Died: Bejan Jehangir Daruwalla, 88, popular astrologer and columnist; on May 29, 2020 in Ahmedabad.
"Jupiter is the planet of knowledge, astrology and wisdom, and Mercury is the planet of communication. Both planets are firmly entrenched in my chart…It’s my destiny to write for more papers than any other astrologer. Doesn’t that mean that fortune favors fools?” Daruwalla had lightheartedly remarked to journalist Mark Manuel three decades ago.
"He looked like a ball of fun and had as much bounce… Being wheelchair bound for almost a decade never cramped his boundless energy,” summed up veteran journalist Bachi Karkaria in The Times of India (ToI) of May 30.
Known to have predicted the victories and deaths of several national leaders, Daruwalla was frequently consulted by politicians, businessmen as also Bollywood stars and film producers who sought to ascertain an auspicious time for the launch of their ventures. "I have for all my pudginess, my sweet ways and pudding face and pot belly, a terrible killer instinct that makes me go for the meat of the matter… If I were to go right always, the charm and magic of life — the challenge — would be over. To me the challenge is the essence of living,” the astrologer had conveyed to Parsiana (see "Sunny forecasts,” August 1990).
Destiny, like birth, marriage, death, determines 55% of your life, but the remaining 45% can be controlled and altered, reminded the forecaster. A full-time fortune-teller since the age of 50, prior to that Daruwalla pursued astrology as a hobby whilst teaching English in Bombay and Ahmedabad. Combining palmistry, numerology, tarot, I-Ching, ephemeris, intuition and Ganesha’s grace to arrive at his predictions, he had told Parsiana. "The charting of the horoscope is by astronomy; factual. Its interpretation is an art…As soon as there are ego problems, you get heavy and so does your intuition.”
Bejan Daruwalla: will predict no more
Manuel recalled the time in 1984 when he was sub-editor at Mid-Day and had misplaced Daruwalla’s daily astrology columns that he submitted a week ahead: "Afraid of losing my job, I fearfully began writing the daily forecasts myself under the great Bejan Daruwalla’s name. It was not difficult to do, people were emotionally bankrupt, they wanted to read good predictions only. But I got caught. My editor Behram (Busybee) Contractor was furious. Not with me but with Bejan. Told him that one of his ‘boys’ was writing the astrology column and nobody could tell the difference! Bejan and I were friends since then.” Star, the Pakistan eveninger and Gulf News of Dubai were some of the other publications to which Daruwalla contributed. "General forecasts can only come correct up to a point,” admitted the horoscopist. He, along with son Nastur would annually publish books under "Your complete forecast” series devoted to each zodiac sign.
Whilst happily officiating at some Hindu religious ceremonies or offering a talisman to his clients, Daruwalla distanced himself from tantras (incantations), spirits and necromancy (communicating with the dead to predict the future). His immense faith in Lord Ganesha was manifest in his column in ToI titled "Ganesha Says.” Hemang Pandit, the co-founder of GaneshaSpeaks, an astrology mobile service that had tied up with smart solutions provider Hutchinson in Gujarat, recalled in the Sunday Mid-Day of June 7 Daruwalla’s role as advisor and activator, brimming with ideas.
Known to wear the sudreh and visit fire temples too, the astrologer proclaimed he was proud to be a Parsi and revealed that his credibility increased because of his Parsi background! "Throughout his life he always advocated the philosophy of ‘Live and let live.’ He never imposed his views on anyone,” appreciated the founder of Aava natural mineral water Behram Mehta who respected Daruwalla as a father figure.
A special invitee to the World Zoroastrian Congress in Dubai in 2009 and in Perth in 2018, he would engage the audience during the lunch breaks with statements like "Parsis have the goodness, graciousness and righteousness of Saturn… Parsis have the vision to see the complete picture… Today is the day of Venus… It is the day for women… Pluto characterizes power… Tomorrow will be an open day to fight…”
Pipe in his hand, the liberally inclined fortune-teller had conveyed to Parsiana, "One lesson astrology has taught me is tolerance.”
The popular astrologer is survived by his sons Nastur, Faredun and daughter Nazreen. Parinaz Gandhi