The Room On The Ravines

The flicker, the mobile phone, the fragrance and the drenching moonlit was instilling a fear but I had already started feeling an element of addiction to that entire charade of events happening in front of me……..

After the very first event that had left me at utter bewilderment I decided consulting a psychiatrist. Friends thought it was an overreaction but as a man of science I needed explanation and logic to appease my vagrant mind that suffered a perplexity of highest order. What went worse was the relapse of the event even after administering anti hallucinating drugs.

I had discussions with my friends mastering in various fields that required proficient scientific acumen but could not reach to an equitable explanation which ultimately led to humble submission towards the observant great Master.

There’s more things on heaven and earth than in yours philosophy Horatio…….

It was in the month of July 2003 when I was in the final year of MSc. Medical Microbiology. As a seeker of solitude and love for the bohemian pleasures I decided to stay out of hostel alone. Though there were oppositions from my family I chose to stick to my decision placing freedom as a priority over the school boyish ridiculous discipline in the PG Hostel.

Sikkim is a hill station ornamented with fascinating landscapes and wonderful orchids around. I took long walks on the Sunday mornings through hilly villages that advertised soothing simple scenic splendours. The visuals nourished me so much that for the first time I realized that a man can also fall in love for a place of a particular specific geographical characteristic.

I found a Tibetan family residing in a place called Tandon a place 5 miles away from Gangtok. The Tibetan lady lives with her two daughters and two domestic helps. Her husband died two year following a land slide In East Sikkim as he on his way to Siliguri, the foot hill town situated in the state of West Bengal. She offered me a small room at the back of the house that had a separate entry. The room was at the edge of a huge ravine that abyssed down around 400ft down where river Rangeet flows down.

The ravine was huge and the east window opened up to it allowing gushes of air that jetted in inside the room. What surprised me are the numerous flags festooned at the side of the entrance of the humble house. Later I knew these were kept to fight the evil spirits. It is considered that whenever these flags flutter the Mantras written over them are chanted which eventually keeps evil spirits at bay.

The room was around 10 ft by 15 ft. With a small place for cooking at the east South corner an attached wash room was in opposite to this cooking area. My Land lady had provided the room with Furniture that included a single cot and Study table.

Just opposite to my bed on the North wall there were these two huge windows that had drapes. Blinds to be precise.

I considered choosing the room as somehow the room was fitting to my expected definitions of magnanimous solitude.

It was the night before the third semesters I studied late at night. Before I go into the actual event let me tell you about the arrangement of the room. As we enter the room we face a wall at least 10 ft away. My cot is just adhered to this wall. At the right wall is my study table that had books notes pen stand a mobile stand on it, The reference books were on the shelf over the study table.

The east side of the entrance is divided with a divider dividing the room into two halves. The other halve having kitchen and small space for dining. The washroom was on the opposite side

It was during those semester nights I was on to my studies. Due to the vast syllabus Coffee and cigarettes added to my companion as I ventured through the academic delight. It was around 2.00 Am at night when I decided to retire to my bed ensuring a last recapitulation. I had gently put the light out, the moon light coming from the ravine window at the east end literally drenched the room with the silvery sonata. After a while, I felt that the soothing moonlight calming down the entire room. What surprised me was my inability to fall asleep even in that serene ambience. As a thumb rule the tiresome brainstorm all through the day usually puts me into a grandeur slumber but tonight something is terribly different it seemed. A breeze of fresh air came in from the window and along with it came a soothing captivating unusual fragrance. The smell so pleasing dilated my nostrils with a euphoric extravaganza. A peculiar sensation of overwhelming joy accompanied by a fear unknown encompassed me. I got up from my bed and went towards the window at the edge of the ravine. The moon shine illuminated the entire area and I was able to appreciate the silver thread like Rangeet river flowing down the steep abyss. The fragrance was very much there but it seemed is fading away. I came down to my bed but there’s something in the room that is keeping me awake and Good Lord what’s that. I switched the light on. No everything is just normal. There’s no fragrance now. Considering everything is my ill-perceived fears, I switched off the light and concentrated on my sleep. No there’s definitely something in this room I concluded as the fragrance started coming once again. A humming whisper came in through the window. Incomprehensive whimpers of somebody. The voice was a strange one and beyond the demarcation of male or female. At the extreme corner of the wall, I saw a small tiny thing flickering and very slowly moving on the wall. A speck of some small object glowing. Almost instantly I heard huge group talking and the sounds came from the terrace. It seemed like there was a huge commotion up in the terrace But how on earth a humble terrace of a lonely town would turn into a talking hub. Suddenly everything was silent and I could hear the humming whimpers. The mobile phone on the mobile set got switched on by itself. I got up and advanced near my study table. To my surprise, the phone has got switched on automatically and a call is going to someone. I saw the number was familiar and the call is going to my humble Land lady. I started to believe that somebody from some other dimension has come into this room and this uncanny something is trying to establish contact with my land lady for what so ever reason. And all this is being done through my mobile but why and who is this entity defying all laws of earthly existence. The same soothing captivating unusual fragrance took over, the moon lit ambience, the mobile keeps on calling the land lady on its own. An intolerable fear prompted me to switch on the lights again but before I was about to switch on the lights my attention fell on the opposite wall the small flickering light danced on the wall. What is that flickering luminous dot. There’s something strange in its flickering. The flicker, the mobile phone, the fragrance and the drenching moonlit was instilling fear but I had started to feel an element of addiction to that entire charade of events happening in front of me. Some hypnotizing sense attracted me to the window. The fragrance down there in the ravines seemed to whisper into my ears. “Come jump to me, this is the purpose of Life, come jump.” A hissing sound that tossed between the realms of subconscious and superconscious clang on to my ears.I fought with myself and pulled myself with an enormous heave away from the dreadful window. The moon lit was drenching the room. I switched the light on. Everything was just normal. I told to myself am I developing any psychiatric complication. Any way the rest of the night went under the solemn care of coffee and cigarettes.

