Please do not read if you have a weak heart!
If we listen to some one’s experience about a ghost or anything super natural, most of us will believe it only with a pinch of salt. Our beliefs are based on our cultural background and the environment in which we live currently.
In my childhood some 50 years back, people in our town believed in the super natural almost implicitly. There were so many stories circulating around that it looked almost as occurrence of such events was a daily routine. People had strong beliefs and nobody could raise any doubt over these.
Resting under a Tamarind tree at noontime was considered dangerous as the spirits were supposed to haunt the it during noon. While traveling at night people were advised not to stop their vehicles if a lone female tried to halt the vehicle. It was widely believed that Mohinis (female ghosts) haunted highways during nights. Taking shelter in a dilapidated house was considered a great risk as Brahma rakshasas chose to live there. In villages strolling on streets during the wee hours of night especially between 2 and 5 o’ clock was not recommended, as “Kali” the guarding deity was believed to patrol the streets with her retinue of “Bhutas” or spirit guards. There was also an implicit faith on thunderstones striking the ground when a thunderstorm was raging.
An elaborate classification of demons, ghosts and goblins, was in vogue and most people were aware of the detail. People in our town were proficient with names of ghosts, their nature, and habitats. For example if a Brahmin was murdered his spirit would turn in to a Brahma rakshasa, the most terrible among the ghosts. These ghosts were known to kill wayfarers on the highway and eat them. The hymn to God Muruga in Tamil called “Kantha sashti kavacham” lists the names of several well-known ghosts of the olden days.
I thought that it was essential to give bit of background information before I can start my narrative. My earliest experience was when I was attending the second standard of an elementary school near my home. One day, during the morning interval when we were let free for 15 minutes some of my classmates informed that there was a ghost lurking in a hut inside the school compound. A council was held immediately and the brave among us got ready to fight the ghost. It was decided to use special weapons like worn out chappals and broomsticks. The weapons were procured without much difficulty, and ten of us proceeded to the battleground. By the time we reached the battle zone we were joined by other boys and on lookers and the crowd swelled to around 50.
We chose fat and hefty boys as our fighters in the forefront and the hut was breached in no time accompanied by battle cries. We could see a figure draped in white cloth ensconced inside the dimly lighted hut. Once the enemy was spotted our spirits rose up and rapid blows were executed with chappals and broomsticks. The ghost started howling in a squeaky pathetic voice and tried to escape. We immediately switched on our second line of offence by falling en masse on the ghost and flattening it out on the ground. By the time the ghost got dragged out in the open, the entire school including our HM had gathered to witness what was happening. When the ghost was uncovered, it was discovered to our chagrin that it was none other than the school gardener Munusami who had taken a deep nap after a bout of drink in the night.
Only the front liners of our army were left to face the ire and subsequent punishment from the HM as the bulk of our army had petered out from the spot once the identity of the ghost was established.
The second experience I had was when I was studying in the high school. The school was situated in a big garden with lot of trees. There was a large paddy field on one side of our school and only a barbed wire fence separated it from the school. Our classes were held in cottages with thatch roofs, which were nice to look at, surrounded by green Mango trees.
One day I had to go to the washroom. Washrooms were located at the back of the school near the paddy field. Quite a distance had to be covered nearly 500 yards, to reach the place from the classrooms. The time was around noon believed to be weird by the locals. I could see no one else in the vicinity, as I reached the place, which consisted of a block of 5 or 6 washrooms and a tiled roof. When I opened the door of one of the washrooms I froze in fright as I saw a huge crocodile like creature lurking inside. It was almost more than a foot in breath and around 6 feet in length. On a reflex I shut the door quickly and ran out of the block. I could clearly hear the reptile growling and struggling inside the washroom. In my stunned mood I could see it rush out of the room, through the gap between the door and the floor and escape out to the adjoining field.
It took quite a time for me to recover from stupor, and when I recounted the incident to my friends later on none of them believed me. No one had seen such a creature in the campus before and I could myself not believe what I had seen. I wonder even today if it was really a crocodile or a spirit in that form?
I also came across in school and outside many people who could elaborate on their adventures with the super natural. While I listened to their stories with certain amount of scepticism, a faith was also slowly sprouting out in the recess of my mind. Long after graduation and joining a firm for employment I had a tryst with the unknown in a dramatic manner.
