While the world continues to collectively freak out over the impending Mayan calendar-predicted doomsday on December 21, 2012, Indians-astronomers in particular-have more positive outlooks of what can be expected.
According to the Wall Street Journal's "India Realtime," several Indian astrologers demised any ideas of the impending apocalypse. Sanjay Jumaani, a popular numerologist in India, told WSJ that Dec. 21 is "doubly governed by Jupiter," which could signify an auspicious day.
"The numbers in the year 2012 add up to the number five, indicating that this is the year of Mercury, the planet of knowledge, speed and communication," Jumaani told the WSJ.
He added, "Thankfully, Mayan culture is not very well known in India. We are well-equipped with our own culture and should not see much reason to fall for such scares."
Fellow astrologer Bejan Daruwalla agreed with Jumaani and said that Friday will bring about a "bigger, brighter and better 21st century. Daruwalla added that the positive prediction is also good news for people in India. "Great days lie ahead for a mighty India," he said.
Unfortunately, not everyone around the world is taking the upcoming doomsday with such positive attitudes. In France and Serbia, doomsday preppers are flocking to two local mountains said to posses enough magical and celestial powers to get nearby humans through the apocalypse. In China, authorities have arrested hundreds for spreading rumors of the end-of-the-world.
Here in the U.S., space agency NASA has worked tirelessly to debunk and dispel any and all Mayan-inspired doomsday conspiracies.
The latest apocalyptic predictions are based on misconceptions over the Mayan calendar, which is scheduled to end its thirteenth 349-year cycle, called a b'ak'tun. The myths claim that the end of the thirteenth cycle will bring the total destruction of Earth by celestial and terrestrial catastrophic events. However, scientists and international governments have insisted that the world will not end on Friday and that the Mayan calendar will simply restart for its fourteenth cycle.