Setting: A tea stall in Madurai, under the shade of a banyan tree. Two friends, Aravind and Suresh, are sipping chai after work.
Suresh: (excitedly) Dei Aravind, I did it!
Aravind: Did what? You finally finished that online coding course you started in 2021?
Suresh: (laughs) No da! I went to Velankanni last weekend and brought back a pouch of soil from the church. I even kept a pinch under my pillow. My luck is going to change now.
Aravind: Wait… soil from the church? Under your pillow? Why? Did your dreams get a software update or what?
Suresh: (grinning) I’m serious, machan! They say carrying soil from a church, especially from Velankanni, brings good luck. My cousin got a promotion two weeks after doing this!
Aravind: Hmm. That’s one theory. Or maybe your cousin worked hard, his manager noticed, and he got the promotion like a normal person?
Suresh: Ayyo, you and your logic! You always need science and data. Can’t you just accept that some things are beyond explanation?
Aravind: I’m not saying I don’t respect belief, da. But come on, soil carrying luck? If that were true, construction workers should be millionaires by now.
Suresh: (laughs) Dei, that’s not the same. It’s holy soil. It’s been blessed!
Aravind: Ok. So if I take the same soil, put it in a plastic pouch, and sell it near the bus stand, will it still work?
Suresh: Only if it comes from inside the church compound, not the parking lot!
Aravind: I see. So divine blessings have GPS coordinates now?
Suresh: Don’t joke. My uncle swears it worked for his lottery ticket. He kept the soil in his wallet. Won ₹5,000.
Aravind: And how many tickets did he buy before that win?
Suresh: Err… maybe 200 or so?
Aravind: (sips tea) So, technically he’s still down ₹15,000. What do we call that? Blessed bankruptcy?
Suresh: (sheepish smile) Maybe the soil takes time to warm up…
Aravind: Look, I get it. Faith gives people hope. But don’t confuse correlation with causation. You ever heard of the placebo effect?
Suresh: I thought that was a skin cream?
Aravind: (facepalms) No da. It’s when you believe something helps you, and your belief actually makes you feel better — even if the thing has no actual effect. Like a sugar pill making someone feel less pain.
Suresh: So you’re saying the soil is a sugar pill for the soul?
Aravind: Kind of. If it gives you confidence or peace, no problem. But don’t expect miracles. Keep working hard, save money, learn new skills. That’s how luck is made.
Suresh: Hmm. You’re saying belief can help you, but belief alone won’t change the world around you?
Aravind: Exactly! It’s like wearing a lucky T-shirt to an exam. If you studied, you’ll pass — T-shirt or not. But if you didn’t study and hope the shirt writes the answers for you… then God bless the invigilator.
Suresh: (laughs) Okay okay, I see your point. But still, I’ll keep the soil under my pillow. You never know!
Aravind: Sure da. Just don’t put it in your dosa batter by mistake.
Suresh: Dei! That’ll become “Holy Masala Dosa”!
Aravind: Blessed with crunch, cursed with constipation!
(They both burst out laughing as the tea vendor shakes his head, amused at yet another of their philosophical debates.)
End of Scene
Science Vs Superstition 
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