It happened during a long journey in a Jeep with our test driver Narayanaswami. I was around 30 years of age and Narayanaswami would have been around 40. He was a retired army man, obedient, and well disciplined. We traveled through Kodaikanal, Munnar, Virajpet, and reached Mangalore after touching Mercara in the Coorg. Both of us shared the long drive and were conducting routine road tests on the way to check the brakes of the vehicle. Narayanaswami was in a good spirit and cooperative through out the journey.
It was almost lunchtime when we reached Mangalore. Suitable accommodation could not be found in the city after searching for a long time. While scouting outside the city I spotted a lodge run by the Karnataka tourist department and luckily got a double room. It was a quite spacious suite, having two rooms, living and bed. There were also two cots placed side by side in the bedroom with space all around. The rent was also reasonable.
We had enough time left for the day and I thought of driving up to Udipi and return. The drive to Udipi was uneventful but the travel along the seacoast was enjoyable. After completing Darshan of Sri Krishna at the Udipi temple we started the return journey. A stranger around 25 years of age, with dark complexion suddenly stopped our Jeep and accosted us for a lift to Mangalore. We agreed to take him with us. While I was driving, Narayanaswami was by my side and the stranger sat in the rear.
I was in the habit of reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama stotra, the thousand names of God Vishnu regularly in the evening. Once we were on the highway, I commenced the recitation. After some time the stranger started blurting out incoherently but I was not perturbed much as my entire focus was on the road and the stotra. From few furtive glances to the rear I could see the stranger turning highly nervous. As my recitation continued his mumble also increased reaching a crescendo after sometime. Narayanaswami got visibly excited, and tried his best to control the stranger, but with little success.
The drama came to an end as I completed my prayer and the stranger suddenly wanted the Jeep to be stopped. Mangalore was still some 10 Kms ahead and we were in a totally desolate place. It was pitch dark and the hitchhiker vanished in to thin air after the vehicle stopped even without offering any thanks. As I started motoring towards Mangalore Narayanaswami heaved a perceptible sigh of relief.
After reaching our lodge at Mangalore I tried to get Narayanswami’s version on the hitchhiker’s behaviour. He started shouting in an excited tone,” Sir! That boy created so much trouble! He did not like your recitation of the stotra and made two or three attempts to hit you from the back. I was so much terrified and had peace only after he got down”. It was then my turn to get upset and ask him what was wrong with my recitation. Narayanaswami replied,” There was nothing wrong with your recitation, but the boy was possessed by a ghost! The ghost was much troubled by God’s hymn and wished to attack you!”
I could not believe what I heard. But Narayanaswami was firm in his conviction and quite upset over the incident. I tried my best to assuage his feelings by taking him out for dinner to a good hotel at Mangalore. By the time we returned and went to sleep it was around 11 in the night. I am habitually a deep sleeper and could go to sleep any where without much effort. But on that night there were some early disturbances due the loud snore of my companion and it was some time before his performance for the night could cease.
Even a deep sleeper can get disturbed if a loud noise is produced in the vicinity. This was what exactly happened to me as I heard a loud pitiable howl emanating from the adjacent cot. There was a voice shouting “ Iyyo! Iyyo! Iy-Iyyo!”. This is an exclamation in Tamil expressing acute danger or deep fright. I got up from the bed and switched on the lamp. I could see Narayanaswami sweating all over the body and kicking his legs in the air. I woke him up by sprinkling water on him. Once he recognized me he started blurting out,” Sir! Let us get out of here fast”. I tried my best to cool him down and after drinking a cup of water he spoke to me again” There is a ghost in this room! It sat on my chest and tried to pummel and strangle me! I want to get out of here!” I looked at my watch and it was exactly 2 o’clock. It was impossible to check out at that ungodly hour and get another room. Somehow I consoled Narayanaswami and assured him we would vacate the place first thing in the morning.
