Horoscope

Soon you will be a multi-millionaire. Soon you will meet your soulmate. Who does not like to hear about a glorious future? These nice-sounding words do elevate our sad and depressing mood. It is a kind of assurance that everything will be okay soon, the bad time will pass away.

My grandfather was a family man who loved traveling with the whole family. We all adored him. Every vacation, he planned trips to places like Vaishnodevi, Vrindavan, or some boring distant relative’s home yet we children were happy and enthusiastic about it every time. We had no clue of the world outside other than that.

To me, vacation meant packing bags, a long drive, and eating at roadside Dhaba. The journey was often better than the destination. Religious places were exhausting with a long walk from one temple to another and then another temple. The good news was that often these trips were short, only for a day or two.

Every time we returned home, I felt the same way. “East and West, home is the best”. But after a few months, the realisation faded and we were ready for another exhausting journey.

One time, my grandfather took us to Haridwar. The sight of Ganga made me so happy and everyone else was delighted too. We stayed in non-air-conditioned rooms at a Dharamshala. It was hot and humid, but we didn’t care. The next day, I woke up early in the morning and went to the backyard of the ashram by myself.

The Ganga was flowing, cool breeze was blowing, and the perfect was perfect. I sat on the steps and watched Ganga for a long time. Later, we went to Har-ki-Pauri and bathed in the Ganga. It was an unforgettable experience. My grandfather was also very happy. We had finally found the perfect vacation spot. He decided we would visit more often, and we were thrilled.

My grandfather was a sincere and hardworking man, but somehow, he got involved with an astrologer. Maybe he was stressed about family and work issues. The astrologer initially grained his trust by telling him vague things about his past. My innocent grandfather connected the dots by himself and could relate to it.

The astrologer then spoke of all the great things that were soon to come.  He told my grandfather everything he wanted to hear, impressing him greatly. The astrologer knew that my grandfather was working hard on a project, and only needed some words of encouragement to believe in himself to finish his project positively. The astrologer advised him to wear certain stones and follow specific practices. Suddenly, my grandfather started trusting him like a God.

In the end, my grandfather completed the project with high profits. And guess what! the credit went to the astrologer. My grandfather often called him for advice on everything. One day, the astrologer told him that he would die near the water. And that was it! From that day on, my grandfather never took us to Haridwar again. And we were back to visiting boring places on vacation.

Many years later, my grandfather died of a heart attack at home. I don’t remember if there was any water nearby, maybe a tap in the balcony close to his room.