This is my second story and I will be telling you about one of my maternal grandmother's experiences. The particular experience made her a total believer in supernatural forces.
When my Grandmother was a young girl, she was a bit rebellious by nature. My great grandfather also loved her very much as she was a reason because of which his life had been spared during Hindu-Muslim riots of 1947. My maternal side also is Brahmin and so is my paternal (in India, people usually marry in the caste).
Around the year 1953, my great grandfather shifted to the town of Solapur. Here he lived in a temple for few years before purchasing a house of his own. Even though my grandmother lived in a very religious atmosphere, she did not believe in God or evil.
In our country, mostly in the villages, during certain times of the year a Devi enters the body of a certain individual. Now Devi literally means a Goddess. When this Devi enters the body of the individual, usually the entire village flocks on to meet her. They offer her food and different gifts, while the Devi usually aids them by giving them certain advice. Now near to my grandmother's house, there was a woman whose body would get possessed by some Devi certain times of the year. Everybody would go and offer their respects to this Devi.
Once it happened that my grandmother visited her home when she had been possessed. Seeing all the people over there praying to the Devi and offering her food and gifts amused my grandmother. She ridiculed the Devi in front of all the townsmen and said that even if Gods and Goddesses exists, they would never enter the body of a living man. Only evil spirits will try to something like this. Then she asked the townsmen to go back home and pray to their Gods over there. Saying so, she walked out of their home.
Later that night, before sleeping when my grandmother entered in to the toilet, she saw a beautiful woman with jet black hair, wearing a pure white sari standing there and staring at her. The woman had no rage in her eyes. She was just staring at my grandmother. Alarmed by the fact that a stranger was in our home, my grandmother ran to my great grandfather and told him that there is a stranger in the toilet. When he entered the toilet, the mysterious woman had vanished. As soon as he left, my grandmother could see the woman again. This time she really got scared and thought that this must be the spirit of that Devi. So she told my great grandfather the truth about what she had done in the morning. My great grandfather got really mad at this and told her never to insult any spirit ever again, good or bad. He told her that she was lucky as the spirit had not yet harmed her and asked her to go and beg forgiveness to the Devi next day.
The following day my grandmother went and asked for forgiveness to the Devi when she had possessed the woman. The Devi forgave her and she too asked my grandmother never to insult other spirits. She said that although some of them would understand her childish remarks, many others would have harmed her.
My grandmother's life completely changed after this incident. She started to believe in God more and became a totally religious person. Even today, when we meet, this is one of our favourite stories from her. She thanks the Devi for strengthening her belief in God. I don't know what these spirits actually are but if you search, you will find they are still quite popular in my country.
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