It took me another ten minutes to go to sleep and then I had a vivid dream. In the dream I was walking on a flat hard ground and the place was quite desolate. There were no trees or vegetation around. Suddenly I stepped in to a pit and began to fall. At this point in the dream I had an external stimulus of someone violently pulling my legs. I thought it was Narayanaswami probably playing some pranks. But the subsequent happening nearly took the breath out of me. I could distinctly feel someone sitting on my chest and choking me. My pressure blew up with respiration surging in to a super fast mode. The body started perspiring heavily and I turned wet fully within a few seconds. There was a great fear gradually enveloping me and progressing to oblivion. This was when my habit of reciting prayer helped. I started appealing to my Guru for help and went on repeating the divine names. Suddenly the vengeful external act stopped and I returned to normalcy. I got up from the bed and looked around after switching the lamp on. There was no body around. Narayanaswami was deep asleep and in a happy snoring mode. I decided to keep the lamp switched on for the rest of the night and went to sleep. Thankfully there were no further disturbances.
It was 6 o’clock in the morning when we woke up. We hurriedly completed our morning routines in half an hour time and checked out of the lodge helter-skelter. While having a peaceful breakfast at a Mangalore restaurant, I told Narayanaswami on my adventure in the night. He was visibly shaken, but much appreciated my action in vacating the room early in the morning.
What really happened? I am not able to explain till date. But clearly there were some forebodings with the strange behavior of the hitchhiker in the evening. I earlier thought on what happened to Narayanaswami during sleep as a mere fig of imagination. My subsequent experience not only confirmed my companion’s version but also raised few questions. Was I influenced by Narayanaswami’s adventure? If I was influenced by Narayanaswami, how was the external stimuli produced? How did the entire event come to a close after recitation of the prayer?
Only conclusion I could make is surely the event was an out of ordinary one. I also thought that the ghost got transferred to Narayanaswami when the stranger left the Jeep and started its vindictive operation on us during the night. But this could be a farfetched theory as Narayanaswami behaved quite normally during the rest of our journey. It could also be explained that the spirit left for good after I sought help from my Guru. Alternatively the ghost could also been a resident ghost of the lodge. It is always possible for some one to pitch upon a better rational explanation after chcking and studying the facts.
But even at this point of time, I cannot forget the shock and the trauma that accompanied the external stimuli and the consequent build up of fear. The racing of the heart, with express speed towards ultimate doom still lingers in my mind.
If we listen to some one’s experience about a ghost or anything super natural, most of us will believe it only with a pinch of salt. Our beliefs are based on our cultural background and the environment in which we live currently.
In my childhood some 50 years back, people in our town believed in the super natural almost implicitly. There were so many stories circulating around that it looked almost as occurrence of such events was a daily routine. People had strong beliefs and nobody could raise any doubt over these.
Resting under a Tamarind tree at noontime was considered dangerous as the spirits were supposed to haunt the it during noon. While traveling at night people were advised not to stop their vehicles if a lone female tried to halt the vehicle. It was widely believed that Mohinis (female ghosts) haunted highways during nights. Taking shelter in a dilapidated house was considered a great risk as Brahma rakshasas chose to live there. In villages strolling on streets during the wee hours of night especially between 2 and 5 o’ clock was not recommended, as “Kali” the guarding deity was believed to patrol the streets with her retinue of “Bhutas” or spirit guards. There was also an implicit faith on thunderstones striking the ground when a thunderstorm was raging.
An elaborate classification of demons, ghosts and goblins, was in vogue and most people were aware of the detail. People in our town were proficient with names of ghosts, their nature, and habitats. For example if a Brahmin was murdered his spirit would turn in to a Brahma rakshasa, the most terrible among the ghosts. These ghosts were known to kill wayfarers on the highway and eat them. The hymn to God Muruga in Tamil called “Kantha sashti kavacham” lists the names of several well-known ghosts of the olden days.
I thought that it was essential to give bit of background information before I can start my narrative. My earliest experience was when I was attending the second standard of an elementary school near my home. One day, during the morning interval when we were let free for 15 minutes some of my classmates informed that there was a ghost lurking in a hut inside the school compound. A council was held immediately and the brave among us got ready to fight the ghost. It was decided to use special weapons like worn out chappals and broomsticks. The weapons were procured without much difficulty, and ten of us proceeded to the battleground. By the time we reached the battle zone we were joined by other boys and on lookers and the crowd swelled to around 50.
