The man who collects luck

South Indian Hindu collects the number 786, considered lucky in Islam, and has never looked back

The man who collects luck

South Indian Hindu collects the number 786, considered lucky in Islam, and has never looked back

In 1994, N Krishnamoorthy, a Central Railway employee happened to glance at the Rs 100 note he had just pulled out of his wallet and suddenly noticed the three numbers the note began with 786.

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"I knew the number was sacred in Islam and went to a maulvi. The man looked at me and said I should collect the numbers, wherever, whenever, I saw them as they would be lucky for me. He told me that the number can change my life," said Krishnamoorthy.

Fifteen years on, Krishnamoorthy has never had a run in with bad luck.

"In a salary of just Rs 20,000, I have been able to buy a house in Matunga, put my two sons into good schools and have been promoted frequently. If that is not luck, what is?

Walking under a Ladder

Common sense would justify, not walking under a leaning ladder in order to avoid getting hurt, in case the ladder slipped and fell on you.

However, according to Christian belief, a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and the ground, that was supposed to represent the Holy Trinity.

Walking under such a ladder, was equivalent to violating the Holy Trinity and was supposed to bring bad luck.

Breaking a Mirror

According to Roman culture, one's reflection in the mirror was believed to represent one's soul.

Hence breaking the mirror or looking into a broken mirror was supposed to bring seven years of bad luck. The bad luck would be over after seven years as the soul was believed to renew itself every seven years.

Black Cats

Bast was a highly revered Cat goddess, in ancient Egypt. In their bid to wipe out every religion other than Christianity, Christian priests popularized the black cat as a symbol of bad luck.

Women who cared for the animals were termed as witches. This superstition was one of the most prevalent superstitions of the Elizabethan Era.

Black Cats

It is believed that spilling salt brings bad luck. To undo the bad effects of spilled salt one is advised to throw some salt over the shoulder to prevent bad spirits from following him.

The origin of this superstition lies in the fact that salt used to be a very expensive commodity in olden times and was also used to make medicines. Hence, this superstition arose to check people from wasting salt.

Opening umbrellas indoor, was supposed to bring bad luck as in olden times the umbrella was supposed to be used only as a protection against the sun. Hence, opening

The 786 Collection

Indian currency with 786: Rs 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, railway ticket, bus ticket, PAN card form, lottery ticket, hotel receipt, donation receipt, lock, key, cheque number, railway reservation slip, recharge coupons, mobile number, loan application form number, railway pass, SIM card number, courier slip.

What is 786 in Islam?
786 is the numerological value of Bismillah Ar Rahman Nir/ir Rahim.

The Arabic letters of the opening phrase of the Quran sum to the numerical value 786 in the system of Abjad numerals.

Not all Muslims place emphasis on this numerological analysis, however, some, mostly in Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, do.

Bollywood and 786
Shah Rukh Khan's character Veer Pratap Singh in the film Veer-Zaara has a prisoner number 786.

Amitabh Bachchan's character Iqbal Khan in the film Coolie wears number 786

Rajnikanth's role in the film Thee, which was a remake of the Hindi film, Deewar, had the number.

Chiranjeevi sported this number in this film Kaidi Number 786, as he has a considerable following amongst the Muslim youth of Andhra Pradesh

And now for someu00a0bad luck...
Popular culture lists these as bad omens. These include Friday the 13th, walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, black cats, spilling salt and opening umbrellas indoor.