[Scene: A roadside tea stall in Madurai. Ravi and Manoj are sitting on a bench, sipping chai and munching on murukku.]
Manoj: (eyes suddenly widen) Dai! Look over there—six mynah birds on that wire!
Ravi: (squints) One, two… yeah, six. So?
Manoj: (grins) That means I’m going to get money today. It’s a sign! Just you wait—maybe I’ll win the lottery or find a Rs. 500 note on the road.
Ravi: (chuckles) Or maybe someone will accidentally send you a GPay transfer.
Manoj: Ayyo, don’t joke about it. This is serious. It’s an old belief—my grandmother used to say that seeing six mynahs brings wealth.
Ravi: Manoj, your grandmother also used to say drinking water standing up causes joint pain. Are we going to start sitting cross-legged to sip water now?
Manoj: (laughs) Maybe we should! But this thing with mynahs has happened to me before. Last year, I saw six mynahs near the temple, and the very next day, I got my tax refund. Coincidence? I think not!
Ravi: Let me guess—you filed your taxes months before and the refund was already scheduled?
Manoj: Still, the timing was perfect! You can’t deny that!
Ravi: I can, actually. It’s classic confirmation bias. You remember the one time it worked and forget the 99 times it didn’t. Did you see any mynahs before getting your monthly salary?
Manoj: (pauses) Well… that’s different. Salary is expected. This is unexpected money.
Ravi: Okay, then. How about we do an experiment? From today, you note down every time you see six mynahs, and we’ll track if you get any money within 48 hours. Deal?
Manoj: (eyes narrowing suspiciously) That sounds like a trap.
Ravi: No traps! Just science. You believe it, so let’s test it. If there’s a real pattern, we’ll both get rich. If not, maybe we stop giving birds so much responsibility for our bank balance.
Manoj: (grins) What if the birds feel insulted and stop sending money?
Ravi: (laughs) Fine. Let’s write them a thank-you note in advance—”Dear Mynahs, kindly direct all rupees to Manoj’s bank account. Yours superstitiously.”
Manoj: Don’t mock. These beliefs have been around for generations. Not everything needs to be proven in a lab.
Ravi: True, but don’t you think we should separate harmless traditions from those that mess with how we make decisions? What if you spent your last ₹100 on a lottery ticket just because you saw some birds?
Manoj: Hmm… I did almost do that once.
Ravi: Exactly! Culture is fine. Beliefs can be beautiful. But they shouldn’t make us blind. You can admire the mynahs, smile at the coincidence—but maybe don’t plan your budget around them.
Manoj: (sighs) Okay okay, you win this round. But if I do find money today, I’m buying you chai with it. And I’ll still credit the birds.
Ravi: Deal. And if not, next time we see six mynahs, I get to name them after Indian scientists.
Manoj: What? Dr. CV Mynah? Dr. Kalam Bird? You’re incorrigible!
Ravi: (laughs) Just trying to balance tradition with a touch of logic.
[They both laugh and sip their tea, a mynah chirping nearby as if joining the debate.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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