We chose fat and hefty boys as our fighters in the forefront and the hut was breached in no time accompanied by battle cries. We could see a figure draped in white cloth ensconced inside the dimly lighted hut. Once the enemy was spotted our spirits rose up and rapid blows were executed with chappals and broomsticks. The ghost started howling in a squeaky pathetic voice and tried to escape. We immediately switched on our second line of offence by falling en masse on the ghost and flattening it out on the ground. By the time the ghost got dragged out in the open, the entire school including our HM had gathered to witness what was happening. When the ghost was uncovered, it was discovered to our chagrin that it was none other than the school gardener Munusami who had taken a deep nap after a bout of drink in the night.
Only the front liners of our army were left to face the ire and subsequent punishment from the HM as the bulk of our army had petered out from the spot once the identity of the ghost was established.
The second experience I had was when I was studying in the high school. The school was situated in a big garden with lot of trees. There was a large paddy field on one side of our school and only a barbed wire fence separated it from the school. Our classes were held in cottages with thatch roofs, which were nice to look at, surrounded by green Mango trees.
One day I had to go to the washroom. Washrooms were located at the back of the school near the paddy field. Quite a distance had to be covered nearly 500 yards, to reach the place from the classrooms. The time was around noon believed to be weird by the locals. I could see no one else in the vicinity, as I reached the place, which consisted of a block of 5 or 6 washrooms and a tiled roof. When I opened the door of one of the washrooms I froze in fright as I saw a huge crocodile like creature lurking inside. It was almost more than a foot in breath and around 6 feet in length. On a reflex I shut the door quickly and ran out of the block. I could clearly hear the reptile growling and struggling inside the washroom. In my stunned mood I could see it rush out of the room, through the gap between the door and the floor and escape out to the adjoining field.
It took quite a time for me to recover from stupor, and when I recounted the incident to my friends later on none of them believed me. No one had seen such a creature in the campus before and I could myself not believe what I had seen. I wonder even today if it was really a crocodile or a spirit in that form?
I also came across in school and outside many people who could elaborate on their adventures with the super natural. While I listened to their stories with certain amount of scepticism, a faith was also slowly sprouting out in the recess of my mind. Long after graduation and joining a firm for employment I had a tryst with the unknown in a dramatic manner.
It happened during a long journey in a Jeep with our test driver Narayanaswami. I was around 30 years of age and Narayanaswami would have been around 40. He was a retired army man, obedient, and well disciplined. We traveled through Kodaikanal, Munnar, Virajpet, and reached Mangalore after touching Mercara in the Coorg. Both of us shared the long drive and were conducting routine road tests on the way to check the brakes of the vehicle. Narayanaswami was in a good spirit and cooperative through out the journey.
It was almost lunchtime when we reached Mangalore. Suitable accommodation could not be found in the city after searching for a long time. While scouting outside the city I spotted a lodge run by the Karnataka tourist department and luckily got a double room. It was a quite spacious suite, having two rooms, living and bed. There were also two cots placed side by side in the bedroom with space all around. The rent was also reasonable.
We had enough time left for the day and I thought of driving up to Udipi and return. The drive to Udipi was uneventful but the travel along the seacoast was enjoyable. After completing Darshan of Sri Krishna at the Udipi temple we started the return journey. A stranger around 25 years of age, with dark complexion suddenly stopped our Jeep and accosted us for a lift to Mangalore. We agreed to take him with us. While I was driving, Narayanaswami was by my side and the stranger sat in the rear.
I was in the habit of reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama stotra, the thousand names of God Vishnu regularly in the evening. Once we were on the highway, I commenced the recitation. After some time the stranger started blurting out incoherently but I was not perturbed much as my entire focus was on the road and the stotra. From few furtive glances to the rear I could see the stranger turning highly nervous. As my recitation continued his mumble also increased reaching a crescendo after sometime. Narayanaswami got visibly excited, and tried his best to control the stranger, but with little success.
The drama came to an end as I completed my prayer and the stranger suddenly wanted the Jeep to be stopped. Mangalore was still some 10 Kms ahead and we were in a totally desolate place. It was pitch dark and the hitchhiker vanished in to thin air after the vehicle stopped even without offering any thanks. As I started motoring towards Mangalore Narayanaswami heaved a perceptible sigh of relief.
