Haunted Kitchen, Mumbai (Bombay)
February 1, 2010
Most of us have heard a bump in the night and how do we react? We run to hide under the covers and await dawn. We keep quiet about it until someone else in the household speaks up about the situation. Until, then we don’t get up to use the bathroom at night, make sure there is a big bottle of water on the night stand and keep the covers above the head at all times.
But what if all such events never occurred at night but at daytime? When the sun was shining bright and you were wide awake planning your day? Sounds unbelievable? I thought so too but then things slowly began to make more sense. One thing I learnt from this experience was that never second guess yourself because these ghosts, spirits, entity – whatever name you prefer to give them, they certainly do exist in our world. Let me tell you how it all began.
I shifted to a new flat a year ago. I didn’t get acquainted with any neighbors except for the airhostess, next door. Tara was a typical flight attendant with exquisite features, hourglass figure and the make-up with the tight-fitted uniform, turned a lot of heads.
We got along like two pods in a pea and I really missed her company on the nights she was away across continents. Often, she got me souvenirs and I kept some dinner for her when I knew she would be home late.
I rarely visited her flat as she preferred to come over and lounge in my room. I didn’t mind it though. One evening, she looked very pale and distraught.
“Do you know who lived in your flat before you moved in?” she asked.
“No, not really. As far as I know these flats have been newly constructed and we are the first ones here.”
That seemed to have consoled her a bit. But she changed the topic and told me about this new guy she met in-flight.
Few days later, she asked me if I could water her plants while she was away. She gave me a set of her keys and said she would be away for a week or so. I really didn’t mind it. I am an artist so a change of venue for my creativity is always welcome.
Her flat was neatly styled. It was minimal yet inviting. She had a lot of ferns, aromatic herbs and roses neatly arranged in her balcony. Sunlight glared brightly through her French windows and the fragrance of the flowers swept across the rooms. I went to check if she had any leftovers that needed to be discarded and I stepped into her kitchen.
A draft of chilled air brushed past my face giving me goose bumps. It did surprise me but I didn’t think of it much. I checked on the contents of the fridge and left for the day.
My flat was designed in such a way that the passage connecting from my living room to my study overlooked her kitchen window. I am sure you must be wondering why I am suddenly describing my floor plan in the middle of this story but this is vital later on.
I went about my household chores as usual and as I was about to enter my study, I felt someone was watching me from Tara’s kitchen window. I took a step back and looked again, but there was no one. It seemed a little weird but it could have been a reflection from the windows from the flat downstairs.
Couple of days later, I found someone standing and looking on my side of the flat from the kitchen window. I walked to the passage to check but again there was no one. I was sure it wasn’t Tara because if she had returned she would have definitely drop in to tell me that she was back and also her windows would be open.
Slowly, this became a regular feature. Every time, I would step into my study from the corner of my eye I could sense someone was standing and looking through the kitchen window. When I looked closer there was no one. I didn’t stop watering the plants but made a quick dash, poured the water and hurried back.
One morning, I thought- “I am being silly; let me go to the kitchen and check. Maybe there is a cupboard and its refection is creating a shadow effect.”
With a positive and open mind, I walked into her kitchen. Suddenly, a mesh of cobweb fell over my face. I felt extremely cold. I could feel the hair at the back of my neck stand up. I stood frozen for a second and scrambled to reach the sanctity of my own home. I sat panting for eternity-well that’s how I felt then.
The same night, Tara was back. She was her jovial self and told me all the exotic locations she travelled. She did notice my anxiety and my lack of enthusiasm in looking at her travel photos. I was lost in thought, wondering if I should share these episodes with her. I decided I would tell her eventually but not today. I needed to rest and figure out the best way to break this paranormal situation to her.
Tara had few days of leave and stayed at her place sleeping most of the day. Evenings she would come over and we would chat up. We were enjoying our tea in my study and I was seated in the corner where I could see her kitchen window. I consciously looked away and Tara sensed my distraught look.
“It may sound silly,” she said “but I really get freaked out at my place.”
“What you mean?” I asked.
“I feel someone is watching me all the time. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is but I feel someone is watching me from behind. I really don’t know how to explain this. I know you must think I am on dope.”
“No, I understand exactly what you mean.”
Now was my chance to give her all the details of the incident.
“Who do you think it is? The previous owner?”
“Tara, this is a new building. We are the first ones here. But I agree there is something or someone’s spirit that is lurking. It knows that it has got our attention. So far no harm has been done so at least we know it’s not violent.”
“Thanks for the reassurance but I am not going to sleep there tonight. I am staying with you.”
“That’s no problem but then we have to find a solution to get rid of it otherwise it can come over to this flat too.”
