Villagers ‘sign’ a pact with ghost...

Bhind (Madhya Pradesh): A “ghost” is playing havoc with the lives of villagers (or at least with their minds), of the Jouri Brahman hamlet in Bhind district.

Many families feel that they have incurred the wrath of a ghost, due to which there have been deaths in their families and loss of live cattle-stock.

Most of the ‘victims’ have left the village and let the ghost reign.

The ghost is believed to be drying up the village well and water pumps, leaving the villagers high and dry.

After much discussion and deliberation in the village council meeting, an old man's help was engaged.

This man is believed to be able to converse with the ghost and acts as a ‘mediator’.

As the ghost 'came to manifest its presence' in the old man, the councilors offered options to the ghost to be left alone and the ghost traded on its own terms.

"We tried pacifying the dissenting members of our council, saying that we had traded terms with the ghost on our own application to him to do so.Then we offered the ghost, an alternative house in Marghat (cremation grounds). He (the ghost) instantly became sad and upset over the proposal of being asked to leave permanently but within 10-20 minutes, after a few of us made him swear by the Holy River Ganga, the ghost signed an agreement. We then had to make our council members agree to the deal and not go back on the agreed terms," village council head, Akhilest Purohit said.

After elaborate religious ceremonies that included worship of fire and

chanting of holy verses, the village took part in a feast.

Ram Bhushan Das, a “holy man” from the holy town of Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, recommended the ritual.

"These various forms of worship of the Lord are to ensure the

salvation of the ghost and will ensure freedom from all his menacing activities to the villagers. We are doing this as per the instructions of the chief priest of the village and we have succeeded. After the chants, the ghost fled and when we opened the locks on doors of the houses he had haunted, there was a loud noise and a scream heard," says Das.

After the worship and a feast, the villagers opened the locked houses of people who have fled.

The ghost did not seem to have turned hostile on agreed terms.

The villagers hope he will now rest in peace and let them live happily from hereafter.