Destiny Vs Fate

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 6 March 2025 Taqdeer Toh Qaumon Ki Hua Karti Hai Ek Shakhs Ki Qismat Mein Taqdeer Kahan Raghupati Sahay 'Firaq' Gorakhpuri (Fate belongs to the races; an individual has no fate in his destiny) "I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed." Paulo Coelho This quote speaks to the idea that we are in charge of our destiny, but ultimately unable to control our fate. In this way, we have the power to decide which paths we take in life and the decisions that we make can lead us in certain directions. However, fate is predetermined and no matter our choices, certain events are meant to be. We cannot alter our fate, but we can take the necessary steps to ensure that we fulfil our destiny. Understanding this dichotomy helps us make better decisions and understand the consequences of our actions. So, very true. Individuals have no control over their fate. The dazzling example is the sad fate of the slow left-arm orthodox spinner Padmakar Shivalkar, who just shuffled off this mortal coil on March 3. He played for Bombay and amassed wickets at will. Yet, he could never play Test cricket for India. The same dismal fate befell Rajinder Goel, who successfully played for Haryana, but never played a single Test. Their fate coincided with that of the great Bishan Singh Bedi who played a total of 67 Tests and took 266 wickets. He also captained the national side in 22 Test matches. As luck would have it, all three were coevals. They were born in September; Shivalkar on September 14, 1940, Goel on September 20, 1942 and Bedi on September 25, 1946. All three had identical bowling actions as they were slow left-arm orthodox spinners. Strangely, all three were right-handed batsmen. They bagged wickets by the dozen and flummoxed the best of batsmen. Sunil Gavaskar once played as a southpaw to negotiate the vicious spin of Rajinder Goel on a spinning track. In his book 'Idols', Gavaskar paid tributes to both Paddy and Goel as two greats who never played a Test. While Paddy and Goel could never wear a Test cap, Bedi became the greatest slow left-arm orthodox spinner alongside Headley Verity of England. By the way, Verity was posted to India at the time of the Second World War and died during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. It was the deplorable fate of Shivalkar and Goel that despite being so amazingly talented throughout their career, they played in the same era of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrashekhar and Venkat Raghvan. All were contemporaries. Were Paddy and Goel born two decades before or after, they'd certainly have played at the highest level, i.e, Test cricket. Alas, that was not to be. This is what we call the inexorability of fate. You may have all the wherewithal for a particular purpose but if your fate is not on your side, you never reach the pinnacle of your potential. I may sound a fatalist, even a defeatist, but please tell me, how'll you explain this phenomenon? ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/destiny-fate/d/134794 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism