Life Line

fortune favors

I boarded the jet muttering Bismillah under my breath. Any flight travel always makes me anxious and too some extent, jittery. I have a firm belief that once you board a flight you put on a mask of confidence that nothing can go wrong. Nothing does. Most of the time. But still, the fact that there is no escape route is the point that gets me jittery and I don’t stop praying until we have safely landed and the wheels have stopped. 

Usually the route I take is a busy route and the flights are always full. So i never get empty seats for me to ‘spread out’. I seldom get good co-passengers to talk to. The few ones i got have always left a memorable impression. But this route was different. The distance is short and hence few takers for a flight travel. 

I was happy to find that i had the entire 3 seats to myself. I took my window seat, buckled myself and let out a relieved sigh. I was going to a new place. To do something i have never done before. There was a lot to look forward to that i knew nothing about. But this was an opportunity. One probably divinely designed.

As I sat there engaged in my thoughts, a woman called out to me and asked me if i would kindly remove the purse from the middle seat. Of course. I had assumed too soon. She sat down next to me with a smile. 

It seems she was the last passenger and the flight was finally ready. Soon we were in mid-air and the flight was stable after the initial turbulence. I was going through the in flight magazine. It was then the lady asked me if was visiting ___ for the first time. I replied that it was my second visit and my last visit was when I was 12. I was 26 now. So a lot must have changed and I would love to explore the place from a grown up’s perspective. She nodded. She was wearing a lovely shawl. It looked so soft and extremely light. But the work was stunning. A remarkable motif in the shawl was a the print of a cobra’s hood, not the entire head but only the two dots connected by a v. I complimented her. She thanked me and said that it was family heirloom and belonged to her grandmother. It seems her grandmother had received it as a gift from her erstwhile lover, who happened to be a dealer in antiques. But they could never be together because of his travelling job. The story naturally held my attention. 

I asked her where the shawl had been procured from. The woman, who looked quite fit for her age, smiled and replied that it was quite a coincidence. The dealer had gotten it from a gypsy in Sri Lanka. A common trait among the nomadic gypsies all over the world is that they engage in fortune-telling. Many a story have been conjured out of the gypsy fortune-telling saga. So were the Sri Lankan gypsies. And the coincidence lies here. Though not gypsy, her grandmother was an avid astrologer. She had taken up palmistry as a hobby when she was young. And it developed into a passion. The lady’s mother however had nothing to do with astrology and was a school teacher. The embers of the passion however raged in my co-passenger and she too took an interest in astrology early on in her life, guided by her grandmother.  It was during one of the sessions in a cold afternoon, that her grandmother fondly wrapped the shawl around her. And after appreciative smiles, told her the story of the love that was never fulfilled. And the one thing that she could never predict was when she would pine for him whenever he was away.  She tried and tried. But she couldn’t foretell what was the fate of her love. Until one day she was sitting in the mandap beside her grandfather, following the rituals that would tie them in matrimonial union for many births to come. Love was powerful, but mysterious. And the failure to predict her fortune, to be with the man she loved made her pursue astrology with renewed vigour. She told her that all the while she also realised that life is about making it happen with what you have. Her grandfather gave her all the happiness she ever desired and soon the shawl was just a memory which didn’t even interest her any more. She educated her children, pursued her passions and also enjoyed the companionship of her husband till she died. Being surrounded by loved ones was all that mattered. 

Her grandmother was quite well-known during her times. And there were those who would swear by her predictions. It was an invigorating story. I asked the lady if she was married. She replied that she was. But her husband had left for another woman. His family never liked her and would always keep instigating him against her and would in many a way label her a witch. That how she was up to no good. The insinuations finally got to him and one day he announced that he can’t live with her with any more. Within a few months he married the widow of a fighter pilot. They had met in a party a year back while he was married to her. Now she was alone and intended to be so. She said maybe women who predict and foretell the future are doomed in love. It did sound depressing. And i was a little nervous. There was something i was looking forward to and these stories were not helping. 

She must have sensed it. She smiled and told me to forget all of that and offered to read my palm. As far as i am concerned, my interest in astrology is limited to reading the “Sagittarius” part of the regular astrology column in a magazine or newspaper. Short and sweet. I forget about it by the time i am out of the house. I was hesitant in laying bare my palm to a stranger. Suddenly all kinds of superstitious thoughts entered my head. (How you should not reveal your future to a stranger). She was a stranger alright. There was a clash of my beliefs. Here I am not believing in astrology and then again wary of a stranger stealing my palm lines!!! So i just give my hand.

She takes my palm on her left hand and with her right hand gently rubs over my palm a couple of times. She keeps looking at my hand. Even turns it like the school matron checking my nails during school assembly. She asked me what did i want to know. I think for a moment and ask her how lucky will I be in love. She again reads my palm and then says that i have had a couple of heart breaks and love struggles. But now i am on my way of finding true love. The man who will be soul mate, my life partner. This time it will be final. But she added that he will take time in telling his family about me. But he will love me a lot. I then asked her if i will be able to realise my goals. She again studied and said i will have to go through some more struggles. But yes i will get what i want. At this point, the attendant announced that we are descending. I thanked the lady and told her that’s all i want to hear and told her that it turned out to be a lovely flight trip because of her company. She told me to be in touch with her and gave me her card. Her name was printed there. It was Sunanda. With pleasantries we finally parted. 

Maybe some fortune got rubbed into me. My bag floated in first in the conveyor belt. I just couldn’t wait anymore. I took my trolley and dashed towards the exit. And there he was. My fiance! The smile, the happiness, the hug, it felt so natural. As if a part of me ever since i was born. We were engaged just 5 days. He was leaving for New York and was in Calcutta for collecting his Visa. However the visa delivery got delayed by some days and fate gave me a chance to be with him some more days. To get to know him and be with him before he comes back 9 months later to take me to be his wife with the world in witness. Just like all other astrology i used to follow, i couldn’t remember what the lady had told me. Except for one thing..he will love you a lot.

The fortune-teller's prediction may have been different, but she got one thing right. Love is powerful and mysterious. No one can say what will happen. But you need to keep loving and you will be loved too. Whether for good or for worse. As for eternal love, I am sure prayers and your faith will go a long way in ensuring that. Love is called divine for a reason.