Marriage within the fold...the Feng Shui way!

As coincidences go, this was the mother of them all.

I had received two invitation cards for the same marriage. One was from the bride Sana and, her parents Khush and Mukesh.

"Sana's marriage with Abhishek is happening thanks to Feng Shui! It is thanks to you" Khush Dalal had gushed when she had dropped in to invite me.

My acquaintance with Khush Dalal had started less than a year ago. It had to do with her only daughter Sana.

Dreamy, passionate and impulsive Sana believed that she had found her Mr Right in Sameer. Sameer shared her dreams and was as impulsive. He too liked TV series like The Gossip Girls and Grey's Anatomy, preferred cappuccino at CCD - short for Cafe Coffee Day - abhorred nicotine in any form but loved his occasional glass of beer. Sana liked Foster's. He too enjoyed the same beer.

Sana's vague answers to her worried mother about her relationship started with "We are seeing each other but we are not dating." changed to "We ‘re just hooked up, we are not in love or anything." and when she told her that she definitely wanted to marry Sameer, Khush became desperate.

Parents, Dalals did not share Sana's enthusiasm for Sameer.

The young may think that they are 'made for each other' just because they like the same movie or music but marriage is something else. Marriage is spending the rest of life together under the same roof.

Most important, Sameer was an outsider. He did not belong to their community. They tried explaining to Sana the problems she could face. "This will be a hundred eighty degrees turn to your life style. He doesn't belong to our religion. With all respect to all the religion, these compartments make life comfortable, easy. You will alienate yourself from your own people and his people will always consider you an outsider," her father Mukeshbhai told her.

But Sana was adamant.

This is when they, rather Mrs Khush Dalal, approached me. Her swollen eyes showed that she had been crying and the dark circles indicated the sleepless night she had been spending.

"My daughter is in love with someone outside our community. The boy is no good but she does not realize it. We want her to marry within the community. Can Feng Shui help?"

I too believe in remaining within one's community as far as marriage is concerned. Friends, flings, business association, partnership, affairs, partying, picnics is all right. In fact, it lets you grow. But marriage outside the community is a no-no. You are in familiar territory. You know the rules, life style, habits...and most important, you belong there you are in harmony with the surroundings. And Feng Shui is all about harmony with the surroundings.

"There is a question of free will but we can certainly try Feng Shui methods." I told her and promised to take a look at the Feng Shui of her house.

To argue with Sana was like arguing with a stonewall. She was not willing to listen. You could see a barrier rising as soon as you mentioned marriage. But Feng Shui found another way to save her. Sana did not know that her 'Prince charming' was already married! How she discovered the truth is the stuff I consider miracle. A hot SMS Sameer sent Sana, by mistake, reached Salma!

Salma suspected that Sameer was philandering but now she was sure. All hell broke loose. Sameer thought one more marriage, permitted in Islam, would be okay. A Salma said, "On my dead body!" She was a modern Muslim girl and was not ready to accept a sautan. Sana too did not want to be a second wife.

The relationship ended immediately.

Sana's marriage with Abhishek was a match arranged by her parents. Abhishek is the young son of Maganlal Dalal. Maganlal had benefited with Feng Shui  in his growing business in pharmaceuticals.

Dalals were facing several problems in their pharmaceutical company when Maganlal, on recommendation of his wife Suchitra's friend Diana (I wrote about her a couple of weeks ago) who had ‘conquered her office rivals with Feng Shui, called me.

It had been a bad year for Maganlal. Industrial espionage and labour problems had eaten away the profits. Counterfeit drugs too had added to the problems.

"Our information is that 40 percent of drugs using our logo are fakes. We have tried changing the packaging material using colour and gloss impossible to counterfeit. We also embedded holograms. Nothing helps." Maganlal said.

Though I had some idea of what espionage is all about, and I was also aware of the gray market where everything including fake currency notes and credit cards were bought, and sold, my domain is geomancy. Geomancy, the ancient science from China more popular as Feng Shui.

I have jumped with both feet in seemingly impossible situations like this and Feng Shui has worked like a charm.

I spotted a couple Feng Shui signs of ‘betrayals' in his surroundings and, besides suggesting corrections and enhancements, told him that I suspected espionage to be an insider job. He hired a detective agency, successfully located the namak haram, caught him red handed passing on secret company info to a rival.

"You cannot trust anyone! The culprit had worked for a year. His father had retired after faithfully serving the company for over 30 years. I never though that his son will betray us," a visibly hurt Maganlal Dalal told me.  This irresponsible theft had costed the company several millions!

Seeing the way Feng Shui worked the miracle, stopped the espionage, brought his business back in black Maganlal became a fan of Feng Shui. Abhishek is the youngest of his two sons.