A Hand In The Depths

what I am about to narrate is not my own experience, but my late mother's. My mother had died when I was in 6th Grade.

My mom's house is in a little village in the state of Kerala, in India. The house was situated on the bank of a small river (it is the tributary to one of the bigger rivers in Kerala). The house is no longer there, having been torn down by my uncle to build a monstrosity of modern architecture in 1990s. The house was very old and I loved it very much because of its location by the river.

I used to think that my mom had the best of all places to grow up in. Of course, she was lucky to be in the midst of all the greenery, on the bank of a beautiful river. But there was a darker shade to it too.

There was a log bridge over the section of the river where it was least wide. The log bridge was made out of two logs of coconut trees, supported on other coconut trunk logs driven deep into the bottom of the river. There was a rope strung along the bridge to hold for support. I remember this bridge, from faint memories, when I had visited my mom's house in the distant past. The bridge has been replaced with a concrete bridge, the river has been clogged with weeds and the water doesn't seem to flow at all nowadays.

My mom, her brothers and her sisters all used to bathe in the river. They used to jump off the log bridge into the river, swim around and take bath on the bank, where steps had been cut into it to the side. One time when my mom was in her teens, she decided to go for a bath in the evening. None of her brothers were at home and her sisters were in the kitchen, helping their mother.

She got on top of the log bridge, jumped off into the water. She was swimming around. To the right of the log bridge, at a distance of 10 meters, there was a deep section of the river. Her parents had strictly warned my mom and her sisters to never swim in this section of the river. While she was swimming she saw a tortoise in the water and swam after it to catch it.

She didn't realize that she was swimming into the deep section. Suddenly the tortoise duck into the water and disappeared. Disappointed, she decided to swim back to the log bridge and start her bath. Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her leg and pull her deep into the water.

It was spring season, the water wasn't that cold. But she used to swear to us that the hand that grabbed her leg was icy cold. And she used to say that she knew it was a hand itself because she knew how the underwater plants and weeds feel like on your skin or cling to your skin.

She started screaming loudly. Suddenly a neighbor saw her, ran, dove into the river, caught her by her hair, and dragged her closer to the steps in the banks. By this time, she had fainted.

When she woke up, all the family was around her. They were enquiring as to what happened. She explained about the hand grabbing her leg and pulling her down. My grandparents calmed my mom down saying it is only a cluster of weeds in which she had caught her leg in and it's not a big issue and warned her not to swim in that section again. My mom was not so convinced, but let it go. For a week she used to have nightmares of the hand grabbing her leg.

A few weeks later, my mom and her sisters was visiting the neighbors. The old lady at their house, close to 102 years, told her that the particular section of the river is haunted. Her aunt, who was jilted in love, had committed suicide by jumping into river at same location (where my mom's leg was grabbed) when the old lady was still a child and it was her spirit that is haunting the river.

My mom and her sisters sat there with chills in their bones. The old lady's daughter also confirmed the same that the aunt was reported to have committed suicide there and her spirit doesn't want anybody to be happy and tries to make everyone who swims in the deeper section suffer. When my mom asked her parents, they did know about it all but didn't want to scare any of their children.

My mom and her sisters never went swimming in the river again and switched to bathing in a pool, built close to the house.

The evil doll

We've read through your ghost stories and picked out ten of our favorites. Read on for tales of creepy photos, scary basements, a haunted daycare center, and one very, very unwelcome visitor.

My mother [...] had a large Shirley Temple doll when she was little whose eyes she says followed her, literally. She hated that doll, and it ended up buried somewhere, only to resurface when she was much older. She would not tell me the rest of the story until I begged her, and made me promise not to ask my aunt about it, and to not mention it again after she told me.

She gave the doll to my cousin. Why she did this, I can't imagine. She says that she had convinced herself that she was imagining things as a child herself, but seriously?

Anyway, my cousin is playing with the doll one day, when my aunt comes in and finds the doll TALKING to my cousin. So, she promptly freaks the fuck out, and takes the doll away. My uncle buried it, in pieces, as it continued to laugh up a storm.

That shit is evil.

I asked my aunt about it (against my mom's wishes), and she simply said, "I don't want to talk about it."

History of Independent India

How India got Freedom - The History of Independence Struggle

The British first came to India in the 1600s for the sole purpose of trade. They set up a ompany in Calcutta, originally called the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies which later came to be known as the East India Company.

The Battle of Plassey (1757-1758)

With the growth and spread of the company, the British gained power and slowly started to excise control of larger areas with the use of private armies and military powers. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah objected to the British expanding and gaining control and the strengthening of their roots in India. Robert Clive bribed Mir Jafar, the commander in chief of Nawab’s army and attacked, defeated and took over Calcutta. The Nawab of Bengal in turn retaliated and attacked the British and held prisoners of war. The growing tension between Siraj-ud-daulah and the British finally resulted in the Battle of Plassey, (1757-1758). This war is very significant for the history of India, for it resulted in the British finally taking control and ruling India for the next 200 years, in what came to be known as the British Raj.

Revolt of 1857

There had been many instances where the various princely states resisted, fought and eventually succumbed to the British rule, battles were fought and lost. The most eminent turning point and the real struggle for freedom started after the Revolt of 1857 or India's First War of Independence. Most of north and central India extensively rebelled against the East India Company but were defeated and the control of the company was reinstated to the British.

The introduction of modern education in India by Vivekanada, and the various poems and sonnets written by several educated and knowledgeable individuals increased awareness amongst people. This resulted in colonial India gaining awareness and starting to finally dream of a free nation. This was further aggravated by the formation of various organized groups like the Indian National Congress and various socio-religious groups formed by the likes of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Dayananda Saraswat to name a few. 

Partition of Bengal (1905)

The Indian National Congress formed in 1885, was a political organization formed for the educated Indians to lend a voice to the people of the country in the British Raj. The Muslim community was apprehensive and claimed they didn’t have adequate representation because they were a minority and hence refused to join the group. Religious conflicts and attacks on the Muslims by Hindus due to cow-slaughter and religious conversions only confirmed this notion.

The state of Bengal, because of its large area was getting difficult to rule. Lord Curzon ordered a division of Bengal into East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal to increase administrative efficiency and followed the basic theory of divide and rule. Another reason for the partition was the increasing tension and conflicts between the Hindu and Muslim communities of region. This led to the formation of the All India Muslim League in Dhaka, for the sole purpose of lending a voice to the Muslim community and looking after their interests.

During The First World War India wholeheartedly supported the British by providing soldiers, food and amenities and in turn was later rewarded with Edwin Montagu announcing that Indians were now going to be given more administrative powers and gradually could become a self governing nation under the British rule. Power was divided where Indian political leaders gained control of some sections while the British retained powers over delicate matters like law, finance and taxation. However, the impact of the war was terribly felt, India suffered greatly in terms of inflation and a breakout of the epidemic, influenza. 

Satyagraha Movement & Rowlatt Act (1919)

The Satyagraha movement in Chamaparan, Bihar resulted in the British retaliating and making a Rowlatt Act which gave the British powers to arrest activists and demonstrators without a trial, control of the press, and even arresting people suspicious of any agitation or treason. This was met with a nation-wide protest and an anti-Rowlatt Act campaign governed by non-violence was taken out, accompanied with demonstrations, strikes, protests and termination of work through the nation. 

Jallianwala Bagh (April 1919)

The British officials became wary and always fearing a rebellion and in turn attacking the demonstration taken out by people. This was what triggered the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. Around 15000 men, women, elders and children had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh for a meeting on Baisakhi, 13th April 1919 to protest silently to the rule made by Brigadier General Reginald E.H Dyer to make every Indian crawl the same stretch of the street where an English woman was previously attacked by a mob. On hearing of the meeting, General Dyer reached the premises blocking the only exits his armed men. Without any warning to the crowd, he instructed his men to start shooting at the crowd and to continue shooting till the ammunition finished. This action was met by outrage accompanied with protests and demonstrations in the whole country. This was one of the key factors that started the Indian Independence Movement and later the ‘Quit India Movement’.

After World War II, British rulers could see that their power over India was diminishing, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain their hold. At the same time the freedom fighters were becoming more determined to get rid of the British clutches and have a nation ruled by its own people. 
During the Great depression that followed the war, India suffered in a major way, in terms of mass unemployment, inflation and famine which added to the country’s turmoil. This mayhem was followed by the Quit India Movement lead by the Indian National Congress. 

Independence Day (August 15, 1947)

India became an independent nation following the famous non-violence resistance and civil disobedience movement initiated by the Indian National Congress and carried out nation wide. With the Hindu and Muslim community always at odds and violence and riots breaking out, the British leaders finally decided to relieve India from their clasps in June 1948. However, the viceroy after having decided to withdraw and bring an end to the British Raj in India decided to move up the proceeding after seeing the state and the uncontrollable chaos, riots and upheaval in India and the continuous demands for a separate Muslim state. 

In June 1947, Muslim League and the Congress Party decided to partition India along religious lines. Thus, on the 14th of August, Punjab was divided and a new separate nation, Pakistan was born. On 15th August, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru read out his famous speech “Tryst with Destiny” at midnight announcing India was a free nation. The British had finally retreated and India was reborn as a free and independent nation. Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the most eminent freedom fighters who India owes her Independence to, was sworn the first Prime Minister of independent, free India.

