ভূত......

Do you know about the Ghosts of Assam?? As I sit through a good sixty minutes from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. on almost every weekend with my two sons watching the ghosts and spirits of all forms and colour in the over-the-top episodes of FEAR FILES in Zee TV every night, I am reminded time and again of a book titled BHOOT ARU BHOOT (ভূত আৰু ভূত) which I read during my high school days in Assam. The name of the author eludes me, and though I surfed the net for a couple of hours for any trace of the book, I was disappointed. As far as I remember, the book basically dealt with the types of “bhoots” (i.e, ghosts) which roam around mainly in the villages of Assam. I assume that these creatures are now dwellers of the countryside because the congested cities in Assam have practically no space left for our non-human non-animal counterparts. And though my cosmopolitan sons are more intrigued by aliens and transformers, I tried my level best to tell them about the original ghosts from our native place. I am sure I will be able to fish out the book from the forgotten mound of books lying ignored in some mildew infested corner of the old bookshelf at my mother’s place in Guwahati, but till I rescue it I must rely on my memory to describe the various types of Assamese bhoots that I had read about. I am sure that I will end up making a few blunders about the facts as I narrate from my rusted memory, but nevertheless, let me give it a try. The monarch among the ghosts of Assam is কন্ধ (KONDHO). This royal bhoot is the most powerful of the entire lot. Mr. Kondho is described as tall and dark, and when I enter the distant recesses of my memory, I remember that the book BHOOT ARU BHOOT carried a sketch of the Ghost King! My limited ability as an artist stops me from making a sketch of Mr. Kondho, but believe me, he is one hell of a ghost! The second type of ghost that I recall is বাঁক (BAAK). This gentleman devours fish, and many a pond in the premises of the Assamese rural household was rendered “fishless” by him. So, I guess a lot of grown-ups made a grave mistake by blaming the neighbourhood hooligan for stealing fish from their ponds; instead, it was our rampant Mr. Baak who did it all! Though Mr. Baak is not very good looking, he compensates for his not-so-handsome looks by creating a wave of terror in ponds, rivers and lakes. Another important member of the Assamese bhoot community is বীৰা (BEERA). Mr. Beera is perhaps the most dynamic of all the Assamese ghosts. He is usually under the control of some human master and is known to bury live human beings upside down in lonely fields. Mr Beera has a voracious appetite and is fed a lot of food by his master, and in return, he creates a lot of wealth and opportunities for the master. It is believed that Mr. Beera easily connects with people who are emotionally unsound and going through stress. When let loose on a household by its controller, Mr. Beera creates havoc in the entire household. It is known to defecate on the dining area (not very classy, I must say!). On the other hand, Ms. Churuni Beera (চুৰুনী বীৰা), its female counterpart, steals anything and everything from the house, especially from the kitchen. The most well-dressed and dignified Assamese ghost is বুঢ়া-ডাঙৰীয়া (BURHA DANGORIA). Usually found near places of worship like naam-ghars (prayer houses in Assam), temples, etc., Mr. Burha Dangoria is always dressed in crispy starched and ironed clean white cotton or linen dress (I guess it was Mr. Burha Dangoria who inspired the likes of Simi Gerewal and Jeetendra to wear white!). They have their residence on tall trees or near wells. Not known to harm anyone who is honest, Mr. Burha Dangoria is the wisest and the classiest one among the Assamese ghosts. Another enigmatic character among these creatures is the ঘোৰা পাক (GHODA PAAK). With equine hooves and a human body, its exact modus operandi is still under investigation. My guess is that Mr. Ghoda Paak has a split personality, as it is known to be harmful as well as helpful, depending on his state of mind and the situation at hand. I also firmly believe that Mr. Ghoda Paak has some Greek genes too, keeping in mind some of the physical similarities of this variety of ghosts with the Centaurs of Greece. Occupying the post of the official seductress in the Ghost Empire in Assam, যখিনী (JOKHINI) lures male human beings and brings about their downfall. Some connoisseurs assert the fact that Ms. Jokhini employs an excellent team of make-up artists which helps her put on a variety of disguises, thus making her elusive and even more dangerous. The only way to catch her red-handed is to have a look at her feet which are oriented backwards, i.e., her heels are towards the front and the toes are towards the back (And this fact makes me wonder if poor Ms. Jokhini can apply nail-varnish on her toe-nails on her own!). Ms Jokhini often attacks and disturbs pregnant women in order to steal the unborn child. She also knocks at the doors late at night or sometimes stands silently as a scary silhouette. According to the wise and the old in Assam, Ms. Jokhini gets naked and climbs up to a tall tree during rainy season, and the general consensus is that a woman becomes Jokhini if she dies with her desires remaining unfulfilled. Though not much of a natural looker, cosmetic therapy and first-class make-up have helped her in retaining her hold over the male species. Maybe the modern-day beauty clinics survive on the patents of Ms. Jokhini. Then there is the evil pair called Khoba-Khubi (খোবা-খোবি). They haunt newly wedded couples and can be scared away by reading the hara-gauri (Shiva-Parvati) mantra on the third day of marriage. Another ghost to reckon with is Mr. Khetar (খেতৰ) who entertains himself by harming little children. I also remember another esteemed member of the community who was known as দ’ত (DOT) who is the most renowned water demon of Assam found in channels, tanks, and morasses near bamboo groves. Mr. Dot has a slender, tall, black figure, and is about six meters all! Armed with spike-like fingers, Mr. Dot lures humans to isolated spots and attacks them, but rarely kills. It’s cousin, Mr Jankaxaria (জানকাষৰীয়া) is far more dangerous than Mr. Dot. Also, there are the two sibling spirits, Jalshai and Jalnarayan, who rule over water bodies, disturb people but they never kill. পৰুৱা (PORUWA) is perhaps the most irritating among the Assamese ghosts. It can cause some chemical reaction in the minds of the victims, thereby making the poor souls lose their sense of direction. So the next time you find yourself in Green Park while in reality you were headed towards South Extension, you know who to blame. (My dear friends will agree with me on this because along with us humans, a sizeable population of Assamese ghosts must have also migrated to Delhi. The ‘scope’ for them is also getting limited in our native place.) And before I put a final full-stop, an appeal to whosoever reads this write-up – please add your inputs if you remember any other of our non-human non-animal fellow Assamese creatures. Till then, happy haunting!!!!