Swarachita Dasgupta Reality, in itself, is a subjective notion. Each and every individual’s personal experience culminates to offer them their own picture of reality, every part of which is ‘real’ to them. This makes us question how we are to distinguish the real from the fantastic, the normal from the absurd, the sense from the … Continue reading Synthesis of the Real and the Fantastic in Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen
The Femme Fatales: The Enigmatic Yakshis of Kerala
Anandhu S. The sun sank below the horizon, painting the sky a deep red before twilight took over. Birds flitted across the evening sky racing to their nests as darkness wrapped around the village of Panchavankadu. Adithyan Namboothiri, the youngest of the Kizhekkeparabil family, walked quickly along the shadowy path holding a flambeau made from … Continue reading The Femme Fatales: The Enigmatic Yakshis of Kerala
Editorial: Childhood “Prets” and Other Premonitions
Introduction My (Ahona’s) earliest memories of the supernatural blend with memories of hot rice, white steam like spirits rising from my plate, the sounds of shakha-pola (bangles) on Dida’s hand clamouring as she approached with a ladle full of dal and the words from Dadu’s stories taking on strange shapes and colours, as the ghosts … Continue reading Editorial: Childhood “Prets” and Other Premonitions
The House of Rizwan
I am telling a friend about an incident back in school. He is not even listening to what I have to say. I start narrating, nonetheless. I cannot recall what prompted me to begin. Maybe need to get his attention. Or, just say something interesting to enjoy his company for a few more minutes. So, … Continue reading The House of Rizwan
Inexplicable
Dr. Krishnendu Das Gupta Teacher and Scholar We Bengalis have a tradition of ghost stories. Compared to the occidental vampires and werewolves or the genie of the Middle East, ghosts, ghouls are part and parcel of Bengali rural life. They are very many in number and their ghost class depends on their nature of death, … Continue reading Inexplicable
The Cult of the Great Tree-Witch
By Payal Priya “Paya I ate ....now play round and round.” My 3-year old niece Myra came running with my phone in her hands. YouTube can make her do anything; she can eat while listening to CoComelon, she learns rhymes and alphabets from Shafa/ Vlad and Nikki , she dances to the tunes of Chak … Continue reading The Cult of the Great Tree-Witch
Lakshmir Panchali
Growing up in an Asian culture, my childhood abounds in memories of supernatural and paranormal stories. Some are imaginative creations, and some are real, as might also be termed as paranormal experiences. As our culture emphasizes the existence of afterlife, we cannot totally disbelieve or doubt the credulity of some such stories claimed as real … Continue reading Lakshmir Panchali
All the Things They Said
By Ankana Bag One particularly rainy day, the students of Class 8, Section F begged their teacher Batakrishna Majumder to tell them a ghost-story. Batakrishna was an arts and handicrafts teacher without much inclination to talk, so he mildly suggested that the students themselves tell the stories while the others listen and quietly work on … Continue reading All the Things They Said
That Night
By Plabi Pradhan Even in the 21st century we often witness or sense so many unearthly things which cannot be explained by any logic or science. We can't articulate them by any framework of cause and effect; we just feel or experience them. A very weird kind of feeling. Twenty eight years old now, I'm … Continue reading That Night
Aha Bhoot, Baha Bhoot
আহাভূত , বাহাভূত Sujoy Kumar Das একেবারে শিশুবেলায় অখাদ্য খাবার খেতে না চাওয়া বা অন্য কোনো বেয়াদবি'র অব্যর্থ টোটকা ছিল ভূত পেত্নীর ভয় দেখানো। বাড়ির সামনের উঠোন ছাড়িয়ে, অদূরের ওই জমাট অন্ধকার বাঁশঝাড় মাথা দুলিয়ে সন্ধ্যা থেকেই ভয় দেখানো শুরু করতো। উপরি পাওনা হিসাবে ছিল, সন্ধ্যে থেকেই শিয়ালের তার সপ্তকে উচ্চস্বরে বিলাপ ক্রন্দন, – হুক্কা … Continue reading Aha Bhoot, Baha Bhoot