Rakandhar

I am currently pursuing my degree in a government college in Goa. Ever since I have started doing my course, I have been residing at the hostel, and will continue my stay here for another four years.

Let me brief you all about my hostel before I get onto the main part of the story. The building has four floors. And I stay on the topmost floor of the building, from where one can get a beautiful view of the city and the windows of my room open into the backyard where trees and all sorts of plants are grown. The backyard almost touches the edge of the road.

It was the season of rains the time I had shifted to the hostel. So the windows shook a lot and made loud screeching sounds as the rain drops hit the window pane, the sounds that the lizards create, and the birds crying in the middle of the night did create a little scary ambience, such that my roommate never did like to spend the night alone.

Days later, the windows were repaired. Thereafter neither the windows shook nor the sounds were heard that the windows earlier produced, though the sounds the lizards made continued.

Then it was one night, all of a sudden, say maybe at about 11pm, I could distinctly hear the loud barking of the dogs in the neighbourhood. Out of curiosity I went to the window to see but nothing could catch my sight. It was then when I could hear a sound as if someone was tapping a stick on road, and the sound seemed to pass by. Though I had focused my eyes on the road, I couldn't really see what the dogs seemed to bark at. It continued until the stick hit the road almost 4-5 times until everything seemed so silent again.

For a minute I shrugged the thought off, thinking it to be my imagination. But the next night the same thing could be heard again, the dogs barking, followed by the sound which seemed to be like someone who passed by while tapping the stick on the road at the same time. Since then everyday these same things are heard. Even as I am writing this, I can still hear the sounds.

When I asked my roommate if she could hear the same, she said yeah even she could hear at times. Upon discussing with my friends about this, they say that in Goa every village or city has a protector known as the "Rakandhar" who roams around the village protecting it.

According to my friends its the "Rakandhar's passing by" that I hear often.

As the months passed by, I grew used to hearing all this. It can be heard at around between 11pm to 2am.

Rakandhar is believed to be the Holy Ghost who protects the place. And every village, city is protected.

Now, whenever I hear the dogs growling at such time, I know what to expect to hear after it.