Partition of India (1947)

The breakout of riots, violence and a constant demand for a separate nation for the Muslims was becoming a constant factor at the fag end of the freedom movement. The Muslim League in 1946 followed Jinnah’s orders for a Direct Action Day to demand a new state, when the party leaders got arrested because of their resistance to the war. The Muslim League was in accordance with the British. Members of this group acted out irrationally creating havoc and violence in north India, costing thousands of lives. This in turn was concluded to be an irreconcilable dispute between Hindus and Muslims and a new nation for the Muslim was agreed to. 

Nearly 15 million refugees crossed the borders during the partition on the two sides with Hindus and Sikhs moving from Pakistan to India and Muslims from India moving to Pakistan, making it one of the largest migrations in history and also one of the most tragic events in the recent history of  India and her freedom struggle. Bloodshed and riots followed in the provinces of Punjab and Bengal. While India received most of the 562 scattered polities or princely states, Pakistan received the remaining western part and the Muslim dominated eastern region which was known as East Pakistan now Bangladesh.

Searching For Self In The Eyes Of Baba - Anonymous Devotee

Searching For Self In The Eyes Of Baba - Anonymous Devotee

Anonymous Devotee from India says:

I am nothing. To tell you the truth, I always wanted to know myself from other's perception and never realised what or who I am or I am supposed to be. When I was in desperate need, it was Baba, who raised me up and made me realise [the hard way] that I am the blue-eyeddaughter of my parents, the role-model for my brother and most importantly, today a woman of honor. I have made mistakes in life, of course the ones I am not really proud of. I still make mistakes and some I do even though I know I am making a mistake. But I learn and grow each time- spiritually and intellectually. I remember, after all the bad experiences in life. I had started smoking as only solace to all the situations. Probably I wanted to punish myself or others I really do not know. But later, I was acquainted to Baba by this site. I became a believer instantly. I heard about the miracles and started expecting the same. But in due course, Baba just became the friend I always wanted, a shoulder to cry on, a companion to rejoice with.

My journey of life with Baba started 2 years back, when my whole life was destroyed, so I thought. I was a graduate, left with no job and got rejected of my dream college in the last round of interview. I had a terrible break-up, where my mother was left insulted. I got a opportunity to study in UK with great score, but my father was going through a terrible court-case, where he was falsely-framed. I had no clue as I realised my life was slipping out of my hands and I had never dreamt of failing. It seems funny now, but I had thought of ending my life too.

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Monday, July 8, 2013

My Kind Baba Miracles In My Life - Anonymous Sai Devotee

Today's experience is really very wonderful and shows how Lord Sai Baba is present in lives of His devotees.

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Anonymous Devotee from USA says: Jai Sairam Hetal Ji. Thank you so much for such wonderful work maintaining this blog. Baba, always bless you and your family. I would like to share my experiences with our beloved Baba. Please do not share my name or email-ID, I want to be anonymous. Hetal Ji I am not good in English, so please do make any corrections. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I posted many of my experiences in this blog before. Baba blessd me throughout my life. He helped to finish my studies, get job, my marriage, blessed me with a kid, and we came to US by Baba grace only. All these happened only because of Baba. He blessed me with a wonderful job in USA too. This was my dream and He fulfilled my wish, even though I am not having any talent to get this job. I shared about all these in my previous posts. I promised Baba that I would share my experiences further, but I am late in doing the same Baba. Please forgive me Baba.

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Sunday, July 7, 2013

A Couple Of Sai Baba Experiences - Part 416

Few more experiences are shared.

Sri Sai Baba's Anubhuti

Sai Sister Aromika Ji from India says: Dear Hetal Ji, my name is Aromika and I and my family members are devotees of Lord Sai Baba. Thanks a lot Hetal Ji for starting such a wonderfulwebsite. I would like to share one of my experiences with you. I request you to share my name but not my email id.

In the year 2003, I came to know about Sri Sai Baba. At that time, I was studying in class XII and used to perform very badly in my pre-board exams. One of my class teachers even suggested me to drop my class XII board exams and try for one more year. I was really shattered after hearing that. I used to study hard, but all my hard work used to go in vain. One of our neighbours suggested my mother to perform pujas of Lord Sai Baba and meanwhile I also developed a special likingness towards Baba. During those days, our neighbour had been to Shirdi and brought for us an idol and a photograph of Lord Baba. She gifted us Baba's idol and photo on Thursday only.

