Are ghosts real? Rationalists say no-o-o-o

Ghosts and ghouls have been a part of the Indian belief system for aeons. Starting from the mention of demons in our ancient scriptures to the existence of gods such as Kal Bhairav, a manifestation of Shiva, who was allegedly the lord of ghosts and commandeered an army of ghouls. And In India, we have an array of names for our night-time visitors — chudail, bhoot, dayan, pret, pisach, aatma — which goes to say that as Indians, our fascination with the paranormal is old and deep rooted.

And this belief system is not bound by geography — a metrosexual male is just as likely to be predisposed to superstitions as a village bumpkin. Narendra Nayak, president, Federation of Rationalist Associations of India, says that fear has little to do with one's reasoning capacity. "Since the ghost is in the mind of the people, one simply becomes a superstitious urban dweller from being a superstitious rural one," says Nayak. "It is the religious and cultural background, and indoctrination from a very young age that makes people believe in ghosts even today."

The Mangalore-based rationalist puts it succinctly when he explains the widespread belief in the paranormal among Indians: "The Indian society is a peculiar mixture of a 21st century technology superimposed on a 16th century mindset," says Nayak. "Our education system doesn't encourage rational thinking. We are good at using technology and applying it to preset tasks, but that's it. Which is why we have a puja before sending a rocket to Mars or so-called ghostly phenomenon in the national capital."

Skeptics claim that ghosts don't exist because of the contradictions in the beliefs that surround them. Their argument is that if ghosts are spirits of dead humans, then why are there no ghosts of animals, who also (supposedly) have a soul? "If claims that ghosts do not show up in developed photographs are true, then all the 'evidence' showing them as blur visions should be immediately ruled out," says BL Yadav, president of The Rationalist Society, Jaipur.
While this particular reasoning might work to write off the shadows in the dark, what about ghosts that take a physiological form by possessing a body, by making eerie noises or breaking objects? "In most such cases, it is the doing of another human being. A supposedly possessed body could be someone's mental illusion or a psychological disease," says Yadav.

Nayak illustrates the human intervention theory by an example. In 1986, his team was challenged by a local newspaper, known for promoting sensationalism around paranormal things, to investigate an apparently haunted residence-cum-hotel in Adyanadka village, about 50 km from Mangalore. It was said that a ghost had been throwing stones on the hotel building. The owner said that while in the daytime, the ghost threw small pebbles, the size of the stones increased drastically at night. He further claimed that the stones were alien to the region.

After some basic investigation, Nayak's team revealed that the 'ghost' was actually a family that lived behind the hotel. The woman of that house wanted to scare away the owners so that her family could take over the hotel business. "Since during the day, their young daughter pelted the stones, she used smaller ones. By night time, the father took over this duty, which is why the stones got larger," explains Nayak. On further exploring the area, Nayak's team also found many stones of the same type in the vicinity.

The inability to be rational in the face of seemingly inexplicable circumstances is aggravated by vested interests, leaving the ghost-believers vulnerable to exploitation. "There is a huge industry that thrives on these people. Everyone from sadhus, astrologers and religious gurus promote these ideas further," says M Hasan Jowher, President of Society for Promoting Rationality (SPRAT). "What's worse is that reputed media houses promote these beliefs by showing astrology shows that talk about getting rid of personal problems with the help of various rituals. This further reinforces their beliefs."

The key in not giving in to fear and superstition is to have a questioning mind. Ask yourself some basic questions, say skeptics. "For instance, why do ghosts never show up in large crowds? Or why do they choose to appear only at night?" quips Yadav. And if this too doesn't work, think about this: If a ghost can walk through walls, then why doesn't it ever drop through the floor?