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Editorial Superstitions are universal; they are not confined to any particular people or place. “UNKNOWN”” deals with the different kinds of superstions people believe in. This magazine mainly aims at the target group of curious people. In this edition, it is mainly focused on the Indian superstitions which people believe in, provides you with a lot of information in a fun loving way. You can grab a copy of this and take it with you anywhere as it is very handy. And it would never bore you. “Everyone loves stories” And “unknown” loves telling stories, and this was one way people would be interested in knowing what is happening around them. Whether one believes in it or not. Its always fun to know more.
“How can someone set bad luck on us by just looking at us?”
september 2013
Read on to know more ....
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Designed & Compiled by
Gitanjali Koduru
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Good Luck !
Seeing a peacock on a journey is lucky. One who eats a twin-fruit gives birth to twins. Taking a teaspoon of curd with litle sugar before exam will bring good luck If a lizard makes a sound when you make a statement, it indicates that what you said is true
Not roses, but oranges: If you love someone and you really want that person to reciprocate your feeling, you should give them an orange, which is supposed to bring about love.
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Breaking coffee bubbles: When you see bubbles in your cup of coffee, try to get them into your spoon and eat them before they burst. If you succeed, you might receive money from an unexpected source.
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Cover Story
Interviews
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Seeing a peacock on a journey is lucky.
How can someone set bad luck on us by just looking at us?
“Talks” about the Black cat !!
e n t s Giggles
16 Married in White, you have chosen right !
Believe it or Not !
20 Prior to every launch,the scientists make a visit to Tirupathi.
Regulars
Try it Out !
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Celebrity Corner
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Fun city !
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Did you know ? Re-Collect !
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BIZZARE Superstitions
Superstitions are universal; they are not confined to any particular people or place. A sneeze will be more vulnerable than a bullet fired from a double barreled gun
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India is the home to a several million superstitions, each of which must have started with a single influential person and spread to the masses. Superstitions have come down to us from ancient times and are usually attributed to the lack of education. But, in India educated people have also been observed following beliefs that may be considered superstitious.. Primitive people were ignorant about the wonders of science. They were at the mercy of natural elements. They did not understand the causes of physical changes taking place around them. They respected and worshipped the force of nature
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COVER STORY
like the sun, the moon, fire, wind, water, storms, etc. They believed that diseases were caused by the wrath of gods as well as evil spirits. They tried to satisfy the gods with offerings, prayers, sacrifices, etc. They tried to ward off evil spirits by offering sacrifices. Sacrifice of birds and animals to please the gods and goddesses and to atone for one’s sins in a common practice. Thus, it is fear which gave rise to superstition. Superstition is born of ignorance and no argument can be advanced in its defence and favour. Even the people who otherwise seem quite right with their brains, and even though they are highly educated bow to superstition. We are living in the 21st century still we have such stupid and baseless things in our minds. We should develop a scientific spirit of mind and judge everything on the basis of reason.But gradually as the light of knowledge grows brighter, born of darkness, as the superstitions are, they cannot stand the light. Ignorance superstition must flee the blazing flame of knowledge, although it might take a long time to go, as deep are its roots.
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The flower kept on the head of the idol fell on the left side.” says the priest in a temple . This means something bad is going to happen to the family.” At that point the hapless devotee would ask, “What can we do to avoid the calamity?” You know what the priest would say. If the devotee refuses to pay, he would blame the flower that fell on the left side as the cause of his next calamity. So the word would spread like wild fire. The only beneficiary of this scam are the crooked priests.
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The biggest villain not just in India but in other regions too: The black cat and cats in general. The number of bad omens associated with black cats would make one think they would have been hunted to extinction by now. Seeing a black cat in the morning is bad luck, for the whole day. If a cat crosses your path, its bad luck again. a man in a car accident tries to find an excuse for his accident and remembers that a black cat ran across his car when he left home. Now poor black cats are blamed for every accident. Such are the stupidities of man’s primitive thinking.
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COVER STORY
How can someone set bad luck on us by just looking at us?