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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Sai Baba’s Presence During Sai Satcharitra Katha - Anonymous Sai Devotee

Following is an amazing experience of an anonymous Sai sister.

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Anonymous Devotee from India says: Dear Hetal Ji, I am a 34 year old unmarried woman living in Coimbatore city. I am a much recent devotee of Sai Baba and I wish to share my divine experiences in your blog. I came across your website recently and I really appreciate the good work you have been doing in forming a network for all of us Sai devotees to share our divine experiences. Request you to keep my identity as anonymous.

I must sincerely thank you as I came to know about the book Sai Satcharitra Katha through your site and it was the miracles shared by devotees here that inspired me to start the parayan (reading) of this great katha in 7 days. Before I go into the actual divine experience, I like to bow down and offer my salutations to all the Sai Bakthas out here.

RANI LAKSHMIBAI

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was probably the bravest of all the leaders who fought for India’s independence against the mighty British. She died in battle as she led the Indian mutiny in 1857, the first armed uprising against British rule. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi will always be remembered for her unbreakable patriotism and astonishing courage.
In the early part of 1800, when the British were already well established in India, Manikarnika or Manu (the maiden name of Lakshmibai) was born in the family of a courtier, Moropant, in Bittoor, a place located in Central India. Manu was very athletic and loved to compete with boys. She was also an avid reader with a love for learning. When Manu reached marriageable age, quite unexpectedly, a marriage proposal came from the Maharaja (king) of Jhansi. She was married a year later, in 1842. Manu was named Rani or queen Lakshmibai, after the goddess of wealth and victory.
After nine years, Lakshmibai gave birth to a son. All of Jhansi celebrated the happy event. Alas, the child died after three months. Both Lakshmibai and the Maharaja were grieve stricken. The Maharaja was also unwell and was worried that he had no successor to the throne. He knew the British would not lose the opportunity to take over the kingdom of Jhansi if it were left without an heir. He quickly arranged to adopt a son in November, 1853. On the following day, the Maharaja died. The prince was still a minor. Lakshmibai decided to run the kingdom until the adopted son reached maturity.
It was not easy for a woman to be the head of state at that time. Rani Lakshmibai faced many difficulties but she ran the kingdom well. She mastered the martial arts, and inspired Jhansi's women to join the army and take a more active role in defending the country.
The British were determined to take over the kingdom Jhansi. So they objected to the adoption. Lakshmibai wrote a petition to the Governor General, and later sent an envoy to London to plead her case. The British rejected her arguments.
The British looked down at the Indians, calling them "nigger natives". They claimed that the white race was superior and that they had the right to enjoy the enviable wealth of India. As India's economy deteriorated under British rule, Indians became increasingly unhappy. When the Indian soldiers of the Meerut garrison heard the rumor that their rifle cartridges, which they cut with their teeth, were greased with lard and cow fat, both Muslims and Hindus revolted as eating pork is against the Muslim faith, and eating beef is against the Hindu faith. On May 9, 1857, British officers were shot and prison inmates were released. The rebelling nationalist soldiers marched to Delhi and received a warm welcome from the citizens. The aged ex-emperor, Bahadur Shah, was reinstated to the Mughal throne and Delhi became the nationalist soldiers' headquarters. Later they seized Lucknow and Satara and pushed the British soldiers southwards to Jhansi. The British approached Rani Lakshmibai for refuge but the Rani refused, saying that she could not betray her fellow Indians. The British army was totally uprooted and the nationalist soldiers returned to Delhi.
The British, however, were shrewd politicians and highly organized. Their soldiers were better equipped and better trained. They recaptured Delhi on September 2, 1857 with the help of their Indian allies. All but three of the independent states surrendered and their rulers became British puppets. The three exceptions were: The Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Topi and Rao Sahib Peshwa. These three swore that they would jointly fight the British until their last breath.
The Rani of Jhansi warned her people that the British would soon come back. The people of Jhansi unanimously supported their queen and assured her that they would lay down their lives to defend Jhansi. On March 25, 1858, the British attacked Jhansi with a huge army equipped with powerful cannons. With the help of traitors, they entered the fort at night in overwhelming numbers. Rani Lakshmibai went underground and the British were disappointed when they captured the fort. To take out their wrath, they burnt the excellent state library, ransacked the palace and shot Rani Lakshmibai's followers.
Rani Lakshmibai escaped to Rao Sahib Peshwa’s camp at Kalpi. The British heard of this and prepared to attack Kalpi. Rani Lakshmibai was worried that Rao Sahib Peshwa had left himself open to attack from the rear and suggested a change in his battle formations. Rao Sahib Peshwa did not think any woman could teach him how to wage war and ignored her suggestions. As a result, Kalpi fell into the hands of the British on May 24, 1858. The rebels then sought shelter at the Gwalior fort. The king of Gwalior was not willing to give up his fort without a fight as he was afraid of the British. But the soldiers laid down their arms in respect for the Rani of Jhansi. Thus the rebels entered Gwalior without a fight.
The British wasted no time in attacking Gwalior. It was the fiercest, bloodiest battle ever fought on Indian soil. Lakshmibai's courage, strength, and ability as she valiantly fought the British army's vastly superior forces, are remembered to this day. She dies fighting and Gwalior was captured. Tantia Topi was hanged and Rao Sahib escaped.

