The Catch

The usual path leading home was abandoned. As he pedalled along on his rickety bicycle, a movement in the shadows had him frozen. It was merely a rustle but in this failing August light, his heart skipped a beat. The darkness pressed in on him as he fought the urge to look towards the sound. Then all at once, it was eerily quiet again.

Mumbling, “Ram Ram Ram…” he reluctantly turned his head left towards the old wooden culvert within the expanse of slopy tea bushes on either side, when without warning, a distorted white figure pounced upon him. Stumbling, he supported himself and his bicycle with his foot. Despite the uncanny growls, "heeeeeeeeeeee...whoooooooooooo," of the creature, he summoned up the courage to meet its eyes. As he raised his head, he found the red glowing eyes almost ten feet off the ground! He couldn’t believe his eyes or ears. The scene was completely beyond his comprehension. 

That fateful night, August 1982

“Ram Ram,” he muttered again and hastily dismounted his bicycle and dragged it with him making his way back to the chota bungalow where he had just finished his paala, having laid the dinner table for the two chota saabs at the Cinnatoliah Chang Bungalow. Once he felt he had covered a safe distance, he began to reason to himself. He heard his own tangible whisper, “Bhoo bhoo bhooottt??”

Meanwhile, two Babus who had been speeding along on their motorcycle came to a jostling halt as they saw the gigantic ghost by the culvert. The high-pitched shriek of one of the Babus echoed amidst the swaying branches of the shade trees that whooshed with the wind, their silhouettes dancing against the dark rumbling clouds. His companion picked up a few pebbles and aimed shots at their target as they hurried away on their mobike.

Hearing the commotion, the Senior Assistant who had the lower floor of the Chang Bungalow, Raghu Singh, stepped out to notice Soorai, the bearer of his colleagues sitting on the steps of the Bungalow – dazed, as he mumbled to himself, “Bhoot... Bhagwaan...” Soorai pointed towards the whereabouts but felt as though time and space had lost all continuity. Raghu quickly tore through the dense bamboo hedge and when he noticed the towering white figure with its red glowering eyes, spun around in a robotic movement.

Within moments, he was back from his bedroom – with a rifle in his hands, held up to the giant. He tried making sense of this inscrutable figure. All kinds of thoughts rushed in his mind and he gawked at the gargantuan beast approaching him. He took a couple of steps back into the fence of the bungalow. Putting up a brave front, he spied the feet of the ghost as he had heard many a time that the feet of the ghosts and witches were beyond large or even inverted. At first glance, he could have sworn that he had seen those kaamjaari shoes somewhere. “Sir, Sir,”  he could hear someone saying. The sound had a familiar ring to it.

Puzzled, he lowered the gun and the white sheet unfurled revealing the frame of the behemoth. Raghu was shocked and relieved at the same time. Deepak, the assistant who was about 5’2” tall, sat balancing upon Naveen’s shoulders. His 6’6” added to Deepak’s height made for a tall, towering creature. A small smile played on each of the Assistants’ lips. Deepak held a curtain rod horizontally in his hands and Naveen held a red torch in his palms.

Naveen (Tiny), Deepak and Ashok at Cinnatoliah T.G.

“What the hell is happening Tiny?!” questioned Raghu. “You scared the living daylights out of me!” Helping Deepak to dismount from Naveen's shoulders he heard the story as to how these two bachelors wanted to teach Soorai – the bearer a lesson.

Soorai the bearer, had refused to extend his shift, despite being offered a “doublee”. He always had an excuse that the bungalow was haunted whenever his paala had to be adjusted.

After this gripping experience, Soorai willingly extended his services whenever required but it was now upon the Chota Saabs to see him back up to his doorstep.

Recent photo of Rittu and Naveen Chopra and family

Recent photo of Amita and Deepak Chandok

Sincere thanks Mrs Reeta Kapoor for providing vital inputs for this blog post.

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Glossary:

Paala: Work shift

Bhoot: Ghost

Babu: Clerk

Chang Bungalow: A double-storey bungalow, often with separate tenements on each floor

Bhagwaan: God

Kaamjaari: Daily work supervision

Doublee: Double-wage

Chota saabs: Assistant Managers