Lucky or Ominous!!

Talking about the modern era? The fast moving society? Here’s something that’s so common and is definitely so undesirable and a waste for a society. Superstition- the most common and prevailing epidemic!!

Superstitions are a set of irrational beliefs, rites, rituals or practices that are based on fear or ignorance that one held in spite of its evidence to the contrary. The superstitions are baseless and foolish yet they are as old as man. They are the attempts of our ancient sages to teach science to the people in a popular way. But repeated co-incidences helped in rooting the superstitions. Blind beliefs are related to almost everything that we encounter in our daily life be it be numbers, directions, certain days of week, animals, or any other day to day practice. The early man who had no scientific knowledge fell as an easy prey to superstitions. Illiteracy, lack of knowledge and incapacity to reason out are the basis which generate superstitions. Taking advantage of this gullibility, ignorance and innocence of people, many clever men turn into controllers of evils and fortune and cheat the innocent people.

Superstitions are universal; they are not confined to any particular people or place. A sneeze will be more vulnerable than a bullet fired from a double barreled gun, a horse shoe nail lying on the road; facing you is lucky, while it is ominous if it is found facing away from you.

In offices, workers of all cadres can be seen with long drawn sandal paste, 'tilaks' on their foreheads; or some sort of red or white or black threads tied round their left or right wrists. Some even have the so-called 'tavizes' or 'gandas' hanging round their necks like the mini albatrosses; some even have magic rings on their fingers to ward off the evil eyes of the ominous influence of evil spirits.

What do this all go to show? Only meaningless superstitions. However 'modernly' dressed a person be, however advanced his id be, if a cat were to cross his path, he would either try to be quick enough to pass on before the cat does so or he would do his best to reverse cat's direction of motion, along a straight line or he himself wound round, or he would stand there and then for a while, and if anybody were to see him performing these monkey tricks, he would try to co' some suitable excuse for doing so.

And if, unfortunately, the cat happens to be black one, the God bless both, him and the cat, the cats are lovely creatures but somehow or other Indians seems to be scared of them.

Even a cat might reflect on experiencing a 'man-crossing', "how ill - omen these humans are! Whenever I come across one, I do not get a piece meat or else I have to go without milk the ‘rest’ of the day." The things does not end there, these 'cat-cross" scared human will not kill a cat for fear that a golden cat will have to be given in charity order to escape for the punishment of being sent to hell for killing the cat.

When one is going to embark upon a journey, the sight of an empty pitcher or empty bucket or the sight of an old man is very bad. When one is going to set out on a journey and on stepping out if he come across a funeral being carried to the burning or to (be burial ground on his left, it is going and if on the right, it is very bad.

A black spot on the cheek of a fair lady is considered a protection against an evil eye, while an 'unfair' (not-white) child is a protection against itself and against any evil eye. If a lizard chirps, the journey are going to be undertaken, must be abandoned. The sight of a meteor, howl of a jackal, the wailing of a dog are more dangerous than a bank murderous robbers.

The power of superstition is great. It must not however be forgotten that superstition is a disease of the mind, of the brain.

Superstition gives birth to, gives rise to, various fears and anxieties that are unfounded. It hinders the execution of many healthy and good programmers. Superstitions retard the pace of civilization. Even educated persons fall a prey to superstitions. Superstition encourages fatalism by creating more faith in chance than in work. Giant feel dwarfed before men, and blinded by superstition, the knights feel dastardly cowards.

The most horrible feature of superstition is the barbarous cruelty it propagates in certain cases. It promotes the passion of cruelty, anger and frenzy, the idea hinted at here is the sacrifices in the name of propitiation of goods. Sometimes ignorance plays havoc with the sentiments of the people, culminating in mob fury that is capable of doing more harm than all the rests of the elements put together.

Superstition is born of ignorance and no argument can be advanced in its defense and favor. Even the people who otherwise seem quite right with their brains, and even though they are highly educated bow to superstition.

Here are some of the commonly practiced superstitions or blind beliefs:

• The grown-ups should not crossover a child as it would check his growth. 
• Donating a sum of INR 101 instead of INR 100 or INR 51 instead of INR 50. The extra rupee is supposed to bring good luck. 
• Cutting nails, hair, shaving or stitching cloth after sunset is bad 
• Sweeping the house at night is inauspicious. 
• Widows are considered unlucky. Some consider it bad luck to see a widow first thing in the morning 
• It is inauspicious to start a new venture on Saturday. The day is considered unsuitable for marriages and ceremonies. 
• Breaking of a mirror brings bad omen. 
• One who eats a twin-fruit gives birth to twins. 
• Black cats are inauspicious and are associated with witchcraft. 
• Menstruating women are unclean. In fact, it is such a taboo for a woman to be menstruating that people don’t even refer to the natural phenomenon by its name. It is instead called as ‘being down’ or ‘chumming.’ Women who are menstruating are not allowed to enter the kitchen. They are also supposed to stay away from temples, mosques and all religious spots in the house itself. 
• If a lizard falls on one's head or body, he is going to die soon. (But in actual, he lives in fear of death for many days, and then forgets it). 
• Never wash the front courtyard immediately after someone leaves the house. 
• Right side is considered as auspicious, while left side is considered as inauspicious. In any religious rituals, people use their right hand. In rituals wife always sit on left side of her husband as she is considered as a secondary 'thing'. Even at the time of the marriage, the place of the bride is at the left of the groom. People give or take money, ornaments, gifts or even a flower by right hand only. 
• Don’t leave your slippers inverted on the floor. 
• Hiccups indicate someone is thinking of you. 
• Teen tigaadaa, kaam bigada. Bad luck occurs if you take things numbering three instead of any other number. 
• Leaving the house after sneezing is considered a very bad sign and if someone asks you that where are you going is considered even worse.

But gradually as the light of knowledge grows brighter, born of darkness, as the superstitions are, they cannot stand the light. Ignorance superstition must flee the blazing flame of knowledge, although it might take a long time to go, as deep are its roots. Whatever is not based on rationality and reason should not be allowed to overpower our mind and create unnecessary fear. If you have worked hard, you cannot fail just because a cat has crossed your way. Superstitions are baseless and should be given up.