Ghost in the village

Ghost is a common topic discussed worldwide. Many people are scared by the idea that there are some things among us that are not seeing or living. Indian villages surround the idea of ghosts because of the many cultures, stories, theories, and economy there. It goes from tying a small thread in your hand to the extremes of living humans being possessed.  People have reported near-real-life experiences with a ghost.

But today, I am not here to talk about Ghosts as an idea. I don't believe in it, there is absolutely no scientific proof. I just don't agree to saying “there are things beyond science”.

We have been working with the kids from Thimmanayakanahalli for over a year now. We have grown from a single person effort to a small team of volunteers.

One such beautiful and engaging late evenings, I heard the kids (1st -3rd grade mostly) screaming ghost ghost (dhevva in Kannada). This was in the next building, so I decided to go and inspect. To my surprise, I saw the ghost. The kids had to see what a ghost could be like. I decided to do an experiment on the ghost.

The male kids were always the naughty ones, so they didn't stand ground, so I pulled up a female kid, Sinchana for the experiment. The ghost was visible from the windows (kidki in Kannada).

It took me a while to convince Sinchana that the ghost would do nothing to her and I would be there with her. Sinchana waved her hand and the ghost waved back. She told “Hi” to the ghost, but the ghost didn't Hi back. This surprised Sinchana, since she has been told ghosts make scary noise and can talk. She initially thought the ghost was angry at her. So, I asked her to dance and we both danced. The ghost danced, too.

Sinchana started her investigation. She looked behind her and inside the window, twice. She started waving the hand at the street light behind her, and the ghost waved back.  Sinchana was a smart child, she said it was not a ghost, it was simply the shadow of her because of the light.

I stood there smiling, waiting to see what she does next. As expected, she pulled all the kids, busted the ghost theory and became the champion ghostbuster. She has busted at least 5 more ghosts in the village and a bold kid to walk along at night around the village.

All kids are curious, and every avenue (even ghosts) is an avenue to talk science. Remember, science and science alone can transform communities.