“What you mean? It will follow us here?”
“Why not? It makes me uncomfortable in my flat. What is stopping it from come here?”
That night, we sat and researched on the internet and found out about different cleansing rituals. We bought all the things listed and started trying it out from the following morning. There was uneasiness and of course we were scared but we kept at it and after a month of cleansing, it left and went away.
The kitchen seems warm and inviting now. There never were any cobwebs but somehow on that day, it appeared out of the blue. Everything has settled down and the kitchen is no longer haunted.
©Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007-2010. All Rights Reserved.
Haunted Palace, Bhangard, Rajasthan
December 12, 2009
The ruins of Bhangard, Alwar in the state of Rajasthan stands as testament of royalty, riches and its downfall. This 16th century fort palace was once an iconic kingdom.
Today, this palace is labeled as a heritage site by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and yet they have taken no steps to restore its past glory. Instead, there is a warning sign outside the gates of this palace that visitors are warned not to wander around after sunset.
The ASI had primarily decided to open an office within the palace grounds but later preferred to stay a kilometer away from this location.
So is Bhangard palace really haunted? To get this answer, we will have to travel back in time, 500 years ago.
The majestic Bhangard palace is still surrounded by Aravali mountain ranges, almost guarding it from the outside world. But no one could have ever guessed that its downfall would have happened from within. It is strongly believed by locals that the ruins of Bhangard resulted from a curse, yelled in despair by a Tantric, practitioner of negative forces.
The tantric was charmed by the radiant beauty of the queen Ratnavali. He was so enamored that he secretly used to watch her bathe in the royal pond. When he could no longer control his lust, he decided to get her in his control. He used a mantra known as Vashikaran mantra (Vash means to control someone like a puppet). With the help of Tantra Vidya (Knowledge of Tantric Studies), he added the mantra in oil, then he told the royal maid to give the oil to the queen. He was aware that the queen habitually applied oil all over her body before bathing. In this way, he would gain total control over her mind and body.
Queen Ratnavali too knew Tantra Vidya so when the maid handed her the oil, she knew at once what the special ingredient in the oil was. She poured this oil on a rock in her garden. No sooner had she done this, the rock flew and smashed the Tantric’s head. The bleeding Tantric cursed the kingdom that all the stones of this palace would crumble down.
There are several temples within the castle’s premise and yet people say that curse still lingers the grounds. An evil presence lurks causing a shiver in every passerby’s spine. Some historians believe in this cursed legend while others state that the battle between Ajabgard and Bhangard caused the downfall of this kingdom. While others contemplate that Raja Mansingh Savoy had indeed attacked this fort palace.
Visitors are strictly forbidden to roam the grounds after sunset. People practicing Tantra Vidya are said to dwell in these grounds and harness negative energy from the evil surrounding the area. Is this superstition or a legend to make this place attractive to ghost hunters is yet to be researched. But for now, no one from the surrounding region goes there to seek thrills or answers from the beyond.
©Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007-2009. All Rights Reserved.
Evil Child
October 19, 2009
Does an evil child exist? Children can be naughty, mischievous, a little disobedient or sometimes violent. But seriously, can they really be termed as anomaly of the dark forces?
Many popular movies have chosen children as evil characters like the Prodigal son, Omen (The movie series depicts the life of the devil’s child who grows into adulthood spreading evil. It’s in five parts).
Exorcist also shows a young girl being possessed with evil forces. In the movie The Ring, the tragedy strikes a young girl and she comes back for revenge.
An evil mother goes door to door delivering her children in happy families. She leaves her newborn in a large family and disappears. The adorable baby is forced to be looked after by the concerned family that is already is filled with kids. This child is actually evil who slowly kills all the other children to become the only child of the family. This may sound silly but the movie – God’s Gift did have a lot of fan following in the early eighties.
Children are truly made to look ghastly in most Japanese movies with ash complexion and jet black contact lens. They hide in crevices, lofts and wardrobes creating a sinister backdrop to the movie like in Grudge I and Grudge II.
The latest movie to add to this list of evil children is Orphan. As the name suggests a child is adopted to a loving home of two children. This child then starts showing her true colors of controlling the lives of the inhabitants of the household. But this movie did turn on the tables in the end when it turned out that she wasn’t really a child but pretending to be one.
Personally, I can never believe that there can be evil boy or an evil girl. A child can never be evil unless he is trained to be one since his early age. His environment could be a negative, surrounding him with violence but he certainly cannot be born with such traits.
But the brutal truth is that many filmmakers use children as evil characters. Are they deriving their themes from real life situations? If so, where do evil children come from? Your insights and views will be valuable.
©Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007-2009. All Rights Reserved.
