When numbers numb your reason

I arrived in Jaipur on Sunday (July 10^th) evening and put up at my favourite Kishangarh Suite at the Rajputana Sheraton Hotel. The suite is known as Kishangarh Thikana. A thikana was the designated area or region (often more than one) or an estate in the then Rajputana state prior to India's Independence. The Hotel has around 18 to 20 such suites which carry the name Thikana.

I usually visit Jaipur when there is an appointment with the Chief Minister, Governor, other ministers or government officials, mostly regarding Rajasthan Foundation.

The other occasions being a visit to my native village, weddings and socio-cultural events that I attend from time to time. But this time I am visiting Jaipur for a very different and personal reason. My agenda was to complete the registration and other paper works for a house that I have bought in Jaipur. The formalities were completed on July 11^th 2011.

I am not a very religious person and nor do I blindly believe in astrology or numerology. I, however, do wear some stones on the advise of my close ones and friends.

It has become a fashion to add an extra alphabet to one's name or surname or for that matter to the name of the projects undertaken. There's a joke that India would have been more prosperous and better off as Indyaa. Namita Gokhale's recent book - Priya: In Incredible Indyaa – has a character Nnutasha, a soothsayer, who advises Delhi celebs and gold diggers to add one or two extra alphabets to their names in order to change their fortunes overnight. Another character called Pooonam, a socialite who increased two Os in her name on her advice.

This practice is also very common in Bollywood. There are many film and television directors who name their projects with a particular alphabet.

My earlier residential address at Lansdowne, Kolkata, added up to the number 4. My current residence at Russell Street also has number 4 as the address. 

4 Civil Lines, Jaipur

The house that I have bought in Jaipur too is located at 4 Civil Lines (picture). Well, I usually don't attribute much significance to such replay of numbers and pass it off as mere coincidence. I, however, realised that my birthday is again on the 4^th. There are times when such frequent play of numbers in mundane life has no explanation and tend to numb one's reasoning and logic.

In Jaipur, when I first saw the property I liked it since it was beautiful, well planned and done up and situated just a stone's throw from the Raj Bhawan. I, in fact, made up my mind only after seeing this property and when I was getting the papers readied I realised that the address was again a number 4. I have never consciously chosen any address with any particular number for any of the property that I have but somehow the number 4 keeps popping up which has now attracted my attention and set me wondering – Why is it so!

A long time back someone told me that the numbers 4 and 11 are lucky for me. I have realised that the month of birthday is 11, my formal naming ceremony took place on 11^th, few of my close friends' date of birth also add up to 11. And very recently, the date of registering the property in Jaipur was done on the 11^th. One of the NGOs started by me, The Bengal, is also connected to the number 11. The Bengal has shaped up very well with the help, effort and support of other board members.

Why such occurrence of same numbers in random events. Is it just the way things are or does numerology or astrology really matter. May be so, but I don't want to become an overnight convert but I am willing to explore.

ess bee