It’s a real story of my life, my childhood. I do not know if Ghosts exists. I have experienced and witnessed some unusual things which I am sharing with you in these ‘Ghosts from the past – My Childhood Ghost Stories Series‘.
Our Family
I was born in the year 1981 in a middle-class family. My father is a doctor by profession & my mother was a housewife. I have two elder brothers. My grandfather was Talathi. An Honorary Magistrate, a title received for his public achievements. Grandmother was a housewife.
Together, we made a perfect happy family. My father had a clinic in Dhule city, the old east Khandesh, situated at the foot of the Satpuda hill. My grandparents used to live in our village, Pimprihat in Jalgaon district. A small village with close Maratha community.
I have no memories of our stay at Dhule as I was only 1-2 year old when my parents shifted to our village because of my mother’s illness. My grandparents used to live in our ancestors home.
We have our farms which were looked after by my grandfather with the help of a person. He was working for us on a yearly contract. On many occasions, grandfather would take us to the farm.
Ghost Stories & Beliefs
As a child, you are always discouraged for going to deserted places or places far off saying Ghosts live there. The parents or elders intend to protect you from any mishap, but it leaves an impact on the developing mind of a child. My parents never told me that Ghosts exists. I was witnessing them come to life every day.
There are different theories, opinions about possessed persons, ghosts & spirits. Growing in a small village, I have come across many such theories.
During the ’80s and ’90s in a rural corner of India, beliefs of Ghosts or Spirits was widespread. Anxieties may make people more likely to report being possessed. As a child, I was witness to many such occasions where people expect to be possessed, at specially organised pujas, village fairs (Jatra) religious ceremonies, weddings etc.
My encounter with Ghosts
I do not exactly remember at what age I first became familiar with this concept of the person getting possessed by the Ghosts. I must be 9-10—year-old, one fine afternoon, my mother, who was not keeping well suddenly started shaking uncontrollably, making loud noises and speaking in a different tone of voices.
My grandmother and a couple of neighbouring women came inside and put some Angara (Ash) on her forehead. They were asking questions like Who you are? Why are you here? In between console her. I was scared, what was happening to my mother?
It was the first time for me to witness it. I was not scared then; I was worried that my mother is also possessed.
Reasons Known to Me
I started hearing conversations in our house about the situation of my mother. Hear that she possessed by Ghosts of 7 women who had committed suicide by jumping from a river bridge which is in Dhule city.
During our stay in Dhule, my father was taking my mom and my elder brothers for a movie on his Jawa motorcycle. Suddenly her saree got stuck in the rear wheel & she fell on that bridge. It was said that she got possessed by those spirits who were living on that bridge. Then, I was not born.
I was also told that she was possessed by her maternal uncle’s ghost. During her teenage, she was living at her maternal place for education. When her uncle died because of TB, she went to the funeral. While returning from the funeral, she looked back at the burning body.
It is a belief that the soul of a person who dies in pain remains near the body, possesses the person who looks back while returning from the funeral.
It was my first encounter with the Ghosts. There is a lot more to it. I am still searching for the answers.
What you had witnessed is strange. Just want to say that people who have seen supernatural happenings with their own eyes believe in it while people who haven’t tend to disagree and call these mere stories.
Yes, Sharmeen, I don’t believe in superstition. But I can’t deny the things I experienced. I am still not able to find answers to what I have seen and experienced.