Fortune teller Vs. Bi-cycle business man

I had given a dress for alteration and a couple of days back, had gone to collect it. While waiting at the shop, the owner arrived (who I was meeting for the first time), an old guy, probably in his 60s, relatively well dressed, grey, thinning hair, sans a couple of front teeth, probably more due to chewing betel nuts and tobacco rather than old age!

From the time he arrived he never took his eyes off me, I politely smiled at him once, then twice and then decided I better turn away. After a couple of minutes, he says “Zara apna moonh dikhana”, and I’m like “Excuse me” and turn towards him, he says again in Hindi, “Brush your hair away from your face so I can see you clearly”, at this point I’m somewhere between embarrassment and irritation, then the female shop assistant explains to me “He’s into fortune telling and stuff…” and he is still staring at me…then after a moment or two (probably pause for effect), he starts his predictions, following is the conversation:

He says, “You have two names, one is your given name and the other, which is your nickname is the one people use to address you (great discovery huh?! Nicknames and given names!)”

“Yeah?! (I wonder, do I have a nickname? Coz’ such is the vehemence with which he utters this obvious aim in the dark)

“NO!” me tells, with equal vehemence, “I do not have a second name and everybody addresses me with my one and only given name.”

He is taken aback, I can see his confidence draining out of him like water from a punctured bottle! And then he continues staring at me, meanwhile, my dress arrives and I leave and there ends my conversation with this person with the supposed other-worldly abilities!!

This incident made me wonder about such people who claim to be experts at seeing the future, reading palms, fortune telling, etc. Looking back at the experience, I realized, we are the ones who make or break them. We are the ones who give them the confidence to go on doing what they do. We, ironically (though they are supposed to be the ones who are sure), are the ones who substantiate their yarns.

That’s the power of auto-suggestion, you keep saying something to yourself over and over again, over a period of time, you start believing it even if it weren’t true. That’s the ruse used by people of this trade, they proclaim their inferences so boldly and with such vehemence that we are, for a moment, left in doubt of our own lives! Here, of course, they are doing the suggesting on our behalf!

I sound very opinionated, I know, but my forcefulness is not because of any prejudice but because there are people out there who genuinely try to make a living for themselves but are distrusted because of the existence of others who make money out of fooling people!

A contrasting incident! A month ago, during one of my jaunts to National Market, I crossed the road with my eyes on a shop on the opposite side of the road selling bags, I almost entered the shop when I happened to notice a small crowd. Curiousity aroused, I venture nearer for closer inspection. A man, in his mid 50s, thinning, grey hair, unshaven, rugged look, poorly clad in loose fitting, soiled greenish-grey checked shirt, grey pants and rubber slippers but eyes moist with excitement and confidence (not ill-begotten), was enthusiastically “presenting” his wares to interested onlookers and/or potential buyers. He was selling baskets made just of thin metal rods and straws…yes, those thin plastic straws that you get at any shop selling cold drinks…!

The ingenuity of this guy is sure worth a mention. What made these baskets amazing and interesting was that, they can be used for a number of different occasions (at least 5) and altered accordingly with ease (user-friendly), and this man displayed and presented his product so cleverly and with such ease and deftness that it was nothing short of amazing. He also had the patience to teach his customers how to use the “product”.

No marketing person or communications expert, with their imposing modern gadgets, PowerPoint presentations and impressive suits, can beat the effect of this short presentation, marketing skills, innovativeness, ingenuity and enthusiasm of this man who could have easily been overlooked riding along the streets on his bi-cycle!

We bought 5 baskets from him that day!

The next day we went searching for him at the same spot with more orders, but, obviously he had gone off with his wares to a different location, whistling a tune to himself and merrily riding away on his bi-cycle...to honour others with his charm and infect others with his enthusiasm...