On magic carpets

I remember reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho back in 2009. I took a crash course during the summer vacation as I entered Class 12. Mickey didi told me about it; she said it was her absolute favorite. When I asked her why, she said the book opened her up to a world of possibilities and the knowing that what’s meant to be will be. The specific word Makhtub has stayed with me all these years. But little did I know I would have my own ways of seeing this magic.

I found myself in a vivid dream where I saw this beautiful yellow and red carpet. The scene was alive, a cozy home filled with people, laughter, and books. I was sitting on that carpet, eating pasta, feeling completely at peace. That’s the part that’s stayed with me, the sense of comfort, color, and quiet joy.

The dream was so vivid that I felt like I was just there. I was in it, living the life, fully there (maybe that’s why they’re called vivid dreams, haha).

I woke up and remember texting a friend right after. This was April 22nd.

I cannot explain what about this rug was so powerful and beautiful. But something about it just was. After a lot of trying and re-trying, I finally did manage to fall asleep. But I did not, in any way whatsoever, imagine what was about to unfold. As of that day, I was just going to be in Bangalore, and nothing more.

A little over ten days later, I got invited to speak at a conference in Egypt. While I was booking my tickets, another invite came in to speak in Marrakech, Morocco. Both of these were completely unexpected. I found myself booking flights to Egypt and Morocco just four days before I had to fly.

The next thing I knew, I was talking about the human condition, understanding it and leveraging it to build products, while standing right next to the ancient pyramids at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

I felt so much at home in Egypt. I felt as if I was with my people, such big hearts, so much culture, care, history, and tradition. Ah. I was experiencing magic here. And then I saw this beautiful antique shop and a beautiful lock in it, which, it turns out, was from my hometown in Rajasthan. To find a piece from home so far away from it already blew my mind.

While walking around Khan el-Khalili, a market that has existed since ancient Egyptian civilization, my friends and I ended up sitting down at this beautiful café and listening to live music. This warm, smiling Egyptian man came up to us and started speaking in Hindi, and then sang a beautiful song from 70s Bollywood.

And then, before I knew it, I was on a flight to Marrakech. You know, it’s one of those places I’d seen in Lonely Planet as a kid in the 90s. And when I reached the grand bazaar, it felt like I was still inside that childhood image. I just started walking around and exploring like I always do, picking a direction that felt good and walking till my feet stopped, and then some. High on orange juice, I found myself wandering through the tiny, beautiful, ancient lanes of Marrakech. And I can’t even tell you in just words how beautiful it was to be there, and what being in a place like that was doing to my internal world.

I was high on orange juice, walking away from the taxi stand into some random lane. The only music I needed in my ears was the chatter and the whispers, the sounds of people, mint tea being poured, the soft bubbling of hookahs, the camels, the fantastic smell of food, and the desert wind brushing across my face. Ah, what a joy.

In that long walk, from the corner of my eye, I noticed something familiar. And not to be dramatic, but my heart did skip a beat. If there’s ever a distortion in the reality field, I saw it then. My world just zoomed in on this tiny yellow-red thing in the corner of my eye.

The yellow carpet from my dream!

And would you believe me if I told you this was the carpet from my dream? Just hanging there on a wall. Believe me, the book from all those years ago, the word Makhtub, came back to me with such force that it physically shook me.

Who knew that a random vivid dream from April 22nd would come fully to life on May 27th, in a part of the world I had never imagined being in, or ever thought I’d experience this way.

I took a deep breath, touched the carpet, and thanked the universe.

The version of me from a few years ago would have bought the carpet and brought it home, but this version of me had to see something else in it, to know there are things that are magical beyond bounds, and they’re always happening, even when I choose not to see or believe in them.

This carpet will always be one of my favorite moments of the universe doing its thing and the magic it holds. Maybe that’s what Makhtub really means, not destiny written in stone, but magic waiting to be noticed. The magic didn’t stop at the carpet; there was so much more that I got to experience. And if you and I grab a chai or coffee someday, I’ll tell you more on that walk.

Love,

Rishi