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It was winter evening and I was coming from the field.
There were paddy crops in the field and it was ready for cutting. Generally, I
was not very much interested in agricultural activities but I liked to visit
the field during harvest time. The ripe standing crops everywhere in field used
to give a different kind of happiness to me. In evening, I would stand in the
middle of the field and spend long time there, feel scent of the paddy and enjoy
the winter breeze.
I was walking on the narrow lane of field to return home, I heard somebody called out my name. When I turned back, I saw the old man, a fellow villager whose agriculture land was adjacent to our land. When he came near to me, I greeted him and he blessed me profusely for my polite behavior. He was happy as I obeyed him, hearing his voice I stopped and then greeted him. We almost walked half kilometer in the field and then we reached to main road. After reaching main road, I saw him panting. He looked exhausted.
“We should rest for few minutes and start”- I said to him and he agreed. We sat on the ground. He explained that he overworked that day, so he was tired. Suddenly he asked – “I see you visit field regularly, that also in late evening, sometimes night, have you seen any ghost in the field?”
I answered him in negative. I saw he looked pleased as he was expecting this answer.
“How will you see the ghosts? All notorious and infamous ghosts of the village have taken birth in my tola (colony). They all have become alive.”- He told.
I laughed listening to his logic. He protested – “do not laugh. You are not familiar with them, so you are laughing. If you will see their deeds, then you will believe me”. He narrated the story how one lad of his colony had been continuously harassing and troubling him. In the end he concluded – “There was an infamous ghost in our time; he used to disturb everybody who would go to field in night. Last time we heard his distressing deeds before the birth of the lad. I suspect the lad is the ghost who has taken birth as human.”
“Baba, have you seen any ghost?”- I tried to change the subject. “No, but I have experienced many time. Have you seen wind, no, but you experience it. Aren’t you? Like the same” then he added- “there was a jinn in east side of the field. Hindu dead whose soul do not rest in peace or take rebirth become ghost like the same Muslim dead become jinn. He was Muslim, people say he was killed by his enemy and buried in the field. He was a Shayar and Kawwal (Poet & Singer) and he would catch people who would cross the field and make them listen to his shayri and Kawwalli for hours. People would get senseless for hours after listening him. When his troubles became very often, then one local maulvi was consulted and he did appropriate rituals. After that we have not heard about him.”
“But Baba, So far you have not seen any ghost.”- I spoke in teasingly tone. I was walking on the narrow lane of field to return home, I heard somebody called out my name. When I turned back, I saw the old man, a fellow villager whose agriculture land was adjacent to our land. When he came near to me, I greeted him and he blessed me profusely for my polite behavior. He was happy as I obeyed him, hearing his voice I stopped and then greeted him. We almost walked half kilometer in the field and then we reached to main road. After reaching main road, I saw him panting. He looked exhausted.
“We should rest for few minutes and start”- I said to him and he agreed. We sat on the ground. He explained that he overworked that day, so he was tired. Suddenly he asked – “I see you visit field regularly, that also in late evening, sometimes night, have you seen any ghost in the field?”
I answered him in negative. I saw he looked pleased as he was expecting this answer.
“How will you see the ghosts? All notorious and infamous ghosts of the village have taken birth in my tola (colony). They all have become alive.”- He told.
I laughed listening to his logic. He protested – “do not laugh. You are not familiar with them, so you are laughing. If you will see their deeds, then you will believe me”. He narrated the story how one lad of his colony had been continuously harassing and troubling him. In the end he concluded – “There was an infamous ghost in our time; he used to disturb everybody who would go to field in night. Last time we heard his distressing deeds before the birth of the lad. I suspect the lad is the ghost who has taken birth as human.”
