OPEN MINDS I grew up listening to many superstitious beliefs. Did you too?

Superstitions have knowingly or unknowingly been a part of life. They have been doing rounds for many generations now and some places have differing versions of the same belief which leads to amusing tales. For instance, if you are in India and even if your home is as filthy as it can be, your mother might not allow you to sweep the floor after dusk since you will be driving ‘Laxmi’, the goddess of wealth, away from your home. Apparently, she visits homes in the evenings. The trick is if you were to be in Norway!

Another common one is when a black cat crosses your path and you have to decide on waiting for either a white one to pass or the same black one to go the opposite way; for if neither happens you are bound to be doomed. Yet another one is where you can learn to whistle only if you are not at home or not under the sun. That leaves us in someone else’s home!

At the devil’s workshop I was trying to link up all the superstitions I had known and the contrasting outcomes I’ve had to live with due to them. It turned out to be a rather interesting task. I have never waited for a Saturday or a Wednesday to trim my hair or for that matter waited for the daylight to enter our homes in order to cut my nails. It was all done based on convenience. I got married at the age of 22, which may have happened at the auspicious time only because I had always washed my hands right after I was done with my meals without any delay.

Our cupboard mirror had shattered while I was looking at my reflection and voila! even after seven years I’m still alive and breathing. I never feared the least to leave my books open even after my studies were over for the day. And if the satan had indeed read my chapters he would have been a wiser soul by now.

The climax is that I was born on a Friday the 13th, at 13:00 hours! My mother had me with no complications. I still have a long life ahead. However, my childhood had been awesome, married life extraordinary, and motherhood out of the world! What more can I ask for?

The writer is based in Dubai

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