“EK LAKEER”
Syed Wahab Shah
Syed Wahab Shah
9:15 am. Monday, 28-11-11.
On the busy streets of Lahore, we met several people who claim to be fortune tellers; sitting on the footpath with their stuff such as parrots with tarot card readers, books etc. only one out of them all had the courage to face the camera. He agreed to give us some time and answer our questions.
Two minutes from Data Darbar, was the ‘landa bazaar’ where aged men were sitting with their boards and banners. Among them was Syed Wahab Shah, a middle aged man, dressed up wearing a pants and dress coat which was unlike all others who were in shalwar kameez. He was sitting on a dirty piece of cloth. He had a board with his name and details on it. Wahab shah has been practicing palmistry since 22 years. His professional life starts at 7.00 a.m to 3.00 p.m daily. When we asked for his interview, he refused as he thought that we are from some television channel. He knew that people like him claim to be palmists but they do not have proper knowledge and education about palmistry. Such people can be arrested by the police as they misguide people and charge for it. After talking and talking, we finally convinced him that we are students who are doing research on palmistry.
INTERVIEW:
Q. what is your name?
A. Syed Wahab Shah
A. Syed Wahab Shah
Q. where do you live?A. Sadar. I travel on bus
Q. how do you carry all your stuff along?
A. I leave them here. A guy charges Rs.10 to look after my things.
A. I leave them here. A guy charges Rs.10 to look after my things.
Q. For how long have you been in this profession?
A. 22 years.
A. 22 years.
Q. from where did you learn the art of palmistry?
A. I had 2 Ustaads. It took 6-7 years to learn before I started reading palms as a profession.
A. I had 2 Ustaads. It took 6-7 years to learn before I started reading palms as a profession.
Q. is it just for a living or for your personal interest?
A. I started this as my personal interest but now it has become a the source of living for me.
A. I started this as my personal interest but now it has become a the source of living for me.
Q. How much do you charge?A. Rs.25.
Q. How much does it earn you in a day?
A. I sit here from 7a.m till 3p.m and earn between Rs.300-Rs.500.
A. I sit here from 7a.m till 3p.m and earn between Rs.300-Rs.500.
Q. what type of people visit you?
A. Illiterate as well as literate people from different areas. Often they have no idea about what they are asking about but they agree to whatever I tell them.
A. Illiterate as well as literate people from different areas. Often they have no idea about what they are asking about but they agree to whatever I tell them.
Q. What do people usually ask about?
A. Business. Because of our country’s economic problems. Some also ask about travelling.
A. Business. Because of our country’s economic problems. Some also ask about travelling.
Q. how accurate do you think is your palmistry skill?
A. I tell them the possibilities. There is no definite answer, as lines keep changing. The hand tells a lot of possibilities… “ek lakeer pe puri kitaab likhi ja sakti hai.”
A. I tell them the possibilities. There is no definite answer, as lines keep changing. The hand tells a lot of possibilities… “ek lakeer pe puri kitaab likhi ja sakti hai.”
Q. How is it different from tarot card reading?A. Tarot cards only tell what is pre-written. Whereas, the lines in our hands keep changing and thus have different meanings. The hand tells a lot of possibilities… “ek lakeer pe puri kitaab likhi ja sakti hai.” (a whole book can be written on one line.)
Q. Majority of the people say that palm reading is forbidden in Islam. What do n have to say about this?
A. It is in the Shariyat that it is allowed, only if it’s done in the Islamic way. People who don’t know what palm reading is would obviously declare it as forbidden.
A. It is in the Shariyat that it is allowed, only if it’s done in the Islamic way. People who don’t know what palm reading is would obviously declare it as forbidden.
Personal Experience:Syed Wahab Shah read my hand and told me about my personality. He told me that I listen to my heart rather than my mind, he said that I’ll become famous in 2013-2014, he gave a positive view about my health, he also said that I will travel abroad and that I don’t spend money on the things that I should spend on. I found his statements quite random and something that every other palmist could say about any other person. It seemed as if he had learnt all the statements that he was telling me, as he wasn’t pausing to actually read any of my palm lines, he kept on talking without any break. He didn’t really answer my questions or told me anything about my past. When I told him to predict my exact future, he said that it can’t be done by just reading the palm, but he’ll have to make a “zaicha” in which he’ll link my lines to my stars, which is calculation. I told him to make my zaicha but he refused to do that in front of the camera.
Posted by Ifrah
