Recently, I watched a video in which a dog was repeatedly circling a statue of a deity in a village. As the video went viral, people began flocking to the spot, treating both the dog and the deity with special care. I wouldn’t say the dog was worshipped, but many people believed there was something magical about the incident.
Later, further investigation revealed that the dog was actually suffering from a neurological disorder, which caused it to move in circles. Yet the explanation barely slowed the excitement. The story of a “magical moment” had already captured the imagination of the masses, and the video continued to be shared thousands of times.
This brings us to an uncomfortable question: why are we so obsessed with magic? A diseased dog attracted immense attention because people perceived something mystical in its behavior—so much so that they began garlanding it. What kind of magic generates such enthusiasm, when genuine mastery and achievement often do not?
Consider this: Indian Railways is building the world’s highest railway bridge in Jammu. Our space department is preparing for a manned mission to the Moon. These are extraordinary feats of engineering and human intelligence. Yet they rarely go viral. They lose the race for attention to a misleading video of a sick dog.
The idea of magic is often tied to validation of faith, sects, and celestial powers. If a flower is seen falling from a deity’s idol in a temple, people call it pavad—a divine sign. But when, one fine day, money vanishes “magically” from your bank account, you don’t call it pavad. You report it to cybercrime. Because this time, the magic brings loss. Accepting it blindly would cost you your hard-earned money.
I am not saying there is no magic in this world. In fact, magic is happening all around us. When two hearts fall in love, there is no greater magic than that. But this magic happens within us, internally. It cannot be captured by our smart cameras—and perhaps that is our real complaint. We crave visible magic, while ignoring the deeper, quieter magic that truly shapes our lives.