I. OBJECTIVES:
When we a group of four viz, Kashmira Khot, Abhishek, Satam Manoj Nagarkar and Dilip Shenai started our research on the Supernatural Happenings in Mumbai our prime focus was to collect as many supernatural happenings in and around Mumbai city keeping in mind that we had a neutral stand on the ‘Existence of the Ghosts’
But as our study progressed we added a few more objectives to our study feeling that just collection of supernatural instances weren’t enough and there was a need of verification and addition of some logic behind these stories. As such we further added the following objectives:
1. To investigate the source of the story
2. To investigate the history of the debated place
3. To get to know some logical reasoning for the story to be circulated.
II. FINDINGS:
1. Six Supernatural Happenings: We have placed these 5 supernatural happenings we collected during the course of the year at the apex because that was sole goal the start of the research project. As such we collected 5 stories from the people living in the areas where these debated places are located. As such the places where these debated structures are located are as follows:
a) A 90 yr old housing colony in Parel
b) A century old 2 storey structure in Cottongreen
c) A 20 year old housing colony in Dombivali
d) A century old housing colony in Kurla (w)
e) Lastly as 75 yr old Welfare Center in a Hospital in Central Mumbai
f) A haunted well in a village called Donvat in Khopoli
2. A Basic Comparison of Reaction to Supernatural Happenings in a City and a Village: We saw that the city people were rather indifferent to such supernatural
Happenings in their vicinity and were just happy listening to such stories whereas the village folk were far more serious about curbing such incidents and took all the required preventive measures. Another stark difference was that the village folk discussed these happenings in the family and the preventive measures for the same. However in the city such happenings were discussed more with friends than with family member as many families were still to conservative about these topics while many claimed they didn’t have enough time to spend with the family.
3. Circulation: Now these instances were mainly circulated by word of mouth but we can see that these were mainly heard from those people who were either idle or looking for gossip. Now what is also seen that the these instances get added with salt and pepper as the pass on . At many places we saw the people who giving us interviews and the instances at the debated places were either employed for half a day or unemployed such as house wives or school and college drop outs. The number of fully employed people giving us such instances was comparatively low.
- Current status of debated places: Four out of the six places are still active use atleast during the day time. However the place in Khopoli has been completely abandoned while the bulding in Cottongreen as been taken over by a builder now in Feb 2010 after being desolate for almost 5 decades.
- The usage of these Debated Structures: It has been seen that 2 of these places have been used by alcoholics while one place is prominently used by drug addicts. However the welfare center in the hospital is used by women to stitch hospital uniforms during the day and in the evenings it used by children of the employees as a gymnasium. However this place is at times used to for alcohol parties. One of these places is also known for drug dealings in the wee hours of the nights.
- A Roadblock in The Progress: The circulation of these instances have served as a roadblock in the development of the structures. The sole reason was that once these places were abandoned by common people the unhealthy elements of the society bloomed there further distancing these structures from the normal hustle bustle. The circulation of these stories has further facilitated these elements as there is no one to keep a check on them in these structures making these structures not only spooky but also risky.
- People\’s Reactions: The reaction of the people can be divided mainly into to first is the reaction of the people to such supernatural happening and the second is the reaction of the people on encountering such happenings first hand. People mainly tell us that supernatural powers exist and to believe or not is absolutely our choice how ever there are people who have bluntly told us that these things are nothing but just a pass time and there are better things in life to work on. Now we did speak to people who had first hand experience of these happenings and they say that they immediately had severe goosebumps and a numbness along the spine.But next action was to yell or run. However those who had faced these instances had a another dilemma as to whom to consult a ‘Doctor’ or a ‘Witchdoctor’.
III. CONCLUSION:
1. Most of the supernatural instances are spread by people who have nothing better to pass time the main people included in these categories are the unemployed and the housewives.
2. 3 out 6 of these places are due to go for redevelopment as they are more than 75 years old however spreading the these stories will either slow down or stall the development get more monetary returns in the near future .
3. In a village like khopoli where there is a paucity of electricity there are no street light in the dark hence venturing out after dusk would mean encountering an animal hence the circulation of a supernatural happening would keep people indoors.
RESEARCH TOPIC:
Investigating The Stories Behind Mumbai’s Ghosts
OBJECTIVES
- To document ghost stories and supernatural happenings in and around Mumbai.
- To investigate the context of a select set of cases.
OUR RESEARCH CONTEXT
We chose nine ghost stories that have been circulating in specific localities of the city’s metropolitan region,viz
1.An Old Housing Complex In Vashi: Here people claim that a decade ago a girl was raped and murdered. Since then people started hearing wailing sounds and shouts of a girl in this locality . Soon the residents mainly ESIS employees deserted this place and for about 7 years now this place is completely abandoned.
2 A hundred year old building in Cotton Green: This is an old building supposedly closed down for about four decades and is supposed to be haunted by an Englishman’s spirit and doesn’t allow any one to reside there
3.A Dilapidated Walkover Bridge in Kanjur Marg:This dilapidated bridge is supposed to be haunted by an old man’s spirit who asks passersby for a bidi and would possess whoever stopped to oblige him .
4.A Household in Parel:A housewife in Parel claims that her house houses negative energy and strange things happen in her house.
5. A Welfare Center of a Hospital in Parel: The members of a welfare society in a hospital in Parel claim that they have felt a strange presence in the toilets of the welfare center.
6.A Village in Khopoli:A village in Khopoli is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a deceased banker. Interestingly this soul harasses anyone passing by the debated area and the villagers haven’t found a solution to this menace.
7.A Chawl in Mahim Canossa: It was reported that a lady committed suicide in a well near this chawl and people could see an apparition resembling her standing near that well at well past midnight.
8.A Housing Society in Kurla: This building was supposed to be haunted in every part with stories of people hearing voices and being attacked when they slept in the passage.
9. Midnight Train Travel: Reportedly this incident is of a girl who was molested in a train heading towards Virar and she is supposed to have committed suicide by jumping into the Mahim creek. It is claimed that she has turned guardian angel and gives company to any lonely female travelling by that Virar bound train.
Despite getting 9 leads we were able to get substantial data from 6 places because of many reasons varying from hostility to redevelopment and lack of human traffic. However in the data collected from these six places we could see 3 patterns emerge
1.Conflict for land
2.No strong reason for conflict
3.Absolutely no conflict
CONFLICT FOR LAND
a) A Household in Parel :
Ghost Story:The Ghost Story: Parel, a fast developing place, upwardly mobile, was the first location in our study. A Maharashtrian housewife living in this society used to get this notion that someone was sleeping on her bed when there was no one around and had strange things happening in her house such as things kept over the cupboard would fall of mysteriously. However a lot of Pujas and rituals in her house haven’t freed her from the strange things happening in her house. This lady claims that she has been living in this house for the past 25 years since her marriage and the events have occurred since then. Her stories have become part of the neighbourhoods legends.
The counter point: Two people living in the same neighbourhood have countered these stories of this lady by saying that the lady has a habit of exaggeration and most of the happenings are cooked up by sitting inside the house as this lady doesn’t socialize much.
The point of conflict: The point of conflict arises from the fact that the landlord has already sold off the building to a construction company and there might be a possibility that this lady does not want to give up on her house so soon. Hence the circulation of a supernatural happening would be ideal in stalling the redevelopment
b) A Welfare Center of a Hospital in Parel:
Ghost Story :The Ghost Story: This happening in a welfare center of a hospital is strange as people who sleep there tend to hear footsteps in the toilet and in the middle of the night the tap begins to run. However they also say that once a person, high on alcohol, slept alone in this welfare center. The story goes that every night someone used to beat him and he could never see who or what it was. These days however no one sleeps in the welfare center and it is locked.
The counter point: An elderly person residing in the hospital has commented that most people using the welfare center are high on alcohol and mostly imagine things in their sleep
The point of conflict:The main reason for such instances being spread among people is mainly to protect the welfare center as with new constructions coming up in the hospital there is a chance that the welfare center might be demolished anytime and a new structure might come up there deriving people of the facilities available in the welfare center.
c) A Housing Society in Kurla (West):
Ghost Story : The Ghost Story: This is one location where every place is supposed to be haunted with people telling us that they can feel someone suffocating them when they sleep in the common passage A housewife told us that she can hear her husband or her children calling out to her even when no one is around. We also came to know that an eighteen year old boy was possessed by a soul of a Hindu boy (the building is predominantly Muslim), when sleeping in the passage. They say that the 2nd floor of the building was supposedly closed for many years and has been opened for residents only in the last two decades while the structure was almost a century old. The residents attribute all these problems happening in the building to the negative forces that existed in the second floor over the years.
Counter Point: Just one person countered saying there is nothing here and everything is just a hype and a rumour.
The point of conflict:The housing society in Kurla has changed owners for 5 times and the owner has a personal benefit if he delays the redevelopment in this structure as it would mean extra profits with the changing rules in time to come.
d) A hundred year old building in Cotton Green.
Ghost Story: Supposedly an Englishman who lived and died in this structure is said to haunt this building over the years and doesn’t allow anyone to live here. Whoever resided in this building eventually left the locality due to various reasons such as someone trying to harm him or due to water supply which could never established in this building due to inexplicable reasons.
Counter Point: Three persons have said that there is nothing supernatural there and these stories have been spread so that drug addicts can thrive there
The point of conflict:People last came to reside here in the 1960s and since no has ever resided after that this place as started become a den for drug addicts who would prefer such stories being circulated as it would help them thrive there and go unnoticed from the hands of the law.
NO STRONG RESON FOR CONFLICT
e) A Housing society in Dombivili.
Ghost Story:The Dombivili housing society was established in 1992. Its residents say that they can experience stones being pelted in their houses with no one in the vicinity and there is constant banging on the doors. Also they claim that they tried to capture whatever was happening on a camera and view it on their television sets. They claim that when they tried to view what was happening on the television via the close-circuit camera the television set came crashing down from the closet in two separate instants.
Counter Point: The husband of the lady who’s television set was damaged claims that his wife is hysteric and cooks up stories over freak incidents
The point of conflict:These people say that they have installed camera to check on the supernatural happenings but crime statistics say there is a increasing rate of thefts and robberies in thane district so we can possibly say that having a ghost in the building can actually help avoid robbers and thieves
ABSOLUTELY NO CONFLICT:
f) A Village in Khopoli:
Ghost Story: In this incident we heard of a man’s soul troubling 3 villages in and around Khopoli. They say that a man named Devram Patil was killed by his colleague’s brother –in-law for allegedly having an affair with her (the colleague). The myth goes that he was actually butchered then and as a result he never attained salvation and keeps troubling the villagers passing by the zone in which he was killed. The villagers have tried many rituals but nothing has been of help as yet.
(We have to keep the exact identification of the locations confidential but the following are the broad identifications).
Reduced from a group of 12 to 4 was never a hindrance as it only encouraged to pursue our research on the supernatural happenings in Mumbai with greater enthusiasm. When we started off we were more collection and narration of ghost stories but soon we realized that all this would is create a big buzz among the people which would fizzle out as quickly as well. There was an immediate need to widen aims and do something. Soon we started meeting people at some of the debated places and realized that there could be something more than just story meaning no a real ghost but some murky facts helping some and disheartening many.
METHODOLOGY.
- Interviews of local residents and inhabitants.
- Recording statements of people involved in events and happenings.
- Investigating the history of the locations through archival research.
PROCESS
- We recorded the history and the socio-economic context of the locations.
- Recorded the number of owners that have changed over the period of time
- Observed the current physical condition of the place
- Interviewed the present residents and recorded the time period for which they have been residing there.
MAIN OBSERVATIONS.
- We found that all the locations had some element of conflict with regard to the use of the space.
- In the housing society in Parel the possible reason for conflict would be the increasing demand for land there and as well for better gains in the near future.
- The main reason for such instances being spread among people is mainly to protect the welfare center as with new constructions coming up in the hospital there is a chance that the welfare center might be demolished anytime and a new structure might come up there deriving people of the facilities available in the welfare center.
- The housing society in Kurla has changed owners for 5 times and the owner has a personal benefit if he delays the redevelopment in this structure as it would mean extra profits with the changing rules in time to come.
- People last came to reside here in the 1960s and since no has ever resided after that this place as started become a den for drug addicts who would prefer such stories being circulated as it would help them thrive there and go unnoticed from the hands of the law.
- These people say that they have installed camera to check on the supernatural happenings but crime statistics say there is a increasing rate of thefts and robberies in thane district so we can possibly say that having a ghost in the building can actually help avoid robbers and theives
- In all cases there was a deadlock or strong disagreement with regard to use of those locations giving rise to uncertainty and dilemmas among the parties involved.
Ghost stories emerge when there is a conflict over use of land and all the people and parties involved, want to freeze status quo. The spread of the ghost stories is not only a not a boon for the land user but also a good pass time for idle minds and they tend to spread these stories faster than fire.
The Data We Collected
The Housing Society In Kurla
Male
RESIDING SINCE: 18 yrs (Birth)
AGE: 18yrs
On October 16th after returning from a funeral he claims he went to sleep in the common passage outside his house that when he felt that someone was trying to suffocate him by burdening his chest and covering his nose but he couldn’t see the face of the person. He claims that after struggling a lot he managed to get hold the hand of the person and claims that it was a lady. He told us that he had high temperature the next day and took medication from the doctor for malaria but however felt good only after drinking some holy water and tying a locket to his arm. He adds that this was the 1st time he had experienced something like this in his building and hadn’t even imagined of these things in real life apart from reel life.
Female
AGE :- 42 yrs
RESIDING SINCE: 25yrs( Since marriage)
She claims that she has had quite a few encounters of the spooky presence such as she has many heard her husband calling out to her or her children calling her but then there is no one in the vicinity. She claims that her house had been closed for about 10-12 years before they moved in there. She also tells us that when a house is closed there is no light there and as result it becomes a house to the devil and negative energy. She also gives us another episode of her nephew who lives in Mumbra. She recalls him has bright kid who used to roam in area there freely. One day he brought 2 crabs home from a funeral ground there and since then he started falling ill to extent that no medication had any effect on him. Finally they called a baba who said that the crabs were some kind of negative energy and that had caused a problem for the child. But however what the baba did didn’t help much and the boy kept losing his health. Later they called another excorcist who was supposed to have more powers but it was too late and the boy was dead. She feels that a Hindu preist could have saved the boy.
Female
RESIDING SINCE: 15 yrs
AGE: 35yrs
She claims that she had no personal encounters with spooks in the building but however claims that she feels a very eerie presence near the latrine area in the nights. She also claims that the things weren’t so when she came to live there after her marriage.
Male
RESIDING SINCE: 38 yrs
AGE: 38 yrs
He tells us that one night at around 2.30 am he entered the building and felt that 2 shadows were following him and when he turned around he saw an arm rushing towards him. He claims he ran and shouted awakening everyone. But then the arm and the shadows had disappeared. He claims that all this has happened because of the 2nd storey which used to be locked earlier. He claims that it used to be locked earlier and evil spirits and negative energy descended from the nearby cemetery had their occupation there. But with people moving in these spirits got dislodged and make their presence felt at the slightest of opportunity. He also claims that the quran must be read in the building to eliminate these negative forces
KHOPOLI
Female
AGE: 70 yrs
This lady staying in Donvat village of Khopoli since birth claims that a villager had died there due to a prolonged illness and after his death he began troubling people there. So what villagers did was they also burnt all his personal belongings and she tells us that since then there havnt been much problems related to him however she also tells us that a certain Devram Patil a banker was killed there and he also troubles the people but she claims that she doesn’t know much about him.
Female
AGE: 62 yrs
This lady also living in Khopoli since birth tell us about the Devram Patil episode claiming that he ws killed by his colleagues brother-in- law suspecting that he had an affair with her and he troubles anyone passing that place where had been killed. She tells s that he had been killed very brutally actually butchered.
She claims that some years ago a woman passing by that road went home and fell sick and she succumbed to her illness. When the preist came in perform the final rites that’s when they cme to know that this lady was possessed.
Male
AGE: 34 yrs
Krishna tells us that in the year 2003 when he was working in the Sahara company he missed the last bus had to walk home he had to pass this debated area to reach his house so when he reached the bridge where this Devram Patil was killed he heard a loud thud kind of sound and then found a shadow circling him and again when he reached the end of the bridge he heard the same sound and saw that the shadow had disappeared. He claims that this bridge and this Devram,s ghost is creating a lot of trouble as days pass by.
Male
AGE: 48 yrs
He is a petty shop owner opposite KEM hospital claims that he was told by a friend of his that one night his friend saw a man dressed all in white trying to break the lock of his shop but he just disappeared when the man raised an alarm. He also tell us that his brother once heard a noise of someone cutting vegetables in the corner room in the KEM hospital on the opposite side. When his brother went near to see the noise just stopped but again started when he was moving away and he claims that his brother saw the lights also going on and off, however he saw no one there. He tell us that in his chawl people have seen a girl moving in a dancing manner in the compound and then just disappearing. He firmly believes that there is a negative energy which reveals itself in the form of ghosts.
