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Tale of a fortuneteller

Sharmin Mehriban
Nur Mohammad tells your fortune. But he does not know where his own fortune lies.
You can spot him at a corner in the Ramna Park or in front of the Dhaka College. The middle-aged man with long greasy hair sits before a layer of cards spread on a cheap floor mat and a parrot in a cage besides him.
"I predict people's destiny," Nur Mohammad said, flashing a row of teeth that were ironically clean in contrast to his dirty appearance. Asked how, he pointed to the cards and said that each of those has a certain symbol.
"When someone wants to know his or her destiny, I recite some verses from the holy Quran and my parrot picks up a certain card. Then I interpret the symbol in the card. It costs Tk 50 per person."
When asked which verses he recites from the Quran he could not specify. But he explained the meanings of the symbols. For example, Nur Mohammad said the peacock symbol means "marriage to a beautiful woman."
"If you are a woman, it would mean you will find a good husband."
What if a person is already married? "This would mean that the couple will have beautiful children," Nur Mohammad quipped.
So what do the cards say about his own destiny? "I leave it to God," he said.
Nur Mohammad used to be a village bard and part-time beggar before becoming a fortuneteller. "I came to Dhaka five years ago from Chuadanga. I used to write poems," he said talking to Star City in front of the Dhaka College.
"I have no home. I roam the streets during the daytime and sleep at mazars or bus stands at night. My wife and son live in the village."
Nur Mohammad said he came to Dhaka as he was unable to provide enough money for his wife and son. "Perhaps I should never have married when I could not even provide enough for myself," said a despaired Nur Mohammad.
With tears in his eyes he said: "I can suffer myself but I can't see my loved ones suffering in front on me."
Where did he learn fortunetelling?
"My uncle. I got this parrot after his death. I studied at a madrasa till class six. I could not continue further."
"Some days I make Tk 150 to Tk 200 by fortunetelling...sometimes more. But there are days when I even beg," he frankly admitted.
"Poor people and even sometimes people like you come to me to know their fortunes. I charge Tk 50 from people like you. For the rest, I charge
Tk 20 or 30," he quipped.
Does his fortune telling work? Nur Mohammad replied: "Destiny is in God's hands. I only cite the possibilities in a person's life."
"I am a poor man. I have to earn money for my food," he added.
Why did he choose this profession? Nur Mohammad replied with a question : "Why have you become a journalist? Couldn't you be someone else?"