After reaching our lodge at Mangalore I tried to get Narayanswami’s version on the hitchhiker’s behaviour. He started shouting in an excited tone,” Sir! That boy created so much trouble! He did not like your recitation of the stotra and made two or three attempts to hit you from the back. I was so much terrified and had peace only after he got down”. It was then my turn to get upset and ask him what was wrong with my recitation. Narayanaswami replied,” There was nothing wrong with your recitation, but the boy was possessed by a ghost! The ghost was much troubled by God’s hymn and wished to attack you!”
I could not believe what I heard. But Narayanaswami was firm in his conviction and quite upset over the incident. I tried my best to assuage his feelings by taking him out for dinner to a good hotel at Mangalore. By the time we returned and went to sleep it was around 11 in the night. I am habitually a deep sleeper and could go to sleep any where without much effort. But on that night there were some early disturbances due the loud snore of my companion and it was some time before his performance for the night could cease.
Even a deep sleeper can get disturbed if a loud noise is produced in the vicinity. This was what exactly happened to me as I heard a loud pitiable howl emanating from the adjacent cot. There was a voice shouting “ Iyyo! Iyyo! Iy-Iyyo!”. This is an exclamation in Tamil expressing acute danger or deep fright. I got up from the bed and switched on the lamp. I could see Narayanaswami sweating all over the body and kicking his legs in the air. I woke him up by sprinkling water on him. Once he recognized me he started blurting out,” Sir! Let us get out of here fast”. I tried my best to cool him down and after drinking a cup of water he spoke to me again” There is a ghost in this room! It sat on my chest and tried to pummel and strangle me! I want to get out of here!” I looked at my watch and it was exactly 2 o’clock. It was impossible to check out at that ungodly hour and get another room. Somehow I consoled Narayanaswami and assured him we would vacate the place first thing in the morning.
It took me another ten minutes to go to sleep and then I had a vivid dream. In the dream I was walking on a flat hard ground and the place was quite desolate. There were no trees or vegetation around. Suddenly I stepped in to a pit and began to fall. At this point in the dream I had an external stimulus of someone violently pulling my legs. I thought it was Narayanaswami probably playing some pranks. But the subsequent happening nearly took the breath out of me. I could distinctly feel someone sitting on my chest and choking me. My pressure blew up with respiration surging in to a super fast mode. The body started perspiring heavily and I turned wet fully within a few seconds. There was a great fear gradually enveloping me and progressing to oblivion. This was when my habit of reciting prayer helped. I started appealing to my Guru for help and went on repeating the divine names. Suddenly the vengeful external act stopped and I returned to normalcy. I got up from the bed and looked around after switching the lamp on. There was no body around. Narayanaswami was deep asleep and in a happy snoring mode. I decided to keep the lamp switched on for the rest of the night and went to sleep. Thankfully there were no further disturbances.
It was 6 o’clock in the morning when we woke up. We hurriedly completed our morning routines in half an hour time and checked out of the lodge helter-skelter. While having a peaceful breakfast at a Mangalore restaurant, I told Narayanaswami on my adventure in the night. He was visibly shaken, but much appreciated my action in vacating the room early in the morning.
What really happened? I am not able to explain till date. But clearly there were some forebodings with the strange behavior of the hitchhiker in the evening. I earlier thought on what happened to Narayanaswami during sleep as a mere fig of imagination. My subsequent experience not only confirmed my companion’s version but also raised few questions. Was I influenced by Narayanaswami’s adventure? If I was influenced by Narayanaswami, how was the external stimuli produced? How did the entire event come to a close after recitation of the prayer?
Only conclusion I could make is surely the event was an out of ordinary one. I also thought that the ghost got transferred to Narayanaswami when the stranger left the Jeep and started its vindictive operation on us during the night. But this could be a farfetched theory as Narayanaswami behaved quite normally during the rest of our journey. It could also be explained that the spirit left for good after I sought help from my Guru. Alternatively the ghost could also been a resident ghost of the lodge. It is always possible for some one to pitch upon a better rational explanation after chcking and studying the facts.
But even at this point of time, I cannot forget the shock and the trauma that accompanied the external stimuli and the consequent build up of fear. The racing of the heart, with express speed towards ultimate doom still lingers in my mind.
