik was happy, he would keep nodding his head to himself. It was as if the singer in him kept pace with the rhythm within him. He had just finished his 100 mark assignment, there was the moon in the sky, and there was a cool breeze blowing. The poet in him could launch into poetry.
‘What happened?’ enquired Souvik, noticing Ankur’s uneasiness. ‘Are you still worried about the assignment?’ Souvik asked.
‘Souvik listen…Jaishree’s getting married,’ Ankur said finally, unable to bear the suspense of his own silence.
Souvik stopped chewing. Then he stopped blinking. And then finally it seemed as though he stopped breathing.
‘Listen, it’s okay,’ he said placing his hand on Souvik’s shoulder. It was an effort for the podgy Ankur to do that from across the table. But it was the least he could do to comfort his friend.
‘When…when did this happen…Jaishree is getting married…to whom…why?’ Souvik asked almost hysterical. Ankur tried to calm him down by insisting, ‘Probably it’s just a rumour…Sonali told me. I mean her folks are just looking for a boy…I don’t think anything’s come of it,’ Ankur said in short quick sentences to reassure Souvik.
Seeing the usually calm and rational Souvik hysterical was scary. Seeing someone close to you panic to the point of tears, is far from a pleasant experience. Souvik simply covered his mouth and stared at the ground as if still in shock. All his plans of going abroad, getting a degree from a foreign university were aimed at impressing Jaishree and her family. Except that now her family would include her husband. Souvik was horrified at the thought. Shock and hopelessness immobilised him.