When suddenly you start noticing coincidences, does it mean something?
Let me give you three examples of recent coincidences linked to my photoblog called Chayachitrakar and the TV over the past 3-4 days.
The first example of coincidences is about my blog. A few days ago, while searching for a picture in my image archive, I saw a picture of red tulips, that reminded me of other pictures of tulips of other colours that I had taken during my travels. So I spent some time searching for them and the next morning, chose three of those images of tulips for my photoblog.
For me, chosing images for the photoblog, is closely linked to small but significant thoughts that can be provoked by those images. Sometimes, I am struck by specific things in the images that I had not noticed before. Some times, the images provoke thoughts that are not related directly but touch something deeper inside me.
The images of the tulips made me think about the well known Amitabh Bacchan and Rekha from the Yash Chopra film "Silsila". Thus, after uploading my blogpost about tulips, I spent some time on internet to search for the Silsila song and watch it
The next day, a professor friend from India, who is visiting Bologna university for a few months, came to our home for dinner. While talking to him, suddenly he started talking about "Silsila".
Initially I thought that he had been to my photoblog and had seen my post about tulips where I had also mentioned "Silsila". However, after talking with him I realized that it was only a coincidence and he had not seen my blog.
The second example is again related to my photoblog. Yesterday morning, looking at the pictures I had clicked last month in the northern city of Trieste, I selected three images of James Joyce for my blog.
I hardly knew anything about James Joyce except that he was considered an important figure in the world of English literature. So I checked about James Joyce on Wikipedia and read about his life and how he was forced to live in Trieste.
Yesterday afternoon, while waiting to go out, I had switched on the TV and tried different channels. While channel hopping, I suddenly found a journalist talking about James Joyce in Trieste. For a second I was surprised and said to myself, "Wow, what a coincidence. I read about it today and wrote about it, and now this guy is talking about the same thing." Any way I soon forgot about it.
Now the third example - Yesterday afternoon while channel hopping, I also saw a brief scene from a TV film on "Importance of being earnest" by Oscar Wilde, on a channel, and then I changed the channel.
Today morning, at the website of Caravan, I opened an article with the review of Amitav Ghosh's new book, it started with the three lines that I had seen in the scene yesterday on the TV:
By itself, each of these coincidences is something small and insignificant. However, this third coincidence made me think of this strange feeling over the past 3-4 days. So, I am starting to wonder - is there something more to these coincidences? is somebody trying to give me some message? if yes, what kind of message?
What do you think is happening? Am I making a mountain out of an ant hill?
***
Let me give you three examples of recent coincidences linked to my photoblog called Chayachitrakar and the TV over the past 3-4 days.
The first example of coincidences is about my blog. A few days ago, while searching for a picture in my image archive, I saw a picture of red tulips, that reminded me of other pictures of tulips of other colours that I had taken during my travels. So I spent some time searching for them and the next morning, chose three of those images of tulips for my photoblog.
For me, chosing images for the photoblog, is closely linked to small but significant thoughts that can be provoked by those images. Sometimes, I am struck by specific things in the images that I had not noticed before. Some times, the images provoke thoughts that are not related directly but touch something deeper inside me.
The images of the tulips made me think about the well known Amitabh Bacchan and Rekha from the Yash Chopra film "Silsila". Thus, after uploading my blogpost about tulips, I spent some time on internet to search for the Silsila song and watch it
The next day, a professor friend from India, who is visiting Bologna university for a few months, came to our home for dinner. While talking to him, suddenly he started talking about "Silsila".
Initially I thought that he had been to my photoblog and had seen my post about tulips where I had also mentioned "Silsila". However, after talking with him I realized that it was only a coincidence and he had not seen my blog.
The second example is again related to my photoblog. Yesterday morning, looking at the pictures I had clicked last month in the northern city of Trieste, I selected three images of James Joyce for my blog.
I hardly knew anything about James Joyce except that he was considered an important figure in the world of English literature. So I checked about James Joyce on Wikipedia and read about his life and how he was forced to live in Trieste.
Yesterday afternoon, while waiting to go out, I had switched on the TV and tried different channels. While channel hopping, I suddenly found a journalist talking about James Joyce in Trieste. For a second I was surprised and said to myself, "Wow, what a coincidence. I read about it today and wrote about it, and now this guy is talking about the same thing." Any way I soon forgot about it.
Now the third example - Yesterday afternoon while channel hopping, I also saw a brief scene from a TV film on "Importance of being earnest" by Oscar Wilde, on a channel, and then I changed the channel.
Today morning, at the website of Caravan, I opened an article with the review of Amitav Ghosh's new book, it started with the three lines that I had seen in the scene yesterday on the TV:
MISS PRISM: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily. I wrote one myself in earlier days.
CECILY: Did you really, Miss Prism? How wonderfully clever you are! I hope it did not end happily?…
MISS PRISM: The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means. (The Importance of Being Earnest)Reading the dialogue between Miss Prism and Cecily seemed to me so strange, after having seen it by chance only yesterday.
By itself, each of these coincidences is something small and insignificant. However, this third coincidence made me think of this strange feeling over the past 3-4 days. So, I am starting to wonder - is there something more to these coincidences? is somebody trying to give me some message? if yes, what kind of message?
What do you think is happening? Am I making a mountain out of an ant hill?
***
I reckon that even if there's no scientific explanation to coincidence, there are signs that we are supposed to follow. I am not talking as a guru or as a scientist, I am just saying what has come out from my life experience and from some trusted friends's life experience.
ReplyDeleteSigns are not always easy to recognise but many of us in life have taken decisions according to a sudden revelation.
