Meghalaya's 'teer' (a form of traditional archery) enthusiasts interpret their dreams while betting and most of the time they are braced to be on target.
SHILLONG: Meghalaya's 'teer' (a form of traditional archery) enthusiasts interpret their dreams while betting and most of the time they are braced to be on target.
At least, this is the belief in this northeastern state.
Here, there is no fantasy connected with or anything even remotely erotic about the number 69 as it is considered in popular culture. It simply spells death, if you have dreamt of death, then the number is going to be 69. The belief is such.
Similarly the numbers 56 or 65 numerically express dreams involving amorous couples.
"This is sheer belief. It has nothing to do with reality but the belief is so strong that people spend hours discussing and interpreting their dreams before betting," says Joseph Kharmujai, a regular teer player.
Teer is a traditional form of betting, which has since been legalised. It sustains the age-old sport of archery of the indigenous people.
The game involves a row of archers shooting at a circular target made of hay. The number of arrows that remain on the counting frame after several rounds of shooting is the lucky number for the day.
The Meghalaya government legalised teer mainly because of its revenue-generating potential. At least 600 counters have been set up in several areas of the state capital alone where people can place bets.
For those who have luck on their side, teer offers the maximum returns for the most minimum bets in the world.
"There is no way of knowing what would be the lucky number. So interpreting dreams has become the order of the day," says Sanjeev Das, who has been betting for years.
"A man or a woman walking in your dreams means the number will be 11 and an omlette or just an egg is sure to be zero," says Raymond, who has won many a bet simply by interpreting others' dreams.
Dreams involving a football match is 22 (the number of players), a banana is one, a deserted road is seven and a car is four (number of wheels), explains Dominic Pathaw, the owner of an archery counter.
"The number eight denotes a dream involving a fight, while a cat meowing or dogs barking is four," says local cab driver Ravi Thapa, who, like many others in this city, is a regular teer player.
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