Hodge-podge of History, Mystery, and
Diversity of India (and lots of pictures)
Stories from India
Mahapundit's Daughter
Mahapundit considered himself a great astrologer. He would try to make up his
own theorems. The superstitious people of the town had great faith in his
ability to foretell the future.
"You would go abroad" -- he would tell Bhagwat's son, after he secured a
first rank for the entire state.
One year, the rains were delayed. "A sacred cow in Sirsi is pregant. Till she
delivers, there will be no rain for the region" he declared, so when it
eventually rained, we assumed that the cow had given birth.
Anyway, he had a daughter Saras -- probably a truncated form of Goddess
Saraswati. She was pretty, and many well qualified Brahmin boys came forward
asking her hand in marriage.
Mahapundit ran a calculation -- he declared that there were a lot of
obstacles for happy marriage till Saras turned 27. He declined all alliances.
But people has so much faith in his ability, that they thought it was for the
best.
Meanwhile, Mahapundits futures started going wrong. The retired manager of Canara
Bank who was supposed to die fifteen years go is still living. The ailment
that plagued the Pai family was not the curse of the Vetal, but AIDS.
Saras is forty-two years old now. Still not married. Mahapundit blames the
artificial "cell phone" satellites that are orbiting the earth for his
calculation that went wrong.