In the morning I went to my Land lady’s place and told her about the last night’s dreadful ordeal. She was very calm and composed and patiently heard the terrible anecdote. There was neither over reaction nor under reaction from her part. She said she will call the Buddhist monks to cast away the evil spirits, these are quite common in Hills, the mantra flags outside the residence are chanting the sutras to cast away evil spirit.

I visited Dr. Amit Dutta the psychiatrist and told him everything maintaining the original sequence of events. He prescribed me some tranquilizers as sedatives would affect my studies. He got amazed when I told him I literally get washed with 20 cups of Coffee almost every day. He said to refrain from Caffeine as it seems to be the main culprit along with the added academic stress. I started taking psychotic drugs.

The following day a group of Buddhist monks came and performed several of their rituals. The next five days everything was sound and safe but on the sixth night the events left me out of my wits. I got the horror of life time.

I was sleeping when a jet of air passed me sending chills through my bones. Usually, here in Sikkim these kinds of chill winds are expected in winter months. The nights are comparatively pleasant during July. I got up almost instantly, the room was getting drenched with the soothing moonlight. Yes, its there, its there, that fragrance but with a little difference this time. There were no whispers but I felt a tremendous attraction over the Windows at the ravines edge. I saw the flickering tiny light dancing on the east wall. The small light started to advance and came to my adjacent wall. To my surprise I saw This Small light is a illuminating butterfly very small in size but illuminating. We know about glow worms, the commonly available illuminating insects like fire flies... Jonaki. But never heard of glowing bio illuminating butterfly. The butterfly danced very slowly over wall in gentle and graceful rhythms. The reflections of moon light and its own glow doubled the elegance. At that very moment, I heard the voice, the call, the invitation from the east window. There was something very unusually captivating of the butterfly. The fragrance has overwhelmed my senses. The ardent whispers seemed to tell me that far beneath those ravines through the window a compassionate lover is waiting for me through ages. Why am I jittering, its simple I need to jump down. What’s there to worry, I prepared myself to jump but before that somebody prompted me to have a close look at my study table. My mobile was on. It was on its stand. And the call was going to Mrs. Samseng Gyatso, My landlady. Need to switch off the mobile phone. A tremendous struggle broke out between the two minds. The attraction…. the voice was lethal and the flagrance seduced the last drop of my blood. It was like I was fighting against the gravitational force. A solution came to my mind if by any chance I am able to put the lights on everything will be all right, I heaved myself to the study table took the mobile phone started to switched it off but all my efforts went in vain, the mobile is not getting off. I smashed the mobile on to floor. The hardy set still continues to send call. I picked the mobile up and with enormous strength took out the battery. The phone got off.

I literally pounced on the switch board and put the lights on. In an instant, everything was gone. No moonlight no butterfly no fragrance and ofcourse no phantom calls. I had to light cigarettes continuously throughout the night as a fear of in evitable death prompted me to puff out my anxieties.

The tranquilizers are of no help neither the monks nor the festoons could do something.

Next morning I declared that I am not going stay here anymore. My landlady asked me what did I see last night.

I told her about the butterfly and the automatic call made to her. The word of Butterfly suddenly brought a queer expression to her face. The eyes got filled with tears. She was convinced that It was her husband who had tried to contact her.Mrs. Samsay Gyatso finally revealed the million-dollar epithet…..

Mr Tshering Gyatso was a loving husband and a loved musician. He played Violin from the heart's core that drew several of their conjugal sunshines and rainbows fiddling out worries. He had a perfume farm at Silliguri and even exported some of his quality products. This house was his dream project. The room which Mrs. Samsay provided me was actually a cut out portion from the main bedroom. The Window over the ravines was his design. Mr. Tshering Gyatso loved moon lit bedroom and played moon lit sonata for his wife. Mr. Tshering wore a ring on his right ring finger. The ring was specially designed masterpiece from the Tibetian Curio shop. It resembled a small tiny golden butterfly.

I came back to the PG hostel, stopped taking the medication and needless to say that nothing paranormal happened ever after. I was convinced there were more things on heaven and earth than what we seem to comprehend. Gifted the mobile along with the sim card to Mrs. Samsay Gyatso.