I am not superstitious; touch wood!

While cleaning the book-shelf yesterday, I came across an old magazine detailing the different superstitions in different parts of the world and that got me thinking. What really is this superstitious? Is it really an idle mind’s creation or is there some logic to it?

 According to European medieval scholars the word was used to any belief outside the Christian beliefs; western superstitions are believed to have originated during the plagues that swept through Europe. In Latin etymology, religious believers have often seen other religions as superstition. Religious practices are labeled as superstition by people of other religious beliefs if they include beliefs in extraordinary event, supernatural interventions or the efficacy of prayer, charms etc. Romans believe that such beliefs are because of fear of god which is termed as desidaimonia. The Roman Catholic Church considers superstition as a sin because it shows a lack of faith in God.

My maternal grandmother was always very critical in this matter and would always come up with some sort of a scientific reason or logic.

There is the prevalent superstition that you should never walk under a ladder as this will bring bad luck. This came from early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and the ground and thus was associated with the Holy Trinity and walking through it made you to be in league with the devil. The early Egyptians believed that a ladder would be left for the departed souls to climb up to heaven or wherever they were meant to go, so if a person walked under a ladder it would damage the ability for the person that passed on to be trapped on earth. In Europe the ladder was generally used for getting a body off the lynching pole, so if one walks under it they would meet death. My grandmother had told me that walking under a ladder when a person was atop it more often than not could cause an accident in case the person atop slipped and fell or dropped something on your head. Very logical.

Black cats being considered evil are prevalent in almost all religions and customs. As a child I remember my Dad complain that a junior officer refused to come to office as a black cat had crossed his path. No threats of dire consequences could change his mind and the office suffered a heavy loss. In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black female cat. When the Christian priests tried to do away with other religions, they convinced their followers that the black cat stood for evil demons and so the black cats along with those who cared for them should be wiped out as these caretakers were actually witches. The logic seems in a belief that since the black cat was always seen with people practicing some sort of evil practice or witchcraft, they also must be influenced by some powers which is mainly negative since the company they kept and black being a non-absorbant color, (the reason we avoid black clothing in summer) the bad influences of the witches on them could be dispersed into the surrounding atmosphere.  So when a black cat walks away from you it emits the evil influence on it and any person passing by may absorb it. At the same time, it is believed that if a cat, black or otherwise walks towards you then it is a good omen.

During the 6^th century, it was a norm to bless a person when he sneezed as it meant that sneezing causes the dispelling of the evil from the body. Then when the plague struck Europe, it was taken for granted that the person will not survive and hence it was required to bless the sneezing person. I wonder whether plague and swine flu are cousins. My grandmother says that when a person sneezes it indicates a cold is about to set in and so in order to think positively or display one’s faith in the Almighty, you pray to God to bless the sneezer. It is also believed that when a person sneezes the person’s heart skips a beat, so it was considered necessary to bless the sneezes in order to keep this from happening.

Another highly prevalent superstition is opening an umbrella indoors. It is thought to be highly ominous as it portends death in the family. If you think about it, you will realize the dangers of opening an umbrella inside the house, you might end up poking the thin reeds of the umbrella into some one’s eyes or nose or some other sensitive points like the temple etc. If an umbrella gets burnt or catches fire it is considered a bad omen.  Obviously as the umbrella stands for shelter and protection, it getting burnt or singed is always indicative of losing a parent figure. I myself found this true. One evening an umbrella caught fire from a candle lit close-by, though not too close and within a week I lost one of my parents.

Breaking mirrors always heralds a seven year bad luck phase is also believed in almost all parts of the world. The reason could be explained. Mirrors, when first discovered were very expensive and if you happened to break one, you needed nearly seven years earnings in order to purchase another. Another superstition related to mirrors is that you should never stare into a mirror by candlelight or you will see the spirit of a lost loved one. One reason is of course wasting oil unnecessarily and secondly if you look into a mirror at night by a candle light, then for sure you cannot see yourself clearly, only a distorted form of yourself which may or may not bear a resemblance to some relative or the other.