Female
AGE; 24yrs
RESIDING SINCE: 24yrs
She tells us that she had been in Parel since birth, she has heard about the spooky happenings in KEM hospital and has heard people saying that the place near the canteen is haunted however she hasn’t experienced any such eerie incidents and doesn’t believe in ghosts. She tells us that these stories about ghosts are just away to pass time.
Male
AGE:20yrs
RESIDING SINCE: Birth
A firm believer that it your deeds that have an outcome in your life and not idol worship hasn’t experienced any of these spooky happenings hence doesn’t believe in the ghosts. He claims that he has heard that the KEM hospital is haunted and tells us that he has heard that a lady is seen there and she troubles people. But doesn’t know much about it.
Male
RESIDING SINCE: 10-12 yrs
AGE: 25
He claims that he had been sleeping in gym there in KEM complex when started getting dreams about that place and he couldn’t go out of that gym as he used feel more frightened. He claims that he has heard that a boy named Santosh used to sleep there alone but he used to be beaten every night but he could never see the face of the person who beat him . He says that we shouldn’t be doing such projects as it creates fear in the minds of the people.
Male
AGE: 35 yrs
RESIDING SINCE:- 30 yrs
He claims that he has seen such an eerie incident . He says that there was time when there weren’t so many lights in KEM and they used to run from place of fear. He claims that there used to 3 tamarind trees in the hospital premises which were known to be haunted. One night he and his 2 friends were walking under that tree when they heard a shrieking kind of a sound and he says that nothing happened to him however the 2 others got possessed. He says that once of them started behaving like a pregnant woman. He says that finally he went to native place and performed certain rites after which he became normal. He says that these days have reduced their belief in God but he feels that if we believe in God then there are ghosts as well.
Male
AGE:- 19 yrs
RESIDING SINCE; Birth
He was born in the hospital itself claims that once there was a party there and the food was arranged near the mortuary but suddenly the food kept there was scattered and no one could eat any of that and this happened when there was no one around. He says that he doesn’t go around in the hospital premises as he is dead scared of the dark but he has personally never seen a spook but strongly believes that there is something like the ghosts in this world.
Male
AGE;- 18 yrs
RESIDING SINCE; 8yrs
He tell us that his friend had this experience that his friend was sleeping across in the common passage of the quarters when someone tried to suffocate him but this was the only such incident that has happened as per his knowledge. He also tells us that the watchman in his building claims to have seen something eerie however doesn’t know the precise details of the same. He claims that he is firm believer of the spooks.
Male
AGE: 30 yrs
RESIDING SINCE; 20 yrs
He tells us that he and his friends were returning dandiya one night when he and his friend were standing below the tamarind tree when one of his friends got possessed and had to be taken to a witch doctor. He also recounts that he had heard that there was an old lift in the old building of the hospital which used to be locked during the day but in the night miraculously this lift used to function and people used to meet a doctor inside the meet and then the lift would just keep going from the ground floor to the 5th floor without stopping anywhere in the middle. He says that the lift has been sealed out completely now. He also tells us that in the college building people have dogs emerge out from the terrace door and roam in the building once the building had been locked out completely for the day. However these dogs were never to be seen throughout the day. He says that he is a firm believer of the almighty but is bit skeptical about the spooks as he himself never has had a personal experience though had seen a few and heard many.
Male
AGE: 23 yrs
RESIDING SINCE: 17 yrs.
He tells us that once in the doctors quarters just neighbouring his building the door of one quarter kept shaking vigorously and even they kept holding on to it the shaking of the door didn’t stop. Finally the doctor staying there came there and even he didn’t have a solution neither a solution for the problem. He says that welfare centre is place where they have their gym and sleep at night. He says that this place every night there is knocking on the door and the tap suddenly starts running however when they check there is nobody around.
Male
AGE; 24 yrs
RESIDING SINCE:18 yrs
Vicky says he heard a lot but never seen anything, he says that a watchman once told him that when he was sleeping in the college he felt someone was trying to strangulate him but couldn’t anyone around. He says that once his friends had returned from a Navratri outing when they saw a lady in white clothes on the first floor of their building then she moved towards the 3rd floor then to the terrace and disappeared. He recounts that if someone sleeping across the passage in their building then he is firmly slapped that night but these incidents are on rise if it’s a new moon night. He also says that the hospital is haunted however doesn’t know any other places in Mumbai. He adds that he feels a very cold presence there which he cannot exactly explain.
