Of star signs and predictions..., writes Priyanka Chaturvedi

The last time I heard of Nostradamus being actively discussed was when in school days we would take our annual train trip to our hometown and found people during the journey reading his predictions in context to India becoming a superpower. The thought used to make us really happy that someone was so far-sighted in his times to have predicted where India will head in the 21st century. It would make our train journey friendlier and conversational as we discussed what could be corrected in the way country is run, to make Nostradamus’ prediction come true. I wasn’t too sure if anyone believed it, but it was a feel-good factor about the country reaching for the stars.

With the advent of the Internet, the versions of Nostradamus kept changing as per the convenience of what someone wanted to read in it. People, I believed, had moved on. But I was recently proved quite wrong when a senior minister posted one of Nostradamus’ ‘predictions’ as an endorsement of their government, especially the Prime Minister. There is another leader who went one up on quoting Nostradamus to endorse a Baba.

This incident took me back to good old school and college days when we all laughed at ‘sab ‘sab dard ki dawaa hai Nostradamus’.  Soon, Nostradamus was forgotten and was replaced by Linda Goodman in our fun conversations if it had to do with love signs, compatibility, personality traits etcetera. It always ended up being a conversation starter in colleges, hey what’s your star sign? I used to read the daily star sign-based predictions in various dailies to know how my day would go. It goes without saying it never went that way at all especially when each newspaper had a different take on how my day would go. While one would say I would have a great day and everything I work towards will be accomplished, the other would predict a tough day, doomsday! Sigh. ki dawaa hai Nostradamus’.  Soon, Nostradamus was forgotten and was replaced by Linda Goodman in our fun conversations if it had to do with love signs, compatibility, personality traits etcetera. It always ended up being a conversation starter in colleges, hey what’s your star sign? I used to read the daily star sign-based predictions in various dailies to know how my day would go. It goes without saying it never went that way at all especially when each newspaper had a different take on how my day would go. While one would say I would have a great day and everything I work towards will be accomplished, the other would predict a tough day, doomsday! Sigh.

An honest confession though, as a creature of habit, I still diligently read every daily carrying out these day predictions based on my star sign. This has become So much of a habit that I have realised that even these dailies are experimenting, one has a tarot reader the other vastu expert another is a palmist, numerologist. Of course, the confusion of how my day will go has only multiplied with the multiplicity of newspapers I subscribe, but yet I read them all. None of these are taken seriously, but definitely has helped me laugh every morning along with the cartoon strips that are strategically placed next to the column.

As long as these are read, if at all, then they must also be read as frivolous. If Nostradamus starts deciding the course of the country’s destiny through the predictions he made in 15th century rather than the action that powers that be take at the centre, then all I can say is, “God save us’. Atheists can find other ways to reach the same conclusion. In the meantime, let me read what my star sign says for the day — rotten tomatoes for the column or bouquets for awesomeness!