 The unlucky number thirteen is another superstition and especially if it happens to fall on a Friday. I learnt from reliable sources that on the deadly combination of thirteenth and Friday twelve witches and one devil are present at Satanic ceremonies and hence inauspicious. It is also believed unlucky according to the book “Dungeon, Fire and Sword” is that on that day a certain King of France put the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar to the stake and burned him alive along with other Knights. Knights Templar, DeMolay, was very well liked by the common people. As he was burning he cursed the Pope and the King to die within a year, which actually happened. Another belief is that if you count the original Christian group along with Jesus and Judas is thirteen (counting Jesus as the first and Judas as the thirteenth) and he betrayed Jesus. Jesus was also crucified on a Friday.

So far touching wood is concerned, there are many beliefs regarding it. Knocking on wood was supposed to keep the evil spirits in the wood from coming out and putting a spanner to one’s good luck. Touching wood is to protect a statement made by a person from all evil eyes. This is mainly because wood being a non-conductor the hopeful statement will not turn into a hopeless one. Knocking on the wood is supposed to keep the devils living in the wood from hearing any ill considered idle comments. This habit is also to prevent bad luck by the Roman custom and by knocking you communicate with the dryads and it was also good luck to have the dryads in one’s favor.

Besides these all-pervasive superstitions, there are others which differ from one to another like some believe that if your nose itches then some one is thinking about you whereas I have also heard that if your nose itches then it portends impending bad health. Incidentally, I always get an itchy nose as soon as I enter a dusty region which is nearly a regular diet.

Some believe if you have a mole in the centre of your left or right palm you will be a good cook. I have others saying that it is indicative of a very harsh and severe life. My sister has a prominent mole in her right palm and she is neither a good cook nor a person ever bothered by any pronounced negativity in her life.

There is also the belief that if your right palm itches you will loose money and if your left palm itches then you come into money. My cousin’s palm itched when he had an allergy bout.

There is a belief that it is bad luck to have a house where you can walk straight from the front door and get out of the back door without any wall impeding your path. I suppose feng-shui has to be brought in here as it is considered to be dealing with the different angles of a house and its significance scientifically.

There are thousands of other superstitions which many believe in like ‘Never step over a person, then the person does not grow tall’, ‘never sleep with your head facing the door or the south as dead bodies are carried out of the house head first or that sleeping with your head facing south causes your blood pressure to drop or pulled down thereby causing many an ailment.

In India there is the black tilak which is applied right from infants to a person looking good or when good luck enters a household, just to ward off all evil spirits casting an evil spell and destroying the good aspects.

Another strong superstition is a dog howling. Whether it is ‘Christabel’ by Samuel Coleridge where the dog howling indicated to the readers that an evil spirit was entering the house or my housekeeper getting frantic as soon as a dog starts howling, everybody finds it ominous. This is believed that the dogs having extra-sensory perception can see dead people or spirits and the howl is indicative of their fear or horror of it. Somewhere along the way a dog howl has come to be associated with death. As soon as a dog howls, everyone starts wondering who it is in the area that is on the way out. My personal experience in this matter is that they howl not only when there is death lurking in the area but also when they realize that their own end is not too far. So far I have seen that three stray dogs in my locality howled day and night for about a month before they passed away.

I would like to mention my grand-aunt here who was a roly-poly jolly little lady and she embodied all the above mentioned superstitions in her everyday life. As a child I was afraid to go to her place because of it. Right from the moment she got and till such time she went to sleep, it was superstition that was guiding her and her actions like a possessed spirit. First thing when she opens her eyes no one should be around, now since she had no fixed time of waking up, that was a tall order. As soon as she realized the presence of another person in the room she would shut her eyes and ask the concerned person to leave. The reason given was that the first thing in the morning should be a very pleasant one otherwise the entire day would be marred. After her morning bath, no one should cross her path to the puja room (imagine, she is on the ground floor the puja room is on the second floor and the house hold consists of twelve members).  No one could sneeze or call out to her when she had her back to that person, and if any one unwittingly did commit that grave folly then she would go around the particular room at least three times before she continued with her interrupted progress. In the kitchen you cannot talk on any topic which had the potentiality of even a slight depression or grief, according to the grand lady the cook’s mental state influences the cooking and also passes on the mournful air into the meal, never fathomed how!  The afternoon siesta was never to be taken on the bed the person sleeps at night it brings in laziness into a person. If you have had a bad dream then tell someone about it and that someone should say “whatever you saw was actually good” this neutralizes the bad dream! Never count the steps while climbing up or down it brings your progress to a standstill. Girls must sleep on their left side at night and the boys on their right. The reason being the females’ left side is auspicious and the right side for the males. I remember the many nights she woke me up because I was lying on my right side. The females should put their left foot first and men the right. If a female has any defect however miniscule, on the right side of her being then she is inauspicious. I have a right thumb injury scar so she always told my mother to have it rectified so that my inauspiciousness can be wiped away. While leaving the house never say ‘I am going’ always say ‘I am coming’!

I have come to the conclusion that although superstitions may have been based on some scientific or logical reasons initially, human minds made a mountain of this mole hill. We all are affected by it in varying degrees however much we would like to deny it. Whenever a good luck struck us and we associated it with a prior action, we immediately considered that to be the good charm and turned it into another superstition. This way superstitions kept adding up to form a formidable wall which we cannot ever overcome.

DOGGY DAYS

I would like to discuss this case concerning a dog. In my neighborhood a “gentleman” has the habit of picking up lovely looking pups from God alone knows where and as soon as they grow up he stops tending them under one pretext or the other. The latest is a stray-mixed breed dog whom he had adopted similarly some 5-6 years ago. When I first sighted the dog, I was totally enamoured by him. He is a giant dog with playful eyes and was always seen bounding around the neighborhood and was named Tyson. He is friendly with one and all, and he often played about near my residence, once I got friendly with him. Since he had a collar I assumed he was some one’s pet and rued not finding him before the other person did.
About a year back I suddenly noticed that Tyson was more often than not spending his time in our locality and he had turned thin, and when I mentioned this to my house-keeper, she told me that the dog has injured himself while fighting with a pack and the scruff area was badly mauled. I told a neighbor who knew the owner since I did not know him, about the state of affairs so that proper treatment could be administered. I was appalled to learn that the owner, who Tyson even in that injured state, followed about, had said that since the dog tends to fight with other dogs, he has decided to disown him! In the meantime the wound was getting from bad to worse, he was getting thinner by the day, so I rang up a vet asking him what it was that could be done and he told me to administer a certain tablet for a period of time along with some powder on his wound. It was already very late and after the giving the medicines for a week with no perceptible positive results, I again rang the vet who then advised me to hospitalize him immediately. I rang up the necessary authorities as was advised by the vet and then I suddenly realized that this dog’s owner might not like it, and can create trouble for me because I did not bother to mince my opinion of him to his acquaintances. So I went to seek his permission, especially as the vet had told me that Tyson’s chances of survival were near nil. I then learnt that he had some sort of pharmaceutical business and his family consisted of himself, his wife and son, no reason not to care for the dog. When I told him about the condition as it stood, he was more than eager to hand over the responsibility to me. While conversing he told me that he had stopped giving the dog any meals as his wound was stinking!
Tyson returned from the hospital three months later. His wound had healed, but very thin and hungering for food. The “owner” and his nephew thanked me over and over again and I thought that at last the dog was secure. Within a span of three months I again see him roaming about aimlessly, again turned thin and hungry. He kept visiting our place at meal-times (there are a couple of street dogs we feed twice a day) and snatching the other dogs’ meals and in short behaving very wildly. Upon enquiry, I hear the person has said the dog barks too much and hence disturbs his sleep so he is no longer interested in keeping him and that the people, who saved his life last time, alluding to me, should actually care for him. Is this dog a plaything, that he keeps him in the house as long as he desires and when he has lost interest, the poor dog becomes homeless? I sent him some addresses where he could keep the dog by paying a certain amount for his maintenance, even that did not appeal to the ‘gentleman’. I am now seeing to it that he gets something to eat, but for a dog of his size (whenever out of affection he gets up on his front paws, he reaches up to my shoulders and I stand 5 ft 5 in tall, so you can imagine his size) and my inability to add another dog to my already existing number of 4 dogs and 7 cats. This is now causing a big mental problem for me, because neither can I ignore him nor can I feed him to his capacity. I spoke to his nephew who smartly disengaged himself from the whole issue by saying that since he is shifting out of his present residence he is helpless and also that he cannot impose on his uncle to look after Tyson. It seems that having him cured was actually a curse for him. Had I known that this was going to be the state of affairs I would definitely not subject him to this life. You can punish people who catch the stray animals and kill them in order to sell them to some of the reputed companies who in turn use the bones and blood of these carcasses for various purposes, which I will not go into details, keeping people’s sensibilities in mind, but how can you force people like these to bear the onus of their responsibilities? Once a pet becomes a nuisance you just can’t wash your hands of it. I would like to ask the man whether he would mete out the same treatment to his own son under similar circumstances.

