#TeaCupsFullGardenTales
Set in 1972 at Badamtam Tea Estate in Darjeeling.
Sharing with you a story narrated by my mother in law Kumkum Puri, “It was a cold winter evening, Narendra had come back home early after visiting the factory and was sipping a cup of Darjeeling Tea. I was changing Divya’s nappy, then a few months old baby, he had his legs up till he suddenly grabbed my hair and pulled me down. He scratched me on my face. I was scared. I had heard stories of children getting possessed by ghosts but was in denial at that moment.
I shouted out to Narendra who ran into the room and picked Divya into his arms. He bit Narendra’s right hand so hard that it started to bleed. Narendra clung on to him, trying to calm him, he let him bite. Both of us were chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’, which carried on the whole night. He fell off to sleep after midnight.
The next morning he was normal as though nothing had happened. We narrated the incident to the servants. Divya’s aya didi sent for the Jhakri (the village doctor), he came and chanted local Tibetan mantras and lit a dhoop to calm him. Low and behold, Divya was fine in less than five minutes. According to the Jhakri, it was the doing of evil spirits in the hills.
Warmly,
Shikha
Manager's bungalow at Badamtam Tea Estate, where Mr and Mrs Puri lived.