Friday, September 11, 2009

Gosh, why did you slap?

The subject of discussion yesterday among us colleagues was ghosts. A colleague kicked off the debate by describing how she was disappointed with a Hollywood movie on vampires.
I have also heard weird stories during my childhood. In villages slapping of people by “ghosts” around midnight was a common story. There will be a knock at the door, the face and head of the “visitor” would be totally covered with a bedsheet and the voice would be familiar.
“Come, come..,” the "ghost" would invite the people in deep slumber. The victim would follow innocently and once they reach an open field, the victim (he/she) would receive a tightttt slap and fall unconscious.
There was another one well-known category called “Ammukuvan” (What’s the translation? OK, one who presses hard) in Tamil. When some one sleeps in open terrace, this Ammukuvan would press his/her stomach so hard that the person would find it difficult to breathe. I used to be terrified but my communist brother took it as a challenge and slept many times in open terrace.
Nothing happened.
Well, stories are stories. Let’s not analyse deep. Do not forget those days there were no mobile phones (to contact the family if Amukuvan strikes or ring up police if “ghosts” slap).
Say cheese 24/7. “Ghosts” will also smile at you, shake hands with you and bid adieu.

22 comments:

  1. Will surely try to say cheese if I don't wet my pants!

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  2. hahaha, loved the wrap up line...we tried to scare our hostel matron once...at mid-night, we knocked her door covering ourselves in a white bed sheet and a torch lit inside...she opened the door with her all-white hair open, puffy red eyes and no denture...we got s#!t scared of her, screamed and ran away !!!

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  3. I know the 'amukkuvaan' story. Even I was thinking when I wake up suddenly and think that I couldn't breath because of this 'amukkuvaan' paei (ghost!). So many interesting ghost stories were doing the rounds in those days!

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  4. At one point in the summer vacation when I was doing my Ph.D. some students would in the evening drape themselves in white sheets and scare people off. This went on quite successfully till one scared person pulled off the sheet by accident :D

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  5. hehe there wud be many more such stories na...

    Like don't go under the pipal tree..

    Were u ever scared??? Of ghosts??

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  6. Nice one. I am reminded of this joke:

    Q: Where do baby ghosts go during the day?

    A: Dayscare Centers.

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  7. I have heard similar kind of stroies a lot.

    In my village, there was a ghost who always attacked the girls who used to go outside to collect flowers in the dawn.

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  8. LOL! I don't know if I believe in those stories.

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  9. Nitu,me and another close friend of mine...we have a very interesting,hair raising experience in this field....so,i will not joke about it....i dare not.

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  10. Ghosts are very friendly. They actually have a good sense of humor also. If you don't believe me, watch any ghost movie. Presence of Ghosts are always shown through a laugh. Heh heh heh heh heh!

    @ the adamant soul

    Actually, it was not the Ghost, it was some Chaukidar, who attacked Flower thieves. :P

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  11. my friend who works in sound engineering says that he enjoys watching ghost movies without sound, apparently it turns into a comedy movie.

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  12. hehe..
    the ghosts are also laughing...

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  13. ha ha..has anyone seen India TV channel? Don't tell them about this discussion ...they can really prove all these things.
    watch them in their ultimate style
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cH5eGyw-Co
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDkEcd9NDJE

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  14. I quite like a spooky feeling! am not sure if I would like to smile and befriend a ghost..better leave it to its task of spooking people..I love to spook my kids the expression on their tiny innocent faces of sheer fright is priceless!!

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  15. i don't believe in those ghost stories :)

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  16. I am an agnostic when it comes to ghosts. The fear of ghosts is what keeps me on the fence. Being slapped by one? Hell, it seems a lot less worse than being possessed :P

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  17. My grandma conjured the theory of Aekanodo...that is if we don't wash hands after lunch [which she fed us, this guy would stretch large hands down from a coconut tree and grab us! Boy that made us do everything she said!

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  18. Interesting stories on ghosts. I am happy, I never met one.

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  19. Am never a fan of ghost stories and the only ghost i would have liked to befriend is may be Casper. lol.

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  20. interesting
    now the Ghost of MJ has arrived.

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  21. It's all true - my grandmother told me so! So don't make fun of them or they get you!

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