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september 2013
What could be the scientific reasoning behind widows becoming inauspicious. How istheir wearing white clothes and not wearing jewelry and not remarrying and not living a full life going to help anyone?Is it supposed to help the deceased husband in the afterlife? Clearly this is just a case of our extremely patriarchal society finding one more way to subjugate women. Thankfully this superstition is starting to change at least in the big cities.
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Spilling salt is considered unlucky. The only way out to turn back the bad luck is to throw some salt with your right hand over your left shoulder. It is also considered to be bad luck if you pass salt to another person. Folks believe that if you throw some salt on the windows and threshold of a new house, you can protect it from the evil eye.
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One great way to avoid the evil eye, especially for houses and shops is to hang a totem made of lemon and chilies. It’s the black spot for buildings. Apparently it captures all the evil eyes before they set bad luck on you. Some people even hang them in the cars. If you find some lying on the road then you are not supposed to cross over it otherwise all the evil eyes that were captured by the totem will upload on to you. Do I even have to explain why this is complete crap?
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Another superstition is related to the menstruation of women. When women are menstruating they supposedly become unclean and impure. So they can’t enter temples and can’t enter the kitchen and cook food. They say the scientific reason behind this is that blood loss during menstruation causes weakness and this is a way to ensure proper rest for the women. I find it hard to believe that our extremely misogynistic forefathers had this reason in mind while forming this superstition. To me it’s just another way to make women feel guilty every month for being unclean and impure and is merely a psychological subjugation technique.
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Another silly superstition is of the whole evil eye or “buri nazar” concept. How can someone set bad luck on us by just looking at us? If this was so everyone in India would have nothing but bad luck because we all go around wishing our neighbors didn’t do better than us in any way. And what’s even more bizarre
is that the whole problem can be solved by putting a black mark on your face. Such superstitions still hold strong in our society and they make us think that our failures are not because of our lack of effort but rather due to bad luck brought on by the evil eye. Instead of trying to figure out our mistakes we go to holy men and “tantrics” and waste our time, money and energy.
COVER STORY
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Our Indian families are very religious and holy but they also are very greedy and materialistic. That’s why everyone’s favorite Goddess is Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth. There are many rules that need to be followed to ensure that Laxmi comes to your home and stays there. One of these is to not sweep the house at night as that is the time Laxmi comes and if you are sweeping then all the dust will land on her and she’ll get angry and leave. You must also turn on the light in all the rooms as Laxmi likes bright rooms. I don’t know how a high electricity bill brings wealth? The only thing it brings is global warming.
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In India, the traditional gift to give at weddings and other auspicious occasions in money. However, the amount of money presented should always end in 1. It should not be an even number. It is considered auspicious to add one rupee to the amount you want to present. This is the reason why wedding envelopes come ready-made with a one rupee coin on them. This is also the reason why people offer ‘gyarah rupaye ka prasad’ or an offering of eleven rupees at temples. This superstition has its basis in religious beliefs. The extra rupee is said to bring good luck!
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Poor Saturday seems to be a day that seems to bear the brunt of all things inauspicious. In Hindi, Saturday is called “Shanivaar” or the day of Shani Dev. Hindus generally live under the fear of his planet Shani or Saturn. Anyone born under the influence of this planet is destined to live a life of bad-luck, according to Hindu belief. This is perhaps why the day named after this deity is considered inauspicious for engaging in monetary matters or ventur-
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ing on a new business. Saturdays are also considered inauspicious for conducting social functions like marriages. A lot of people even avoid day to day activities like cutting their nails and buying certain items on this day. In fact, the superstitions associated with Saturday have given birth to a saying in Marathi- Naakartyaacha Vaar Shanivaar. This literally means ‘Saturday, the day of hopeless people’
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Again, there are a huge number of superstitions that surround these two simple daily activities. And they’re also very common in most households. According to some beliefs, one must not cut one’s nails on a Saturday or Tuesday. It is also bad luck to wash one’s hair on a Saturday or a Thursday. Moreover, one must not cut one’s nails after sunset. The origin of this belief
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COVER STORY
The abnormal fear of the number 13 also known as triskaidekaphobia is one of the most popular myths in science and have no scientific explanations. Though its not an Indian superstition but a lot of people in India do believe that number 13 is an unlucky number .So whenever such people encounters or interacts with number 13, they conjure up some thought connected with bad luck.
