Ghost Buster: The day I tried to catch a ghost!

(Picture Source: Radiopopaction.blogspot.com)

It was a stormy night with the Gail winds lashing Manipal set on the Western Ghats in June 1996. We had just finished our midnight snack at the canteen and were walking through the storm back to our rooms. Lightening was flashing suddenly illuminating everything around us for an instant.

As I made my way back to the top floor of the hostel I could feel that I was being followed. Now the 6th floor of Nehru block was supposed to be haunted as some workers had died while constructing it and some lady it seems walked the deserted corridors the local hostel workers called her ‘Mohini’. This suited us fine that means the warden would never come up to disturb our parties and booze sessions and most of my gang was on that floor.

I hurried along just in case there was something there after all, and almost ran into my room somehow the shadow following me had also quickened its pace. Nonsense I thought all this must be the effect of the drinking I had been doing over the last month.

I got to my room, switched on the light and music. My neighbor had slept off, we had two room connected by a common passage so anyways I was not alone I thought. I lit up a cigarette and ‘Papa Kehte Hain bada Naam karega’ was blaring from the sound system…. And suddenly there was loud banging at the door…..
‘Who is it?’ I asked in a very timid voice ……
I was so ashamed of my own fear that I literally shouted the next time…..
‘Abe kaun hai be?’………..
No answer but the banging grew louder.........
And then it suddenly stopped…….

I was going crazy with fear and anger and out of frustration I opened the door but there was no one now I really scared…..
A minute or two of silence and the banging started again I shouted out
‘I will kill you if I open the door….. Who is there...Abe pagal ho Gaya hai kya?
Thinking there still a chance that it was one of my friends playing a prank on me………

But then the familiar noise that the stories were made of the distinct sound of anklets, and I froze after some time I gathered my courage and went near the door to see if anyone was there, as I neared the door the banging started.

I thought to my self this is either a ghost or someone who has seen too many horror movies, what if it is a ghost? Then I would not be able to handle it and might suffer a nervous breakdown I might even go mad and be committed to a mental institution for the rest of my life.

We always become courageous as a nation when we are in numbers, so I did the most Indian thing next, I went to wake up my neighbor and to my surprise I found him wide awake, scared and holding on to the bible. He had heard the knocking, and was praying. He was sure of what was happening the ghost of a woman was haunting us.

We were awake the whole night hardly speaking a word he was reading the bible, I was chain smoking cigarettes. Morning came and we went to class as if nothing had happened.
The evening we got together and decided we could run or fight it out. We decided to fight it out. We got a knife and a hockey stick from the market; I bought a hanuman chalisa and went back to our room. The game plan was simple we will open the door the minute the knocking starts and beat up the person or ghost. If it’s a person we will take him to the hospital if it is a ghost then we don’t have to do much what ever has to be done will be done by the ghost.

As darkness fell we both prayed and waited and at precisely half past one the familiar sound of anklets and the smell of jasmine, but no one knocked so we waited. It must have been an hour later as I dosed off but the pounding on the door started and I woke up with a start Jacob was ready with the knife I grabbed the stick but we both now had a dilemma who would open the door? We were so scared that we kept looking at each other and the banging on the door had long stopped.

Next morning we tried not to talk to each other about our failure because if it had done anything it had strengthened our resolve to catch the ghost. We decided I would open the door and he would stab no matter what. We even had a blanket ready and he would hold the cross in the other had.

With our preparation complete we waited for the night and tonight good would triumph over evil and man would overcome the spirits!!! As night fell it started to rain, the wind was howling but this did not dampen our spirits we were on a mission from god and we would bring an end to the tyranny and oppression of the ‘Mohini’ on the 6th floor of the Nehru block.


To this day I don’t know who or what it was, there was no more knocking, the hockey stick gathered dust in my room and the knife was used by us to cut birthday cakes. I don’t believe in ghosts but I don’t think that you guys should in believe in them either! I still feel it was one of our friends playing a prank on us maybe the ‘Mohini’ was actually a Mohan who was bored of studying surgery.

But I will never forget the day I tried to catch the ghost!!!