Bejan Daruwalla on the past, present and future

Renowned astrologer talks to The Express Tribune about what to expect from 2014.

KARACHI:

The first thing one would notice about Bejan Daruwalla is the multiple amulets and charms hanging around his neck. Clad in a vibrant yellow kameez, with his fingers laden with heavy rings and chunky gems, he looks exactly how one would expect one of the most prolific and renowned fortune-tellers in the world to look.

The second thing one notices is his voice. It is emphatic, booming and his every word rings in the listener’s ears. Each syllable that comes out of his mouth sounds like a prophecy within itself. His wizened eyes scan the room and when they settle on someone, he does not hesitate to say exactly what their face and their vibrations tell him; reading one’s features is just one of the tricks that he has in his fortune telling arsenal.

Daruwalla is first and foremost an astrologer and one of the top 100 of the last millennia at that. He draws his knowledge from palmistry, numerology, the tarot and I-Ching. His latest book describes his technique as a ‘New Age’ method — fusing Hebrew mythology, traditional Vedic, Western astrology and modern technology with an open consciousness, and just a dash of faith in a higher entity thrown in for good measure. He does not claim that his method is scientific — just that it is one that came to him intuitively from a very young age and is one that works. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Daruwalla talks about his earliest predictions, the moments in his 80 years that terrified him, and what he sees in store for the world in 2014.

Although he has been making predictions from as early as the age of five, it was an incident during his teens that made him realise that he was blessed with the gift of foresight, and cursed with the burden that it brings with it. “When I was 18, a man came in front of me. I saw him and said ‘You will die in ten days.’ He died 18 days later. It was then that I learnt to control my tongue, for I realised it had power.”

It cannot be easy to be able to see past the veil around the future periodically, because one never knows when they might see something horrific. One of Daruwalla’s most significant predictions was his prophecy of the tsunami in 2004, a disaster that is considered the worst of its kind in the history of the planet. When asked if such devastating visions ever made him regret his ability to peer into the future, Daruwalla heaves a resigned sigh. “I pray to all the deities to leave me alone, that I do not want to see such things. In return, I am told that I am a good man, but despite my intentions, these things cannot be stopped. It makes no difference whether I see them or not. They will come to pass.”

Daruwalla’s method of divination combines Hebrew mythology with traditional Vedic and Western astrology. PHOTO: ASHRAF MEMON/EXPRESS

Daruwalla does not have an impeccable track record when it comes to prophecies, far from it, in fact. Some failed predictions of note include his assertion that the Kashmir problem will be solved between 2001 and 2002, South Africa will win the 2003 Cricket World Cup and America will have a female president by 2010. For those who are sceptical of his abilities, he has nothing to say in defense of his skills, except that he believes everyone is entitled to their opinion. “I am not God. I am aware that some of the things that I say will never come true. I have always said that my predictions are subject to a time limit. Once that expires, there is no chance that it will come to pass and this is the case 20% of the time.”

Despite this disclaimer, one cannot help but ask him to narrate what he sees happening around the world in the next year and where he sees Pakistan — a country that he is visiting again after 30 years and feels has the best biryani in the world to offer  — heading in 2014.

Does he see Nawaz Sharif completing his term? “Yes, I feel that he will. I have already taken his chart and I can see that Allah has blessed him, but I am hoping that I can meet him on my trip so he may throw this for me.” He holds up a large red dice, one he says he only allows politicians and world leaders to touch. “I want to see if he rolls the same number that [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee threw. If he does, I have no doubt that there will be peace between Pakistan and India within the next three years.”

Daruwalla’s conviction in this prediction stems from his analysis that “Nawaz and Vajpayee share the same astrological blood group. They were both born on December 25. Such individuals are blessed with exceptional organisational skills and are money-makers. They are both capable of sowing the seeds of peace between the two countries, and that is something I see happening in the next year.”

As for the rest of the world, 2014 has many trials in store. Daruwalla says that he senses that there is more pain in the future for the Middle East, and for the world, at large. “I sense that the months of January, April and October will be difficult. It is possible that there will be a disastrous earthquake.” The last part of this prediction is one that he appears to have let slip by accident, as he refuses to respond to further questions on the matter. Perhaps, after 60 years of making predictions, he is afraid that he can no longer merely see what will come to pass, but may increase its chances of actually happening by saying it out loud.



When asked about the economic crisis that currently plagues the world, he says that Germany will be the centre of an economic revival that will spread all over the globe, because of Angela Merkel. “She is an economic heavyweight, a ‘pehelwaan’ at heart. She is one of the most powerful people in the world right now, and I see Germany drawing from her strength. She can set the world economy straight.”

One of the more outlandish predictions he makes is also the one he does so most vividly. He speaks about a “boomerang shield” that scientists will soon invent to counter terrorist attacks. “It will reflect anything that will be thrown on you back on the person who initiates the attack. It will be a fitting punishment.” This might be the prophecy that one needs to take with a large grain of salt, as he has generally been wrong when he has predicted advances in technology. If a prediction he made many years ago had come to pass, the world would have invented massive flying trains and cars by 2007.

Despite the dire predictions for the year ahead, Daruwalla says that everything is heading in the right direction. “I believe that the world will be full of joy, five years from now. I also believe that until this prediction of mine comes true, I will not die. The day this prophecy of mine is fulfilled, I will pray to God to take me home.”

On a final note, we ask him our most difficult question yet: Has his gift ever shown him something that has terrified him and caused him to fear for his own safety? He pauses, and for the first time since our conversation began, his voice drops to a confiding whisper. “I have never told anyone this before, but yes. I had a vision one day, but I was not asleep. I was wide-awake, and I saw Ganesh ji before me. I cried out and begged him to not come any closer.  I am a sensitive man, a lot of things scare me, but that is the only time I have been truly terrified. Perhaps, if I was wearing one of your pukhtun turbans, I might have felt more like a warrior, eh?”

What does the future have in store? Daruwalla predicts:

•  Nawaz Sharif will complete his term and is blessed by Allah.

•  The seeds of peace between India and Pakistan will be sown between 2013-2014.

•  There is pain in the future for the Middle East, especially Syria.

•  The months of January, April and October will be trying for the world, at large.

•  A disastrous earthquake may also occur.

•  Germany will be the centre of an economic revival that will spread all over the globe, because of Angela Merkel.

•  A ‘boomerang shield’ will soon be invented by scientists to counter terrorist attacks. The shield will be designed to reflect any weapon of destruction back onto the person initiating the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2013.

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