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could be that in sweeping away the cut nails in the darkness, one could inadvertently sweep away small valuables because of poor visibility (Not sweeping after dark is also a superstition in India) One almost funny superstition associated with washing hair is that a student must never wash his/her hair before an exam. Doing so will ensure that everything the student has learned will be washed away. I’m sure, however, that many students will actually refrain from doing the same after reading this, just to be on the safer side.
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Eye twitching or a temporary spasm in one or both eyes is something that almost all of us have experienced at one point or the other. The plethora of superstitions that revolve around this phenomenon, however, is astounding. -Right eye twitching is good for men -Left eye twitching is good for women -Eye twitching signifies that somebody is about to arrive -Right eye twitching is a bad omen/ Left eye twitching is a bad omen The superstitions surrounding eye twitching are so many and so varied depending upon where you are, it is almost impossible to list them all.
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“TALKS” about the
Black cat !!
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“ I Follow the same routine , especially during the exam days. “
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I started believeing in superstitions when i was in 9th grade , from then onwards i kept following it . I follow them because i believe in them . I used to wear a particular set of uniform to school and the same night dress on all the exam days . Used to have a walkman , which i used to take it to the washroom and listen to songs before every exam without fail . Only during the days of exams , I used to go touch my parents feet ,in a particular area in my house , and while touching the feet i make sure my mom back faces the east and is in a correct position . During my 10 boards , after the first exam “ I felt the paper went good “ , the night before the exam i cleaned my ears , so followed cleaning my ears throughout all the exams , similarly followed by cooking pasta and chocolate cake before every exam. “I have a Donald duck blanket which i still have it and make sure the i sleep on te blanket before every submission or jury !! “ In 11th and 12th , for every exam i used to wear a blue stole , black clip ,shoes , same kurta ,same jute bag , used to write the exams with same reynolds blue pen and drink water from a friends bottle before every exam . While going to collect the exam papers I need to go sit in one particular place and form there i need to go collect my paper . And finally to the present . “ At the interview time , i wore my blue and pink kurta and got into DJAD , from then onwards for all the juries i wear the same kurta hopefully till the end of college , untill someone has an eye on my lucky kurta !!!
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Interviews september 2013
sasank tatineni bANGAlore
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Do you believe in superstitions ? Mixed Reaction List a few which you believe in ? I Believe in them only in case there are similar incidents which happened before of the same type resulting Best/Worst. Note: I have not said good/ bad .. because anything which falls into the spectrum which is inbetween them have never triggered the thought of a superstitions What kinds of superstitions do you like to read or listen to ? I dont like to listen to any, until they are foolishly entertaining. What made you believe / listen / read the superstitions ? Search for an excuse Can you give your opinion about superstitions ? Series of coincidences which help us to pass on the blame to something else. Any personal experiences ? Lucky number 3. Places where my ID was divisible by 3- I had great experience..
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Do you believe in super I don’t really believe in t List a few which you be I do like listening to the kind, everything and an What’s your opinion ab They were a major part and influenced our soci point. They still do. So I ing. To see how people a and how it works. I just observe if possible. Any personal experienc They were/are a part of I personally don’t believ disrespect to the people
ces ? f our culture and ve in them, but no e who do.
Do you believe in superstitions ? No i don’t. Do u like reading/listening to them ? Yes. Reading preferably. Its just exciting to know how those superstitions began. What kinds of superstitions do you like to read or listen to ? The ones that are usually to do with our day to day lives. What our grandparents tell us.. Like the black cat crossing paths. What made you believe / listen / read the superstitions ? what made me read about them is..probably so many people talk about it..believe in it..its hyped so much..so might as well know why. What’s your opinion about superstitions ? Superstitions are something we use as a cover to avoid facing reality. For example, if i say that i have a black lucky t shirt.. It becomes superstition..and whatever nice or bad happens that day..i can blame it on the t shirt instead of facing the truth. If my jury goes bad..who do i blame? My clothes..or myself? Blaming inanimate objects..or animals is always easier on humans. We all have a low self esteem. And everyone likes something to fall back on. A black cat crossing your path doesn’t write your future..the cat was just going where it had to.. Any personal experiences ? No personal experiences at all. But im used to saying ‘touchwood’ since i was in school. Don’t really believe that the wood can change my luck..but old habits die hard.
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rstitions ? them elieve in ? em and reading, any nything. bout superstitions ? t of our culture iety majorly at one I find them interestassociate things t like to know and
Interviews
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AAAA......Chooo I crossed TOO much !
I crossed my fingers Crossed my toes Crossed my eyebrows Over my nose I crossed my legs And then my eyes I crossed my heart And hoped to die But I crossed TOO MUCH And now I’m stuck Seems too much crossing Brings bad luck One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a letter Four for a boy. Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret, Never told!
Married in White, you have chosen right Married in Gray, you will go far away, Married in Black, you will wish yourself back, Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead, Married in Green, ashamed to be seen, Married in Blue, you will always be true, Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl, Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow, Married in Brown, you will live in the town, Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.
4 leaf clover One leaf for fame, One leaf for wealth, One leaf for a faithful lover, And one leaf to bring glorious health All are in the four-leaf clover. Carrying a four-leaf clover is said to ward off evil spirits, while dreaming of one supposedly fortells a successful marriage.
Can’t STOP? Burp on Monday, burp for danger Burp on Tuesday, burp at a stranger Burp on Wednesday while you’re in the shower Burp on Thursday, ten times an hour Burp on Friday, burp for sorrow Still burping Sunday? See the doctor tomorrow.
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Colours of Marriage :
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Sneezes ! Sneeze on a Monday, sneeze for danger Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger; Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter; Sneeze on a Thursday, something better; Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow; Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow. Sneeze on a Sunday, and the devil will have domination over you all week.
Cut your finger-nails on: Monday for news. Tuesday for shoes. Wednesday for wealth. Thursday for health. Friday for woe. Saturday for a journey to go. Sunday for evil.
CHOICE IS YOUR’S !
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If you are having difficulty making up your mind between two people, places or situations just take two apple seeds and assign one to each of your choices. Stand in front of a mirror and stick the seeds on your forehead. The one that falls off last is the right choice. For people desiring to know the initial of the person who will be their next relationship, take an apple seed and stick the seed to your forehead. Recite the alphabet. The letter you are saying when the seed falls is the initial you seek. Counting the seeds was also a form of divination. To find out what the future held, people would cut an apple in half and count the seeds in the core. If the seeds were even in number, good luck was coming. An odd number indicated a disappointment and cutting one of the seeds in half indicated that the future could hold hard lessons and uncertainty.
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Celebrity Corner
StarLUCK
Amitabh Bachchan Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan avoids watching live telecasts of cricket matches involving India because he believes that will jinx his home team
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Riya Sen
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Actor Riya Sen believes that making your pets dance, having scissors directly placed on your hand and staying in room No. 13 are all ill-omens.
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Stars who believe in LUCK !
Amir Khan The actor has come to believe that Christmas is a lucky time for him. After ‘Taare Zameen Par’, he scheduled the release of ‘Ghajini’ and ‘3 Idiots’ during the December festival.
M.S.Dhoni Lucky Number 7: Dhoni chose to ink the contract for Max mobile on December 7. The skipper insisted that the deal would be signed at 7 in the morning. Oh yeah, the deal is for 7 years.
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Nagma Actress Nagma: She waits for someone to cross the road once it’s crossed by the kali billi ( black cat) !!
Rajiv Gandhi
She throws salt over her left shoulder if she drops some. she says “It doesn’t make any sense, but I can’t get rid of the habit “.
Ekta kapoor The K fixation of Ektaa Kapoor Names of most of Ekta’s TV serials start with the alphabet ‘K’. She can even be seen sporting a lot of rings and other such things.
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He went one step ahead by visiting Bangaru Adigal, a Tamil guruWWfor his blessings and to Devaraha Baba whose way of blessing devotees was to sit on a tree and kick them lightly in the head.
Diana Hayden
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Guess what!
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Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) do not just rely on scientific calculations before a rocket launch - They also seek divine help. Prior to every launch, the scientists make a visit to Tirupathi to have a ‘darshan’ of Lord Balaji seeking his blessings by placing a replica of the rocket to be launched.
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OUIJA Board Game september 2013
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