<p>As life is full of unexpected discoveries, the most beautiful moments arrive unannounced. Moment like a chance meeting at times turns into life-long friendship. A book picked up casually at the street-side book cart changes your perspective around very basic things in life.</p><p>In our series 'Word of the Day,' we bring one such word from the dictionary that perfectly explains that phenomenon. The word is 'serendipity,' which beautifully captures the joy of such fortunate accidents.</p><p>Coined by writer Horace Walpole in the 18th century, the word comes from the old name for Sri Lanka — Serendip. Walpole might have taken it from the Persian fairy tale, 'The Three Princes of Serendip,' whose heroes were always making valuable discoveries, and all accidentally. That's how serendipity came to mean the occurrence of happy or beneficial events by chance.</p><p>In a world which is runs on schedules and place, serendipity shows that not everything needs to be engineered. Some of the most transformative outcomes happen when we are actually not expecting them to occur. Newton's discovery of gravity or Archemedes' Eureka moment are some of the examples of such moments. Even relationships often begin through coincidence rather than design.</p><p>Serendipity conveys more than luck, it suggests a delightful twist of fate. After all, life is not only about what we plan. Sometimes, it is about what we pleasantly stumble upon.</p>
<p>As life is full of unexpected discoveries, the most beautiful moments arrive unannounced. Moment like a chance meeting at times turns into life-long friendship. A book picked up casually at the street-side book cart changes your perspective around very basic things in life.</p><p>In our series 'Word of the Day,' we bring one such word from the dictionary that perfectly explains that phenomenon. The word is 'serendipity,' which beautifully captures the joy of such fortunate accidents.</p><p>Coined by writer Horace Walpole in the 18th century, the word comes from the old name for Sri Lanka — Serendip. Walpole might have taken it from the Persian fairy tale, 'The Three Princes of Serendip,' whose heroes were always making valuable discoveries, and all accidentally. That's how serendipity came to mean the occurrence of happy or beneficial events by chance.</p><p>In a world which is runs on schedules and place, serendipity shows that not everything needs to be engineered. Some of the most transformative outcomes happen when we are actually not expecting them to occur. Newton's discovery of gravity or Archemedes' Eureka moment are some of the examples of such moments. Even relationships often begin through coincidence rather than design.</p><p>Serendipity conveys more than luck, it suggests a delightful twist of fate. After all, life is not only about what we plan. Sometimes, it is about what we pleasantly stumble upon.</p>