What are prayers all over the world asking to their gods? Signs which can help them to manage the path of their life.
Are concidences related to signs? Not all of them but probably some of them are. As I said above, signs are not easy to recognised.
Thanks Francesco.
ReplyDeleteThat is obviously my concern, if these are signs, then signs of what? What am I supposed to do about it? :)
Hi Sunil,
ReplyDeleteYour post is full of coincidences for me. Today I wrote a review on my Marathi blog of the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. I mentioned Silsila there while talking about Farhan's poetry recital. And just last week, I finished Amitav Ghosh's book, In An Antique Land. I will be reviewing it soon.
Both these things happened before I saw your post today, but now I realize that they were happening at about the same time in our lives. :)
Raj, you mean it is some kind of global conspiracy or event taking place, so all our lives are becoming full of coincidences?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun - aliens are coming or world is going to end very soon kind of thing :)
It happens to me many times :) I talk about some thing, some person.. soon it appears in news paper or on TV. My daughter often laughs that before coming there it comes to you. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't resist myself from sharing two incidences
1.Once I went to my parent's home.. while talking i asked my mother about our old teacher who used to teach maths to my brother and myself.. he was a family friend too and often used to come to meet my father ... my mother said he hadn't visited for few years after my father's death..... to my surprise that same day, after few hours he came to visit my mother!!!
2.My elder daughter's friend had an 80 year old grandma... she was ill and wouldn't talk much to others but she loved me and my daughters... and often lovingly talked to us... for many days we hadn't been to her house so one day in the evening while myself and my younger daughter were passing through that lane i just thought to meet her.. ( though i was not knowing that she is not well and for 2 days she is neither talking nor eating ..) as her daughter in law told her abt us she opened her eyes.. she was v happy to see us.. she couldn't talk much but she signaled her daughter in law to offer us tea... I came home.. was feeling sad...i asked my eld daughter to go to visit grandma ... she was tired so she was insisting on going the next day ..though it was late i forced her to visit grandma that same evening... my daughter went to see her.. and after few hours grandma died as if she was waiting for us.....
Thanks Rachna for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYour coincidences are real serious and important things. They are not the insignificant things happening to me!
Ok! But as you showed the concern, who knows that your coincidences may have some significance too.:)
ReplyDeleteSunil,
ReplyDeleteThough I believe in coincidences and fate, your fist example does not sound like incidental. Being an Engineer sometimes I can over analyze so I apologize in advance.
In the first case picking up Silsala song was planned and not incidental. Probably when your friend came, the information about the song was fresh in your mind so it is easy to discuss.
IMO mostly coincidences lead to pleasant outcome - that is no coincident - that is God's plan. Mostly bad things happen suddenly and good things happen with hard work and little bit of luck.
So you are in for something good...you just need to figure it out.....Well one good thing was to meet your old friend
A, the way you explain it, it does not sound incidental. :)
ReplyDeletePerhaps I didn't explain it well. I had indeed picked the images of tulips and the song from Silsila, but I was surprised when my friend started talking about Silsila in relation to his old love life - I didn't bring it up in any way and he had never been to my photoblog.
I agree though that it was a very small and insignificant coincidence. They all were. :)
Hi Sunil,
ReplyDeleteI think you were very clear that HE started the Silsala topic. I did not write my thoughts completely - most of the time when old friends meet they tend to talk about good old days that means about something they had enjoyed together and movies happen are most common especially AB movies...it is possible he mentioned some other movies too but Silsala would click as you had just thought about tulips.
But again as I mention being an Engineer I tend to OVER ANALYZE and find a rationale...I know but cannot help :)))) Sorry if it is annoying ..I know it can be.
Again I do think something good might be coming up...(see my second part of the comment)...that is my left side of brain thinking.
Till next time:))
A, may be it has to do with my holidays. These days I am on holidays and spend my time reading, listening to music, etc. May be I am relaxed and so my unconscious mind picks up vibrations from the cosmos!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, day after tomorrow I restart work, so may be these coincidences will also disappear - or may be surpise awaits at work! :)
Happens to me often. When I am talking or thinking about someone the person calls - we have a saying here that says that when such a thing happens the person concerned ( ie the person about whom you are talking) would live for a 100 yrs!!! We once saw a person who looked like my brother in law on the road. Surprising though we received a call from my BIL a couple of hours later. I dont know if there is a message in coincidences but sure.. they can surprise us.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS Sir! You've won an Award!!
ReplyDeletecheck out the link
http://sujathasathya.blogspot.com
Thanks Sujatha for the Versatile Blogger Award! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sunil! Greetings. First time here, from @A's blog.
ReplyDeleteThere are times I am reminded of the same Bible verse coming from different angles (reading, hearing, email etc) and then I know it is a message for me from God Almighty - which is very exciting and mostly very apt for that moment!
Will be back at leisure to read more...
Thanks NRI Girl - it is nice to feel that god is talking straight to you! :)
ReplyDeleteSunil,
ReplyDeleteCheck out my post today on Birthdays please. I mention your name and added link to your blog :))
Coming here from A's blog.. you have a wonderful blog. Some of these coincidences make me go awwwwww !! Happens to me a lot of times as well..
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThis is a delightful read! I am going to be noncommittal on the significance of the coincidences. Who cares? They led you to write this wonderful post which brings a huge smile to someone who probably hasn't been feeling his/her best, as a result of which s/he went and fed the temple beggars who blessed him/her earnestly, and you never know when the blessings might come in handy.... :) Get the drift?
Thanks Driftwood - you are right about the blessings, you never when they come handy! :)
ReplyDelete