...Hauntings..

...The Curse...

THE CURSE                                                                                                                               UNKNOWN,INDIA (1900s)

The British ruled our country for almost a hundred years. Why were they able to do so? Because we as a country believed more in myths than science, each of us had our own beliefs and faiths. I chanced upon a few stories from the British raj and I realized that some of the Indian myths were actually facts waiting to become science. After all "A myth is but a fact waiting to be discovered or forgotten"

This story dates back to the 1900s. I do not exactly remember the province or the location. I found this old paper tucked away in an old library book by sheer luck maybe this too was another myth waiting to be discovered; A diary account of some British forest officer. In some places the writing was very illegible and I had to make up facts of my own but more or less the story is the same as the military veteran, in the pages of his diary, recounted it.

There are some words in this diary entry, which may hurt the sentiments of my countrymen but be rest assured folks that these words are written as I found them. We are used to reading history and I would request all of you to take it as if you were reading a page from a history book.

"Dear Diary,

Sometimes I feel that the Indians are a very strong race, they have great logic and great strength and amazing strategizing qualities. I had read a novel of Collins where he had indeed given the explanation of the anatomy of the Indian and the African skull. The brains within these skulls were much more intelligent and hardworking though their lobe of self-reliance was small. Their tribe craved subjugation and their subjugators made best use of them.

I had a cavalry of strong villagers. They revered the animals of the forest and some of them were even brave enough to fight with a cheetah or leopard if need be. But I was amazed how they would cower in fear when they were told to go into the forest in the night after dark. When I asked them what happened to their courage in the night, they had a strange tale to tell me. Their village witch doctor believed that in the night, wandering human spirits possessed most of the vicious animals of the forest. Apparently, these spirits gave the animals magical strength to slay humans that came across them.

What rubbish? Is what I had, to say to their story? I believed in my own science till I experienced the story of the village headman in real life....

It was the morning of 18th of October when I received a letter from the British high commission. They were sending an official of a higher rank to take a tour of the forest. I did not happen to know who this was but I had to get cracking. I had to tidy the areas around the forest and I had to do it before nightfall as no matter however I forced the villagers would not work after dark. I sent the villagers to do my bidding and told them to complete the job before nightfall. They did it so beautifully well that I wanted to praise them but I had direct orders never to praise an Indian, as it would start a revolution.

The officer who came was George boot. I had heard of him he was a ruthless and cunning leader. He had killed many people and slaughtered many Indians for his own benefits. He was also the British official who probably had the maximum number of animal trophies at his house. People called him the master of the Zoo of corpses. As soon as he stepped foot on my soil I ran over to his carriage to salute him.

"Trevor, have you not been flogging these Indian dogs, this place is a mess", these were his first words. I could do nothing but nod in agreement. After this he walked to my tent and sat on my chair. His butler ran to get him a cup of cehlone tea from the carriage. Boot went through a few of my blue prints of expansion and then ruthlessly tore them and threw them in the bin.