Why is it that
some weird things happen on a special occasion that you would want to go
perfect? Why in the stream of perfect thoughts, any unusual thought seems to
give the adrenaline rush? And not just on celebrations, on almost every
important day that we wanted to end smooth!! Coming to think of it, even when
you have studied well for an examination and are very sure of yourself, there will
be that one particular question awarding high marks that you had missed while preparations.
I have always noticed these anomalies somehow letting down my mood or spirits
at days I want to do my best… those days when I am jinxed with bad luck and all
the bad in the world seems to be dumped on my platter!! And like humans respond to bad luck, I look up, talk to the air, and
ask, ‘Why me!!!’
For instance, my
birthday had just passed and I was busy with the makeover of my new room. I was
busy decorating the room with a new theme and interiors. I finished with the
painting and moving the interiors to the right places. I also got frames and
lamps just the day before, and on my birthday morning, they seemed to be
perfectly in place. Since everyone at home noticed my frenzy of decorating my
room for almost a month, my family gifts were all artifacts for my new room. I
liked most of them, but it was Papa’s gift that won my heart. It was a beautiful, modern wall clock with its
hands stylishly curled and bubble shot at the tip of the hand. You might be
wondering, how a wall clock could have possibly made things perfect as a
birthday present, but you will understand the feeling when you want everything
in your room to compliment the perfection of its owner. But would I live that
joy for long... jinxed again when a few hours later I noticed that the
timepiece wasn’t working. So we took it down and changed the batteries. Later
in the evening, the same thing happened. The clock stopped working and we
realized that it wouldn’t work anyway. And a piece from my perfect place was
amiss.
Then there was
that one particular incident in the family gathering during my sister’s wedding
days. We were having a good time, all dressed up and clicking pictures, fooling
around and gabbing about. The oldest of the family members caught up on
childhood stories, the younger cousins catching up on academics, life and love
stories. You couldn’t have thought about a better to be at that time. We posed,
made fun of, teased each other, and sang flamboyantly. Then it was time for
Food!!! Yes, possibly the best thing about a get together! Everything got
served; I had nothing to worry about. The boys took care of it all. And when
the guests were done with lunch and the desert, it was time for tea and that’s
when I spotted the salad tray, untouched, in a room. It seemed like one of the
boys left it there on their way to the living room, where the guests were seated.
My mom began scolding the boys, and the poor boys looked down. It was a small
thing, but pretty much ended our moods of the fact that, Boy, all went as
planned!!
I am sure
everyone has had such experiences, experiences that you can only laugh about
later. I remember another one while going to see-off my sister at the airport
after her marriage. I thought we’ll have plenty of time to make a video and
click unforgettable shots, even though I knew my sister hated such ‘photo
shoots’. ‘Way before
departure? Check! Cool Outfit? Check! Camera? Check!’ I had also blackmailed
sister to reach early to the airport, and finish off the formalities before
check-in. Once we reached she did what we planned, and finally I pulled out my
camera for the last shots till sister returns. I remember even boasting loudly,
“See, if it wasn’t for me, you would have missed these precious last moments.
Now line up, I want to click family pictures.” The camera switched on, I
focused my digital camera, and adjusted zoom to fit everyone in the picture.
But the picture blurred. So I asked them to click in groups. And now, my camera
doesn't switch on. What in the world must have happened to it in five minutes?
Ah, yes, no charge! So we took to clicking pictures with mobile phones. And as
you may expect, some were blurred, some dark snaps and some with ghost eyes.
The perfect picture was jinxed. I did feel bad about things not going my way,
but somehow the irony of it amused me.
I have had
enough experiences of jinxed moments and heard quite a many from others to come
to this conclusion, ‘There is something in the universe that has an effect on
our daily lives and makes a simple day extraordinary!’ Perhaps the little
innocuous errors we make, particularly on special occasions and celebratory
days, are actually guided from above while we remain oblivious to our own
actions. It is understandable and answers my question. Maybe things not going
the way we planned, embarrassment and silly mistakes happen only for the special
day to become a memorable one.
- Written for Bangla Express, December issue, 2011
