THE 'T' FACTOR

She said "Sani", he mistook it to be "money"..a few years back...

His name was called. My friend and I walked in. The smell of inscence sticks and 'malli poo'(jasmine flowers) filled the air. Traditional straw mats covered the floor. One wall was filled with pictures of various gods and goddesses, each one adorned jasmine garlands. On either side hung traditional lamps lit in ghee. The cool breeze from the air conditioning hit us before turning away again.

In the center of the room sat the person we came to meet. We had to wait almost a month to get her appointment. Her clientile included VIP's from various fields be it politics or cinema. She sat cross legged on a mat on the floor in front of all the pictures. I whispered to my friend. "Why is she sitting with her back facing all the pictures?". He replied in hushed tones, "She has to face the east and so does all the pictures of the gods, now shut up and sit".

She sat with her eyes closed. Her assistant who sat on her left  signalled us to be patient. In front of her lay his horoscope. I sat thinking..why was he here? Aaah...bad times, to determine the 'T'(time) factor in his life. His career was at an all time low. A home loan(2 including a vacant land), A car loan, Jewellery loan, Credit card payments, insurance payments, a strained marriage, education of two kids, old parents who need medical attention ....sound's like everybody's problem? well, he thinks his problems are the worst!!! He had to take a loan just to pay for her appointment!!

He was told not to ask any questions and quietly listen to what she says. She will say it only once. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him..and said "My son, I can understand your concerns"

"Sani(saturn) is in the 4th house for sometime"

"The house of the mother and comfort,
Problems with friends, in sale of land,
In job, seperation from family, in health of parents,
In moving abroad and money is in demand."

"In a year's time, Guru(Jupiter) graces you,
The house of job, career and work,
On the 10th house, he casts his looks,
At times of trouble, an additional perk."

She paused, and then continued :

"You need to appease the gods,
Pray and light a lamp of black seseme seeds,
Every saturday at the temple,
In front of lord shani, your troubles till he heeds."

"Feed crows, the vehicle of his,"

The damn phone rang...RRRIIIING!!!

"Help the handicapped, donate money,"

He fumbled to find his phone...

"He will surely grace you,"

WHERE IS THAT BUTTON!!!

"Such is the greatness of lord Sani."

He looked up.

She was done. We were asked to leave. He was almost in tears. "Can you believe it!!, i forgot to put my phone on vibrate mode!!...I did not hear the last few lines...did you?" before I could answer he went on..."Atleast she said in the end, lots of money". I wanted to say, she said Lord sani and not lots money. But something told me not to.


He came out of the building a much more confident and happy man. Saturday after saturday he went to the temple with his family, fed the crows and helped people. Stayed patient in his current job. Patched up things with his wife. Spent time with his children. He deligently applied for several jobs. A few months passed...he applied to a company based at Singapore was looking for profiles similar his. The process took a few months but he got the job. At the end of the year he moved to singapore, alone.

As he left, he said..in a voice that showed absolute reverance, "what she said is coming true. At the end of one year, my career improved, I am seperated from my family, and I am going to make lots of money..can you believe it?"

I did not say a word.

He is now settled in Singapore. His family has shifted with him. His parents live in chennai. He is 'almost' financially sound. To him, All is well.

I sit down and wonder. I am amazed at the power of faith and suggestion. What was the reason for the change in his life? faith?  charity? rituals to god? his own hard work? The power and strength of the human mind to make or break a life is something we see in many people's lives. With growing problems and stress, most people are looking for something to go by, cling on to...mostly something that can give them hope..herein...THE 'T' FACTOR!!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda