30-Day Haunting

Horror Stories - 30-Day Haunting

It was the eve of National Day, 15 years ago. Traditional Indian dancer Sri Ganesan, in his 50s, went to see a young businessman one night for sponsorship for his upcoming dance show. Two days later, he heard about his death and attended his funeral. He heard that the businessman, who was 12 years his junior, had been attacked by a group of gangsters.

“He had gone to a pub on the first floor of a shoplot for drinks. He invited me but I did not join him,” he said.

It seemed someone called to meet him downstairs. When he went down, he was attacked by his assailants sometime past midnight,” said Sri Ganesan. After returning from the funeral, Sri Ganesan felt as if an entity had followed him home. He could feel his body turning icy cold, now and then, as if a presence was nearby, whether in the day or at night. He was scared out of his wits. He believed the businessman was haunting him.

“Sometimes, I felt someone was in the front passenger seat as I drove home,” said Sri Ganesan. 

“There were times when I looked at the rear mirror and thought I saw a fleeting shadow on the back seat. Was it my imagination or was it the ghost of the businessman?”

At home, he could feel the chills when he saw the dead man’s face in one of his dance photographs. When he looked again, it vanished.

“I also felt someone sleeping next to me or sitting by my bed,” he said.

The only time he did not feel a ghostly presence was when he was taking a bath or in the toilet.

“The black thread from the temple which I wore for protection did not keep the ghost away,” he said.

After 10 days of ghostly encounters, Sri Ganesan confided in a friend who also knew the late businessman. The friend then informed him that the family of the dead businessman decided to hold a 30-day prayer ritual for him.

The Indians believe that the prayer ritual is to appease the soul of the dead which still lingers on earth even after burial or cremation. It is only after the ritual that the soul would find peace and leave this earth.

“Strangely, exactly after 30 days, I did not feel afraid anymore,” he related.

“I did not feel any presence around me. It was a big relief.”