Who is fortunate and how to be fortunate these questions circulate in the minds of majority of people now a days. Everyone wants to be fortunate It's a madness. Opportunities come and go in everybody's life. However, everybody does not get opportunities equally in this world. Some get more opportunities and some get less opportunities in this universe. Some people make use of opportunities that they come across and some people fail to make use of opportunities that they come across. Wherever dame luck favors anybody,adjective fortunate is widely used. Unfortunates outnumber fortunate in this world. Unfortunate exceed fortunate not by one or two times but by multiple times. Yet, it's always not easy to make out who is really fortunate.Life is a glass chamber which looks very beautiful from a distance. We think they are fortunate.They think we are fortunate.In fact, a few are fortunate. Concept fortunate is an illusion only.There's nothing like fortunate or unfortunate it is our thinking only.Fortune can be earned but not one be fortunate.
If one wins a toss one need not be fortunate, they may lose the match. If one or two incidents are favorable to one, they can't be considered fortunate. One can be considered fortunate only if everything turns out favorable to them till the end . Generally, one has to toil to clinch a success but in case of a few only success knocks at their door without much effort. They are really fortunate. But such instances are a few . It's foolish for one to expect them to be fortunate always. Fortunate is one whose ambitions are fulfilled and who is fully contented. Everyone wants to be fortunate. No one wants to be unfortunate in this world. Everyone strives in this world to be fortunate. One could be said to be fortunate only if they are blessed in every respect and who are always happy. That is one should have wealth health, children, and all other requirements of a happy family. There should be no room for grouse whatsoever from any quarter of the family. Everyone in the family should be complacent . An individual alone cannot be fortunate. In order one to be fortunate all the other members of the family should also be equally blessed and there should be mutual affection and respect among all the members of a family also.Before, it's said that other is fortunate all aspects are to be taken into account. In fact, it's very difficult to find out who is really fortunate. All of a sudden one can't jump to conclusion that the other is fortunate. Only with great difficulty it could be concluded whether one is fortunate or not. Otherwise, one would be putting forth totally a wrong view or picture . A study in this regard always reveals that a few are only fortunate in this universe.
We find in this world that some do not have eyes right from their birth and cannot see, some do not have ears, cannot listen or talk also, some do not have strength in their legs or do not have legs at all and cannot walk, some do not have arm and hands cannot write nor do anything at all. Some are totally handicapped. They do not have either eyes or legs or ears. Some have all the limbs but they are mentally retarded. Some have all the limbs in tact but are financially very poor. Such instances we come across in life. One may become disabled at a later stage of life too. Those who do not have what others have, think that the latter are fortunate. If one comes out unscathed in an accident, they are said to be fortunate. Similarly one who is in the middle of many controversies if comes out successfully without any blemish they are called fortunate. If one wins sympathy of a merciless person one is said to be fortunate. Likewise, if one gets any contribution from a miser one is said to be fortunate. Those who have good children are said to be fortunate. If one who gets back that one which has been given up as lost for ever is really fortunate. When one does some blunder and comes away from the incident Scot- free then also one is said to fortunate. Still we find that there are more unfortunate people in this world than those who are fortunate. Sometimes it is jealousy which prompts one to think that the other is fortunate. There is nobody who is always either fortunate or unfortunate in this world .Life is such that it difficult to decide who is fortunate and who is unfortunate. Fortunate or unfortunate are one's assumption and presumption only. One who lead their life successfully without any blemish and bid adieu to this world without any regrets are really fortunate. That is the conclusion one would arrive at in this world.
Regarding who is fortunate, there are numerous views. It is always a subject matter of discussion. Human life is always rare and precious. At any time it is always better than that of animals. Purandharadasa says one who is born as a human being is fortunate. One is always considered fortunate provided they are remembered even after their death and supposed to have entered heaven on account of their good deeds. It is said that lady fortune smiles only on a few. One who is born with silver spoon is always said to be fortunate. One who wins a lottery is said to be fortunate. One who gets more opportunities is really fortunate. But one who has fortune need not be fortunate at all. Fortune can turnout to be a Pandora's Box. One thinks that the other is fortunate but reality is something else.It is generally quite different than what it appears to be. One who always gets sound sleep is said to be fortunate for many get always disturbed sleep. There are people in India those who are of view that one should have a male child to be fortunate. Those who do not have male children pray with God to bless them with a male child. Some get female foetus aborted even. Why some kill new born female child even.
We must understand that intelligence alone or wealth alone or health alone cannot make one fortunate in life. If one wears costly costumes and have precious ornaments on their body that does not mean that they are fortunate. They have one or another difficulty. They have one or another shortcoming. Appearances are always deceptive. Everything seems to be alright for others from outside but what their plight is they only know. Some think that one who is wealthy is fortunate because they do not have wealth. But those who have wealth have other difficulties. If one has wealth, has no children, if one has wealth and children but no health, how can we call them fortunate. Some say one who is happy and contented is fortunate and wealth is not everything.
A person to whom everything goes on well and ends well, that person can be said to be really fortunate. Stars should be favorable in order this to happen and in that case everything takes place favorably to according to whims and fancies. Is it possible to find such person or persons? Some say if we do good deeds, we would be blessed with all happiness. If one is highly educated, are they fortunate? Then the question arises whether they have gainful employment, good children, and health. Thus wealth, education, and status, are only some of the requisites to be fortunate. They are complementary to one another and alone they cannot make one fortunate. One who is worriless is said to be fortunate. But who is worriless. A few only are worriless.Those who are complacent and those who treat happiness and sorrow alike are said to be worriless. Even they cannot be said to be fortunate for theirs is only a reconciliation to cope up with life. Undoubtedly, great qualities make one fortunate. One, who is always unhappy and discontented, can never be fortunate.
The above thoughts ran through my mind when I was thinking about a family with which I am well acquainted since my childhood. I thought them to be very fortunate. Majority of their dreams had come true. Vrinda and Shantharam were made for each other. They were very hospitable. They were very good devotees of Lord Venkataramana. Vrinda was a very good house wife. Shantharam was not keeping good health. Nobody thought that Shantharam would survive for eighty long years .Undoubtedly, Vrinda deserved all the complements in this respect. She always looked after him with due care. Shantharam was an intelligent person. Shantharam was a well known social worker too. His social work was commendable. It was praised and recognized by many of his contemporaries. Shantharam was very helpful to people of that area in one or another way and was very popular at that place. He was an ideal insurance agent of those days.His service to his clients was excellent. In those days, there was no family planning. So they had seven children comprising of four daughters and three sons. The children were very obedient and affectionate. They were good at studies too. Shantharam was drawing a meager salary as a manger in a co-operative bank but had a big family to support with it . It was difficult for the couple to make their both ends meet with that small income. Vrinda was supplementing their income with the sale of milk from a cow and a she buffalo. Both husband and wife were toiling day and night to bring up their children .People of that area liked that family very much for their kind and courteous behavior. As a result, the family commanded much respect from everyone in the vicinity.
Sowcar RamRao came forward to accept Rama,the eldest daughter of Shantaram and Vrinda as his daughter in law. Rama was only sixteen years old then. Her husband Ramanand was a school teacher. Rama secured maximum help from Ramanand and her in laws for her parents to bring up her brothers and sisters namely Raghu, Pranesh, Ravi, Mohini, Vilasini and Vinodini for their education. Subsequently, Raghu secured a job in Indian Railways. Every member of family was ambitious. Raghu continued to study AMIE. Pranesh joined engineering and was studying in far off Tamilnadu. Ravi had also grown up and was to be given college education. It was an uphill task for Vrinda and Shantharam to meet the expenses of higher education of all the children. But the couple never deterred. They sought assistance from everywhere and continued the studies of their children. In the meanwhile, the family came across a good alliance for Mohini. Mohini was given in marriage to Mohan Rao, M.A., a bank manager. The family continued its upward trend. Pranesh completed B.E., and was gainfully employed in a multinational company. Vilasini and Vinodini completed their graduation successfully. Vilasini became wife of Prof Ranga Rao, of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Vinodini was happily wedded to Dr Laxman Rao M. S. The small house in Kashipura where Shantharam and Vrinda lived was renovated. Dining table,fans,sofa set, refrigerator, cookinggas, and such other modern equipments found place in the house. The house was transformed into a small bungalow.Ravi completed M.E. and became a lecturer in Electronics. Girls from rich families were offered to them in marriage and they got themselves married too. There was total transformation in the status of family of Vrinda and Shantharam .When everything is going on well, the kings used to perform Ashwamedha Yajnaya in olden days, similarly this family thought of pilgrimage to Varanasi .At this juncture only I thought that the family is fortunate.
On their way back from Varanasi. Shantharam had a heart attack and breathed his last. The family shifted from Kashipura to Bangalore to set up industries at an Industrial Area. Raghu, Pranesh and Ravi, all the three brothers relinquished their jobs for this purpose. They might have started their ventures at an inauspicious moment or their stars might have been bad. Pranesh while playing badminton collapsed and breathed his last due to heart failure. Dinesh an only son of Pranesh was only eight years at that time. He had two marriageable sisters too. Vrinda could not bear the sorrow. Soon thereafter, one fine morning she bid adieu to this world. Her other two sons continued their industries but to no avail. Only qualification is not adequate to run an industry. They could not mange their industries well. By 1990, they had lost almost everything. Further, Ravi had no male issues. When he and his wife were in forties, his wife gave birth to a female child named Ruchi with great difficulty. Raghu had two children. One son by name Raghav and a daughter called Rashmi. Raghav had been to Kushalnagar with his classmates on a picnic and was having bath in river Kaveri. He was in final year Engineering. Unfortunately, he caught himself in a wave and was drowned. Raghu‘s sorrow had no bounds. Thus Dinesh remained only surviving grandson of Shantharam. Further, Dinesh either studied well or took up any gainful employment. He has grown up as a perverted intelligent fellow. He is demanding share from his uncle Raghu who has settled down at their ancestral house at Kashipura at his old age after closing down his industry at Industrial Area. Recently Ravi too died of heart failure leaving behind teen aged Ruchi’s studies incomplete. Now Ravi’s wife is entertaining paying guests to take care of family and Ruchi’s education. It is complete turn of wheel of fortune.
Having witnessed above events; I hesitate to consider anybody as fortunate for misfortune is always a bolt from the blues. It is impossible to predict when it would strike. It may strike anyone at anytime and transform their position without any mercy. This is always a fact and is not a negative thinking at all. Fortune is said to be always fluctuating. Similarly, one can be fortunate for sometime only. One cannot remain fortunate for ever . It is fate that decides more than anything else who is fortunate and who is not. It is fate that decides how long one can remain fortunate also.