Ghosts in India

We recently had a housewarming ceremony at our place - it was a proper Hindu ritual with sacrificial fire and the whole deal - and some of the pictures have come out with orbs in them. At first we thought the white spheres hanging around in the pictures were just defects in the camera or the picture itself. Then I did some research on this and came across an article on orbs. I am pretty sure that the orbs in those pictures are anything BUT defects.

I did some web-research and came across your website. However, since I live in India, I don't know how you can help me out. I will still go ahead and tell you about various experiences I have had.

Usually I am able to 'feel' or even 'see' entities that are not visible to others. I have, at various times over the last 10 years 'felt' more than three different people around me. The funny part is that I have not been living in the same house all this while. Till I was single it didn't really matter but now I am married and my husband (though sensitive to such phenomena) is really scared.

I also have some experience specific questions. I am going to narrate my experiences, and then put my questions right at the end of each experience. It would be really helpful if you could answer them.

Experience One

Ever since I can remember (when I was 5 or so I guess) I have been having dreams about a young girl - a girl I have not known or met in this life at least. Although she has never specifically said what her name is, I always seem to subconsciously associate the name "Mudita" with her (Mudita means "a girl who is happy"). The dream seems pretty vivid and always seems to occur just between the time when I lay down to sleep or am just waking up from sleep. Sometimes she talks about her life - which ended pretty tragically - and sometimes she talks about what is going on in my life.

She is pretty clear in my mind's eye. White dress, with a pattern of red roses embroidered on the neck and all over the hem. Wearing a bunch of white flowers in her hair, and almost completely made of light. Not quite opaque, not quite transparent.

Apart from dreams, I can also sense her near me quite a few times, like for example when I am experiencing extreme emotional highs or lows. When I am going through a particularly troubling time, I can always smell the jasmine flower and feel as if Mudita is near me. It is as if she is helping me hold on to life. As if she is trying to live through me… Can't explain this feeling.

Other people have also been able to smell the flower and experience an extreme cold in the room whenever this happens.
I have never been scared of her. And she has never done anything to spook me. Though she has spooked our neighbor's dog many times!
I have tried to talk to her, and ask her how I can help her to move on. But she has never said anything about it.

Experience Two

When I was around 14, I came in to contact with another entity called 'Chetan'. Some of the first experiences I had were of cupboards banging and windows opening/closing of their own accord. Then one fine day, just as I was waking up from sleep, I felt rather than saw a white light near the foot of my bed. Suddenly, all windows across the house started to bang. And it was a quiet morning, without much wind or breeze. Needless to say, I was spooked and ran from the room.

Later on I started having dreams about a young man (must be in his mid-20s) called Chetan. It seems he was killed in a road-accident, and now cannot move on. In my dreams I have heard him say that he keeps coming back to check on his old parents and his siblings. But the question that plagues me is why he would want to check in on me as well. He is not one of my relatives; I don't even think anyone I know knew him when he was alive! Since then, he has kind of kept in touch. Appearing at various times to rattle windows and go on.

Experience Three

This experience concerns my younger brother who was 12 at the time (I was 21). He used to stay up late reading or just pottering around on the comp, when he would see this lady who was kind of draped in a trailing gown. She had long blonde hair, and would just sit there shaking her head at him. Naturally, he was scared, so he would go sleep in my room. (I was away at college).

Once I was back home for a few days, and was surprised to see my brother sleeping in my room. On questioning him, he told me about that lady. That night, I slept in his room. And sure as rain, she appeared. She seemed a little surprised to see me. And asked: "Where is he?" I asked her who she was and why she was bothering my brother. She said her name was "Meredith" but others called her "Mary Anne" and she was looking for my brother and myself.I said I was Prarthna, and why was she looking for us. She said she wanted to meet us. That is all.
And with that the books lined up neatly in the shelf started to fly! It was as if someone was throwing them all across the room. Books, pens, and other stuff on my brother's study table was systematically being trashed by this lady!

I was scared, and ran off to call my parents. My mother literally went off into hysterics on seeing this. So we decided to have a prayer meeting right there and then. We sat around holding hands in that room, chanting prayers well into the night. Meredith or Mary Anne has never come back to meet my brother, to the best of my knowledge. I do have a feeling that she is around at funny moments - like when I am cooking dinner and listening to music, and there she will be nodding at me.

Experience Four

My husband is a recent 'convert' to the whole paranormal phenomena. He used to be a person who did not believe in, and even laughed at people who believed in, ghosts or 'entities'. However, ever since we have been going out (8 years now) he has been experiencing some funny things. He would hear footsteps in his room, the computer would turn on and off of its own accord.

The most recent experience was a few weeks back, when he woke at night to see a shadow on the wall (we sleep in a room which is completely dark, no source of direct light from anywhere, nothing that can cast shadows). It appeared to be a figure gesturing towards me, and giving a thumbs-up sign. He was so spooked that he just huddled under the covers and went to sleep. I did not wake up.

A few days before this, we had a strange unexplained fire at our place. 1 am in the night, the curtains suddenly caught fire. The logical explanation was later found to be an old room heater which resulted in this fire. But somehow this does not sit well with me.

More so because I woke up at the exact moment the curtains caught fire. I am usually a very sound sleeper, not even stirring during sleep. In this case, I woke up and thought 'this is not happening!" on seeing the curtains on fire.

Miscellaneous Happenings

Sometimes when I am totally concentrating on whatever I am doing, I hear whooshing sounds - and a huge burst of cold air passes me by. I hear singing as if it was coming from a badly tuned radio, and I itch to turn it off. Only there are no radios around. A lot of other stuff keeps happening. And no rational experience exists. All this was okay till I was single, and not thinking about starting a family.

Submitted March, 2005
Edited by Brendan Keenan