“Baba, have you seen any ghost?”- I tried to change the subject. “No, but I have experienced many time. Have you seen wind, no, but you experience it. Aren’t you? Like the same” then he added- “there was a jinn in east side of the field. Hindu dead whose soul do not rest in peace or take rebirth become ghost like the same Muslim dead become jinn. He was Muslim, people say he was killed by his enemy and buried in the field. He was a Shayar and Kawwal (Poet & Singer) and he would catch people who would cross the field and make them listen to his shayri and Kawwalli for hours. People would get senseless for hours after listening him. When his troubles became very often, then one local maulvi was consulted and he did appropriate rituals. After that we have not heard about him.”
He admitted – “true, I have not seen any ghost but once I met a Rakas.”
“Rakas”? I have heard about rakshas (demons) but never heard about ‘Rakas’.
He explained – “when a Brahmin dies and due to sin or unfulfilled wish if he does not get rebirth or salvation then he becomes Rakas. Rakas do not kill people but trouble a lot. Unlike ghost, Rakas cannot be dispelled by chanting religious scriptures. If a person manages to cut the lock of hair and preserve it, then the person can get the every work done from him, but it is not easy to reach up to a rakas’s hair.”
I was amused to know the hierarchy among the ghosts. His story was getting interesting. I asked – “tell me how you met with the Rakas?”
He narrated – “I was in mid twenty at that time. Fearless and adventurous. That was winter and paddy crop was ripe in the field. I woke up, saw moon and felt it was about to morning. I took sickle and went to field. When I was cutting the crops, suddenly I saw a big shadow. When I lifted my head, I saw a big fat man around twenty feet tall standing before me. I started chanting hanuman chalisa, but that chanting had no affect on him. Then I realized he was not a ghost but a rakas. He demanded water from me but I was freezed to see him. He snatched the sickle from my hand and threw in other field. I became senseless. I must have been senseless for two three hours. When I woke up, I saw, it was still night. I searched my sickle and ran towards home. Next day, I took a bottle of Gangajal (holy water of river Ganga) to the field and summoning the rakas poured it there. After that, I never saw him. . I did not mention the incident to family or others. You are the first man before whom I am revealing this story”. Then he added- “that year I had bumper harvest. My wife gave birth to a son and I purchased land too. That year was very beneficial year to me.”
It was getting dark. We had taken enough rest there. We again started for home and I observed the old man was looking cheerful to share his story to me.
~~~ Ramanuj Dubey
“Rakas”? I have heard about rakshas (demons) but never heard about ‘Rakas’.
He explained – “when a Brahmin dies and due to sin or unfulfilled wish if he does not get rebirth or salvation then he becomes Rakas. Rakas do not kill people but trouble a lot. Unlike ghost, Rakas cannot be dispelled by chanting religious scriptures. If a person manages to cut the lock of hair and preserve it, then the person can get the every work done from him, but it is not easy to reach up to a rakas’s hair.”
I was amused to know the hierarchy among the ghosts. His story was getting interesting. I asked – “tell me how you met with the Rakas?”
He narrated – “I was in mid twenty at that time. Fearless and adventurous. That was winter and paddy crop was ripe in the field. I woke up, saw moon and felt it was about to morning. I took sickle and went to field. When I was cutting the crops, suddenly I saw a big shadow. When I lifted my head, I saw a big fat man around twenty feet tall standing before me. I started chanting hanuman chalisa, but that chanting had no affect on him. Then I realized he was not a ghost but a rakas. He demanded water from me but I was freezed to see him. He snatched the sickle from my hand and threw in other field. I became senseless. I must have been senseless for two three hours. When I woke up, I saw, it was still night. I searched my sickle and ran towards home. Next day, I took a bottle of Gangajal (holy water of river Ganga) to the field and summoning the rakas poured it there. After that, I never saw him. . I did not mention the incident to family or others. You are the first man before whom I am revealing this story”. Then he added- “that year I had bumper harvest. My wife gave birth to a son and I purchased land too. That year was very beneficial year to me.”
It was getting dark. We had taken enough rest there. We again started for home and I observed the old man was looking cheerful to share his story to me.
~~~ Ramanuj Dubey
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