THE NEW EDUCATION POLICY.

The new education policy that was unveiled yesterday, leave a lot to be desired. The policy seems to concentrate only on the aspect of reducing the fears of board exams and nothing else. How else can you interpret the policy where nothing changes apart from the examination procedure? Mr. Sibal says “This is good system which will very well judge the potential of a student,” I ask Mr. Sibal how is that possible? It has been said that the current form of evaluation of the students will be replaced by a new system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) which will consist of two sets of formative assessment – based on performance in class quizzes, participation in class discussions and projects etc - and one term end of summative assessment (SA) based on a test which will be held by the school. The marks will be added in the proportion of FA1 (20) +FA2 (20) + SA (60).

The entire procedure sounds like the death-knell of our revered education policy. By introducing gradation method instead of marks, there is going to be no change whatsoever as we are well aware of the marks quotient in each grade. More importantly, how will it benefit any one? There is no change in the course itself. The students suffer because of lop-sided syllabi and not because of the examinations and that aspect has not been addressed at all. The burden of books is likely to increase instead of decreasing with new aspects being included in the form of extra-curriculum. There should be a balanced comprehensive course for each class in order to make education more realistic. I see that certain subjects of IX or X standard students, the subject-matter of which at one time was considered to be of college-level, where as in some subjects the standard is so appallingly low. For example in West Bengal the indecisiveness of the Government regarding English language has left the students with very little knowledge of the language and has in turn ruined or narrowed their job opportunities. The inclusion of XI and XII standards was really not necessary, instead of that if after the class X examination a year of pre-university course was introduced where a student can make up his or her mind as to the subject he or she would like to pursue, would be actually beneficial.

I would also like to know whether CCE will not put immense pressure on the students. Importantly, the inspection at random to be held at the schools will always be suspect. As the principal of DAV boys school Dr Sathish said “If the CBSE has only a continuous evaluation system, the state board might not accept the marks awarded by private schools. The choice should be given to the students either to do the board exam or follow the continuous evaluation system. I’m not sure how two systems can function in one school,” Instead of addressing these problems Mr. Sibal has taken a route which is full of sound and noises but signifies nothing. The non-educational aspect of education has been dealt with, without giving actual education a practical and realistic syllabus.

Another point I would like to mention is that since childhood, we heard and witnessed the teachers’ personal feelings towards the students were displayed in the mark-sheet, I myself was a victim of it where my geography teacher saw to it I always failed in the subject and told my parents that I was not at all able to grasp the subject-matter as I lacked the brains for it. In the board-exam I secured a 61% in the language.

We are actually going back to the previous examination format, i.e., to the format which was taken from the Cambridge University, where a single board examination was held in standard XI and on successful completion you get admitted to a college. The students had to decide the stream, i.e., science or arts when they reached standard IX (the option that is missing here). I find the add-ons totally irrelevant to actual education.

BY GOD! MY DOG!

Dogs are considered to be mankind’s best friend, I am sure they are, but I would like to know what you think of this dog of mine which by breed is a stray mongrel who I lured into my house with as many goodies as possible thus spoiling him rotten from day one. From childhood I always wanted a dog as my pet but circumstances at that point of time was not conducive to get one home so when we did at last have a permanent address, my childhood desire resurfaced.  So, my journey of keeping a pet at home began with this white with black spotted dog with lovely black eyes who was named “Montek” (please, there is neither a direct or indirect hit at Mr. Ahluwalia or any one I know of that name, it just fell in place with him) and his sister who is pitch black with a white patch at the scruff and the endings of her tail and legs white which gives her an elegant look, she has been named “Saloni”. They are now four years old. These two along with five cats and two house-keepers cum maids, form my household.