India became free in August, 1947, after a long struggle of nearly one hundred years.

Abraham Lincoln Biography

Short Autobiography - 1859

I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia of undistinguished families - second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks, some of whom now reside in Adams, and others in Macon counties, Illinois. My paternal grandfather, Abraham Lincoln, emigrated from Rockingham County, Virginia, to Kentucky, about 1781 or 2, where, a year or two later, he was killed by Indians, not in battle, but by stealth when he was laboring to open a farm in the forest. His ancestors, who were Quakers, went to Virginia from Berks County, Pennsylvania. An effort to identify them with the New England family of the same name ended in nothing more definite than a similarity of Christian names in both families, such as Enoch, Levi, Mordecai, Solomon, Abraham and the like.
My father, at the death of his father, was but six years of age; and he grew up, literally without education. He removed from Kentucky to what is now Spencer county, Indiana, in my eighth year. We reached our new home about the same time the state came into the Union. It was a wild region with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up. There were some school so called; but no qualification was ever required of a teacher beyond "readin, writin and cipherin," to the Rule of Three. If a straggler supposed to understand Latin happened to sojourn in the neighborhood, he was looked upon as a wizard. There was absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education. Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all. I have not been to school since. The little advance I now have upon this store of education I have picked up from time to time under the pressure of necessity.
I was raised to farm work, which I continued till I was twenty-two. At twenty-one I came to Illinois, and passed the first year in Illinois-Macon county. Then I got to New Salem (at that time in Sangamon, now in Menard county) where I remained a year as a sort of clerk in a store. Then came the Black Hawk War; and I was elected a Captain of Volunteers - a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since. I went the campaign, was elated, ran for the Legislature the same year (1832) and was beaten - the only time I have been beaten by the people. The next, and three succeeding biennial elections, I was elected to the Legislature. I was not a candidate afterwards. During this Legislative period I had studied law, and removed to Springfield to practice it. In 1846 I was once elected to the lower House of Congress. Was not a candidate for re-election. From 1849 to 1854, both inclusive, practiced law more assiduously than ever before. Always a Whig in politics, and generally on the Whig electoral tickets, making active canvasses. I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.
If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and gray eyes-no other marks or brands recollected.
December 20, 1859

Life of Bhagat Singh

One of the most inspirational icons of the Indian freedom struggle, Bhagat Singh was born on September 28, 1907 in the Khatkar Kalan village near Banga in the Lyallpur district of Punjab. Born into a Sikh family with a proud legacy of revolutionary activities against the British rule, Bhagat Singh cultivated his revolutionary zeal from a tender age.

The notorious Jalianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919 left an indelible scar on the mind of Bhagat Singh and soon he took up the membership of the youth organization Naujawan Bharat Sabha. Apart from mingling with noted revolutionaries such as Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh worked relentlessly to garner opposition against the British.

In 1928, when the Simon Commission came to India, it was met with peaceful protests all over the country. During one such protest march in Lahore on October 30, veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai was mercilessly beaten up by police chief Scott and Lala later succumbed to the fatal injuries. Bhagat Singh, who witnessed this macabre incident, hatched a conspiracy to kill Scott but in an unfortunate case of mistaken identity, DSP J.P. Saunders fell to the revolutionaries' bullets instead of the police chief.

Bhagat Singh went into hiding to escape prosecution, but when the British government enacted the draconian Defence of India Act, Bhagat and his comrades at the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association again planned to detonate a bomb in the assembly where the ordinance was going to be passed. As per the plot, on April 8, 1929, Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt stormed inside the court and threw bombs onto the corridors of the assembly shouting "Inquilab Zindabad." Both Singh and Dutt voluntarily courted arrest and they were sentenced to ' Transportation for Life' for the incident.

But soon the British got wind of Bhagat Singh's involvement in the killing of Saunders and along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, he was charged with murder. True to his fearless soul, Bhagat Singh owned responsibility of the murder and justified the act in a fiery statement. After a farcical trial lasting five months, on March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev.