Stars and Numbers
Posted : May 19, 2004 at 12:25 pm [IST]
News 1:
YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR, as he is popularly known) took the oath of office and secrecy at 1.39 PM, as ordained by astrologers. YSR, as reported, is a doctor by profession and now the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. YSR has come victorious defeating the tech-savvy Naidu. Is it possible to hit the time so accurately as desired by the astrologer? If YSR gets into some problem, it will be for a little difference in actual time and the time prescribed. Surprisingly, YSR is also Christian by faith. I had a notion that Christians are not so great believers of astrology.
And the very next moment after taking the oath, YSR in a dramatic gesture, signed a file waiving Rs.1100 crores of pending power bills and making power free for farmers. This was his election promise. I do not question his right to keep the promise, but it sure would have been wiser for him to have simultaneously announced plans to earn few hundreds (if not thousands) of crores of revenues as well. No State, not even Andhra Pradesh, can survive on charity alone. Can a precisely timed oath taking and the popular gesture win an arduous long race of efficient governance, which is really what it should be all about? I am totally against providing power (or for that matter, anything) for free for another reason. Once the power is free, farmers (or land owners) will runs their pumps without any constraints and may even fill the whole field with water unnecessarily. It’s not like it’s costing them anything. Most of the excess water will eventually get evaporated. This is a gross misuse of this scarce resource, when water levels are already going down at a pretty rapid rate. There must be a control and method to use water effectively and efficiently in farm land.
News 2:
Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee will be moving from his PM house at 7, Race Course Road to a VIP bungalow at 8, Krishna Menon Road. One of his well wisher and neighbour, Dr. Kalanithi has requested the former PM not to move into this new residence in a letter written from Chennai. According to Dr. Kalanithi, 8 is not suitable a number. The number represents Saturn (Sani). Let’s see if Mr. Vajpayee obliges his well wisher.
News 3:
Mrs. Gandhi (an Italian by birth) will be taking oath on 19th May and not on 18th, as 18th happens to be on Amawasya, a night of total darkness and considered unauspicious in Hindu traditions. But before this could get verified, she decided to opt out and get someone else as PM. Did May 18th prove good or bad for Sonia? Perhaps we’ll have to wait for some more time to get an answer on this one.
While we’re on the subject of stars, numbers and astrology, allow me to tell you a little story from my own life. During my professional career, we got allocation to move to a bigger flat after spending many years in a smaller flat of my company. Some of my friends suggested that I should not accept that. As it turned out, the gentleman who was living in that flat was laid off and subsequently had died. We decided to move anyway. Needless to say, many good and some not so good things happened during our stay there. Can I blame a house of cement and steel for the fortunes or misfortunes of someone?
Stars are so soothing and beautiful. How can they be a cause of misfortune for anyone? Numbers are the most unique creations of our science and culture. How can they harm some one? Houses provide the ultimate peace to every person and his family. How can it be the spoiler of that peace?
- Indra
Category: Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment