They say that the best way to believe in something is to experience it first hand. The shock that your senses experience when they visualize something extraordinary places a lasting impression on your mind. No matter how hard you try, the image keeps forming in front of your eyes. It does not let you sleep. It does not let you eat. It does not let you rest. It does not let you be what you were before this experience. Your whole life simply changes.
Shimla is a beautiful hill station located in the Northern part of India. It is the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh. Before India's Independence, it was the Summer Capital of the British. The cold climate of this hill station attracted the British to establish this city in the dense forests of the Himalayas. I had taken the Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to reach Kalka. The train journey was about four hours in duration. From Kalka, I took a connecting train to Shimla. Even though the car journey from Kalka to Shimla is about 90 kilometers and it takes around three hours. But, I preferred to make the longer trip of five and half hours by the famous Kalka Shimla toy train. The train took me through the famous and picturesque Kalka route. The narrow gauge rail line has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the steepest rise in altitude in a distance of 96 Kilometers. The Kalka-Shimla railways line has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for the Mountain Railways of India. I captured some amazing photos on the way and felt that I had taken the right decision to travel by train.
My train arrived at Shimla by late evening. It was around 9 pm and I was tired from my ten-hour long train journey. I had booked a hotel close to the Railway station. I took a cab from the station to reach my hotel. After completing the hotel room booking formalities I went to my room to freshen up. I changed my clothes and went to a restaurant just outside my hotel to have my dinner. After eating my favorite butter chicken and a couple of tandoori rotis I really felt heavy and sleepy. I paid for my dinner and hit straight to my hotel room. I went to sleep the instant I landed on my bed.
I woke up the next morning around 7 AM. I looked outside my room window. It was snowing outside. It was my first experience of seeing snow. I felt so happy. Experiencing snowfall had been a top item on my bucket list and I was finally going to cross it now. This was the main reason I had traveled to Shimla in this chilly month of January. I quickly took a bath and got ready to have my breakfast. I had a quick complimentary breakfast in my hotel restaurant. The snowfall had ceased by the time I had finished my breakfast. I learned from the waiter that it had been snowing all night. I had booked a cab to show me around the city. I was worried if the snowfall would have caused roadblocks. But, the waiter informed me that the government snow clearing machines had cleared the snow from the roads. He said that the tourist income was a major source of the state revenue and the government ensured to keep adequate facilities to boost tourism. I tipped the waiter and went to the car parking outside the hotel.
My cab driver was waiting for me in the parking area smoking a cigarette and reading the Daily newspaper. He smiled as he saw me approaching his old white ambassador car which he had washed and cleaned for our trip. I smiled back and got in the car. I had just packed a small backpack with few snacks and a spare set of clothes. I had slung my Nikon DSLR camera on my neck. I wore my Rayban aviator goggles and my new Nike hat. I was wearing a black leather jacket and a red scarf. I was also wearing a muffler and heavy boots. I was looking every bit like a seasoned tourist now. My great Shimla adventure was just about to start.
My cab driver first took me to the Ridge. This is the most popular tourist destination of Shimla and located on the Mall road at the heart of the city. This beautiful place was brimming with tourists. There were cafes, bars, boutiques, shops, and restaurants everywhere to attract a large number of tourists. There were Pine, Himalayan Oaks, and Fir trees everywhere. I was mesmerized by the beautiful Gothic architecture. I was able to capture some amazing pictures at this location. I had a quick lunch in one of the restaurants. After my lunch, I bought a beautifully embroidered shawl for my mother.
I told my cab driver that I wanted to visit a calm place now which had a lesser number of people. So, my cab driver said that he would take me to Chail hill station which is located about 44 kilometers from Shimla. He said it was a summer retreat built by the Maharaja of Patiala during the British Raj. He said this hill station had the world's highest cricket ground and a Polo ground at an altitude of 2,250 meters. I was very excited by the description of this hill station and waited eagerly to reach there.
We reached the hill station after a drive of about one and a half hours. I was amazed by the breathtaking view of the valley. Since the weather was good my driver asked me if I wanted to do some hiking before we visited the nearby tourist places. I was super excited by the prospect of walking in the snow-covered jungle and told him I would love to go hiking. He asked me to stay on the walking trail and return in half an hour.
I started my walk along the beautiful valley trail. I could hear the chirping of the Himalayan Magpies and Thrushes perched on the tall oak trees. In the distance, I could hear the water flowing along the slopes of the hill. There was fresh snow on the trees and along the goat's trail. There was absolutely nowhere around and I felt a profound sense of calmness had descended on me. I was walking peacefully in solitude far away from all worries of the world all alone but not lonely. My heart was experiencing an inner joy which I had never experienced before. I kept capturing the beautiful landscape on my camera. I saw some deer grazing in a distance and walked in their direction to capture their pictures. I was able to capture some lovely photos. I had been walking for quite some time and had lost track of time. I looked at my watch and it had been almost two hours since I had started my hike. I thought of returning back. But, suddenly I looked around and realized that I had forgotten my way back.
I was now in a thick part of the jungle and it was almost 4 pm. It gets dark very early in the winters and the weather had also started to become cold. I checked my phone and there was no network. I tried hard to recollect the way back to the walking trail. But, I could not find it. I looked around for someone else and shouted for help. But, I could see no one else. I realized how foolish I had been in venturing so far without any proper equipment or a guide. I tried frantically to find a way back but I had to finally give up after a struggle of a couple of hours. I now thought realistically and thought that if I had to survive the night then I would have to find some shelter. The jungle was home to some wild animals like wolfs and leopards. And, there was also the danger of snowfall and dying off the cold. So, I started moving further in the jungle looking for a shelter or a place to spend the night. I was starting to feel hungry and exhausted. Luckily, I had brought my backpack and ate a few snacks and drank a little water to keep hydrated.
I kept walking in the jungle and it was almost pitch dark now. I was using my cellphone's torch to look around. I had almost given up hope when suddenly I saw the glow of a lamp at a distance. I hurriedly rushed in the direction of the light. When I reached closer, I found the light was coming out of the window of a small cottage. I knocked on the door but no one answered it. I crept inside from the window. I was surprised to see a well lit and nicely furnished cottage with no one inside. The light was coming out of candles and lamps inside the cottage. A wooden dining table was placed in the center of the cottage. The dining table had been laid with a variety of dishes, fruits, salads, meat, roast turkey and fine wines. I wondered who had laid out this magnificent candlelight dinner in the middle of the jungle.
Since it was getting very cold outside, I pushed the door and after some effort, it opened up. I quickly closed the door and sat on a chair beside the table. A fire was burning close to the chair and I put my hands over it to keep warm. After I had warmed myself, I began to feel hungry again. I really did not want to eat someone else's dinner. But, since I was feeling very hungry I thought that I would eat just a little food and explain to the people that I had lost my way. I thought that they would probably be understanding and helpful. I also thought that maybe they would also help me tomorrow morning to find my way back to the hilltop as well. I helped myself to the soup and the chicken. I sipped a little brandy to keep me warm. The meal was hot and delicious. I had been anticipating that someone would arrive at the cottage at any moment. But, surprisingly no one turned up.
I soon started feeling sleepy and decided to take some rest. My legs were stiff after the long trek. I lay down on a mat beside the door. I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep. I had been sleeping for a few hours when I was suddenly woken up by a loud guffaw in the middle of the night. I opened my eyes dreamily to see a young military officer and a lady having dinner. I woke up with an alarm. I thought that perhaps my hosts had been kind enough to sense that I had been sleeping and decided not to disturb me. So, I approached the young officer to thank him.
"I want to thank you so much for your kindness," saying this I stepped forward to thank the officer. The officer took no note of my presence. I turned to the lady and she too seemed to have ignored me. I felt that I must have really annoyed them by encroaching on their privacy. I felt very ashamed. "I am so sorry Sir, I should not have had your dinner without your permission. I should have waited for you. I had lost my way, Sir. And, was exhausted. My sincere apologies to you and the Lady," I apologized to my hosts. Still, the officer continued to guffaw and enjoy his meal. The lady laughed shyly. It seemed they were completely oblivious to my presence.
I sensed that something was wrong. It took me a moment to realize that the young officer was actually not an Indian military officer. He was a smart, lean, white man with black hair and wore a Khaki color uniform. Indian army officers wear green color uniforms. The lady was also not an Indian. She was a white girl and had black hair and was dressed in a beautiful white gown. She was wearing a big pink hat with plumes. The couple was talking in a British accent. They looked like husband and wife or lovers and they were totally in love with each other. I stood looking at them bewildered. I felt like I had breached a very private dinner party and my hosts were ignoring me to make me feel that I was an unwanted guest. So, I decided to try to apologize one last time to them and leave the place.
I approached the officer and kept my hand over his shoulder to seek his attention. I was shocked beyond words when my hand simply slipped through his body. It felt as though my hand had made contact with thin air. I was afraid and my whole body froze in sheer fright. The whole thing finally started making sense. It seemed like the British officer and the lady were actually some ghosts from the bygone British era. I had stumbled upon them my by chance when I had wandered into the jungle. My whole body started shivering with fright and I rushed to the door. I pushed the door open and ran out. It was cold outside but it was nothing compared to the chill that I had just experienced inside the cottage.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and after some time, I stumbled upon a small village. It was 4 AM in the morning. I went to a hut and banged on the door. A villager came out and looked at me curiously. I told him that I had lost my way and begged him to provide shelter to me till morning. The hut dweller was a kind-hearted man and he took me inside his hut. He woke up his wife and asked her to prepare tea for me. When I had settled down a little bit I told him about the strange experience I had in the jungle.
The villager and his wife stared at each other. The villager said,"Babuji (Sir in Hindi), You are very lucky. The good souls have provided shelter to you. The ghosts you saw were of a British officer William Higgins and his wife. Everyone in our village has seen them. It is said that the husband-wife had gone to the jungle on a Shikar (Hunt in Hindi). At night, when they were having dinner a gang of dacoits attacked them and shot them dead. From that night, their souls are haunting these jungles."
I was taken aback after hearing this story. All these years, I had thought of ghosts as fictitious characters created by fickle minded people. But, here I was in the middle of a ghost story myself. My whole life and how I viewed it had completely changed after this incident. I stopped visualizing ghosts as shown to us in the movies. I did not think of them as bloodthirsty ghouls or ferocious monsters anymore. They were not scary creatures who walked in a twisted way or were hell-bent on revenge. I rather see them now as wandering souls who are completely unaware that they are dead. They are waiting for someone to help them and free them from their pain.
After returning to Delhi, I decided to study the paranormal science and help the lost souls to find peace. My trip to Shimla had completely transformed me. This was the first account of my experience with the Paranormal entities. I have since encountered several such events during the course of my long career as a Paranormal consultant. I am writing a book on all these events and will be publishing it shortly.
The End
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