Funny Superstitions

Normally I would tag my husband and I as rationalists. We're not heavily into rituals, traditions or organised religion, preferring to follow a more free and easy style. Yes, of course, if you're Indian, by and large believing in God seems to come more easily and naturally, as does believing in ghosts. But otherwise, we thought we were pretty scientific in terms of knowledge and up to date and all that jazz.

Well, four years and eight months ago, a mini-earthquake put all of our rationality to test. When little A ( gotta think of a more creative name...hmm how about Dennis - as in the Menace? naah...Chubbocks? That was one of his many nicknames...I have to try this out and see) was born, we started off all scientific and Dr. Spock-ey. Soon enough we realised that this kid had a major problem - that of attracting 'nazar'. Occidentals call it the Evil Eye, but it's not purely that, the way we Indians think about it. Nazar is something that happens when someone casts a complimentary eye on you or your kids or anything else. Somehow, the compliments are thought to awaken some unknown jealousies on the part of the universe, which then combine to cause a negative impact on the object of that jealousy. Sounds like mumbo-jumbo, right?

We thought so too. Until we observed a pattern. Every time Chubbocks got complimented or happened to be in the limelight, he'd fall ill that very day. Though he seemed perfectly fine at the start of the day. His part in the playschool play this summer? He was cutely dressed up in a bowtie and formal white shirt and trousers and attracted many smiles, pats on the head and so on. He was fine that morning, right upto the time he went to school. As soon as his performance finished, he started complaining of a headache, and by that night we had a full-blown throat infection on our hands. Last Saturday he attended a birthday party along with my husband and apparently got lots of compliments. Saturday night, he fell ill with a viral. One time, my husband bumped into an ex-colleague and took out a picture of Chubbocks to show him. That afternoon, Chubbocks started with high fever.

We've seen the same thing happen with the Puds as well. Anytime she gets complimented, she falls ill. In fact, we don't take her out to too many places even now, because she's at a stage where she just wants to run around, and not all public places are safe for her to do that. Lately she's been going to Chubbocks's school along with the maid to pick him up. Last week some three moms doing pick-up duty apparently commented on what a happy child she seems to be and how active it is. By evening, she was whiny, fretty and droopy - yup, a throat infection.

It sounds ridiculous for two grown adults with post grad educations to believe in such a concept. Especially when people say, "Bacche Bhagwan ka roop hote hain", i.e. Children are a manifestation of God. How can one cast Nazar on God, right?

But it happens. And that is why I have removed the pictures of the kiddos from the header of my Food blog.

Hey my job is to keep my kids safe and healthy, right? Even if it means I start believing in weird superstitions and acting irrationally! Comes with the territory.