Initially Montek was so wary of us all that he did not let us touch him for over a month, although he had escape routes via the main gate grill, he did not leave either.  He would not eat his meals if any one stood too close to his bowl. This went on for a month or more and at last after a lot of cajoling, he decided that we meant no harm to him. Then started our contribution to spoiling him. We gave him butter bite biscuits along with dog biscuits and let him do as he wished, but giving the devil his dues, he was very responsive to a stern command thus rarely repeating a mistake. He and his sister played about in the garden the entire day in such an energetic manner that passer-bys stood and watched them. I first realized the extent of their intelligence when one day within a year of their coming I could not locate a kitten at night. I frantically searched our entire compound but to no avail. Out of worry and frustration I asked them as to the whereabouts of the kitten, they looked at me and then looked up at the terrace. I at first thought cynically, mongrels after all what will they respond (we all think that the stray dogs have neither intelligence nor are they good guards) then on a second thought, I looked up to the terrace and sure enough the kitten was curled up at one corner. When they are sent up on the terrace and if some one from another roof-top throws stones at them, as this seems to be the general practice among human beings, they immediately come down barking and nudge us till we accompany them and fight it out with the miscreants.

Montek has all along shown an extra keen perceptivity. Every morning the first thing he does when he wakes up is to wake me with peculiar noises which are a mixture of a bark and woof. He likes having a bath. He is extremely moody regarding his meals in the sense that if he is depressed or is angry, or if he doesn’t like what is served he will not eat. If the dog meal is cooked by any one apart from my housekeeper, he will not have it. Once the meal is served, I will have to be present there and only then will he eat, even if he has been deliberately kept on a fast for the whole day. As soon as he is summoned for his meal, he comes up to me and keeps nudging me till I go and stand there. Occasionally when I am not at home during his meal-time he will wait till I return, even if it is over an hour, and then have his meal. If you keep some victuals in front of him and go away, he will not touch it until he is told to eat it. Another trait of his is that apart from the residents of the house he will not tolerate any one within the compound whether it’s the sweeper or plumber or others who frequent the house. A relative had come to stay for a week and this doggy of mine made her life miserable by following her about when she was alone in the house and barking and growling at her if she so much as touched a comb. He is very protective of the cats in the house though, if one is hurt he will sniff the injured cat and then give it a slight lick although, his licks are very very rare whether it is humans or other animals.. If ever a resident cat gets beaten by a non-resident one, he will chase that cat away for months on end. He belies the saying of let sleeping dogs lie, because even when he is fast asleep and if perchance we happened to step on him, he will jump up with a squeaking sound but will not even snarl leave alone bite.

In the early morning of the first day of this year, I suddenly heard a loud shriek of a bird within the compound, at first I thought nothing of it but when the shriek persisted, my housekeeper and I went to investigate. To our horror we saw that a cat from somewhere got hold of this bird by the neck and was trying to kill it. I went with a stick at the cat and the housekeeper ran in to fetch some water to throw at the cat. The sight of the stick of course did the trick, the cat fled. This dog of mine stood by the injured bird and chased away all the other birds who were trying to prey on it. He stood guard till such time we found a suitable cardboard box to put it in. we kept the bird in the puja room so that the cats could not get in, but if a cat so much as went and sniffed the door, he was sure to chase it.

I will tell you one very touching incident with this dog. A fortnight before a family member of mine passed away due to a sudden heart attack (we were not aware that she had a heart problem), he sat outside the room and no amount of coaxing or yelling made him move from there. He stopped eating two days prior to that day. On the black day of the demise, he just let out one howl in the morning, the member passed away that night. Next day when people had come to pay their respects, he sat quietly in a corner with water flowing down his face. I don’t know how to express my feelings. I don't want to think of a day when he will not be around.

UMBRELLA

I have a penchant of losing my umbrellas ever so often, that I decided to do away with it when I last lost it a month back.  Since then, whenever I went out, I sorely missed its presence (I wonder how I can lose it).  I and the Sun have a special relation, no matter what the weather is like; whenever I go out of the house it is sure to come out in its full glory to have a good look at me. Today when I went out and felt the heat (literally), I got thinking as to the origin of the umbrella. What induced the maker of it to make one?

The definition of an umbrella as given in the Thesaurus is a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy. It is colloquially referred to as brolly or gamp. There is no date given as such regarding its invention although it is often seen depicted in old paintings and sculptors. In ancient Greece umbrella was an indispensable prop to a fashionable lady. It also had religious significance. In the Scirophoria, the feast of Athene Sciras, a white parasol was borne by the priestesses of the goddess from the Acropolis to the Phalerus. In the feasts of Dionysius the Umbrella was used, and in an old bas-relief the same god is represented as descending ad inferos with a small Umbrella in his hand.

In the Mahabharat we find the mention of the umbrella in the following legend.  Jamadagni was a skilled bow-shooter and when he would shoot the arrows his wife Renuka would always retrieve them immediately, one day however it took her an entire day to recover the arrows and she blamed the heat of the sun for the delay. Hearing this Jamadagni immediately shot an arrow at the sun. The sun pleaded for mercy and offered Renuka an umbrella.

Jean Baptiste Tevernier in his “Voyage to the East,” says that on each side of the Mogul’s throne were two umbrellas, and also describes the hall of the King of Ava as decorated with an umbrella. The Maratha princes, who reigned at Poona and Sattara, had the title of Ch’hatra-pati, “Lord of the Umbrella.” The cháta of the Indian and Burmese princes is large and heavy, and requires a special attendant, who has a regular position in the royal household. In Ava it seems to have been part of the king’s title, that he was “King of the white elephant, and Lord of the twenty-four Umbrellas.” Persons of rank in the Mahratha court, who were not permitted the right of carrying an Umbrella, used a screen, a flat vertical disc called AA’-ab-gir, carried by an attendant. ….”

We also find the mention of umbrellas in the histories of Egypt, Persia, China, Europe and many others. At that time the article was mainly used to protect the ruler or church authorities and had not percolated to the common man. I learnt from Wikipedia, however, that in Thomas Coryat’s “Crudities” published in 1611, one and half centuries before the general introduction of umbrella in England, there was a reference to a custom of riders using umbrellas:-

  “And many of them doe carry other fine things of a far greater price, that will cost at the least a duckat, which they commonly call in the Italian tongue umbrellas, that is, things which minister shadowve to them for shelter against the scorching heate of the sunne. These are made of leather, something answerable to the forme of a little cannopy, & hooped in the inside with divers little wooden hoopes that extend the umbrella in a pretty large compasse. They are used especially by horsemen, who carry them in their hands when they ride, fastening the end of the handle upon one of their thighs, and they impart so large a shadow unto them, that it keepeth the heate of the sunne from the upper parts of their bodies.”

The umbrella has become very popular in the last thousand years. Besides protecting against the sun and rain, umbrella has many functions which we often overlook.  It is said that to defend yourself from an attacking tiger, just open the umbrella on its face and it’s sure to leave you alone. Umbrellas also double up for a walking-stick, you can shoo away the street dog who decides to bark and snarl at you for no earthly reason. An open umbrella is a good hiding place for kids trying to avoid detection for one or another reason. Losing an umbrella or an umbrella getting burnt is considered inauspicious by many, as it implies losing someone who is overhead or losing the shelter of the house. Interestingly, at my residence an umbrella caught fire from a flickering candle-light and within a month I lost my Dad. At that point of time I was not aware of this superstition.

Umbrellas have also inspired many a song. Apart from the Hindi film-industry, we also have “Umbrella” which is the first single released from Rihanna’s third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

Umbrella is one fashion statement which is affordable by one and all.  It comes in many colours and designs, folding umbrellas or non-folding ones.  Of course the folding umbrellas don't have the romantic old-world charm, although a shorter version can be seen these days. The obvious purpose is protection against rain and sunlight but psychologically it helps in creating a sense of being in a shell or cocoon where a person is totally secure and protected.  This is one of mankind’s best supporter and protector. I am thinking I will purchase another one this evening itself.