09 - 1966 - Chenglepet Nightmare

1966 - Chenglepet Nightmare

I had finished my second year exams at IIT and summer holidays had commenced for all of us. 

My aunt Rajathamma, Dad's younger sister (he had six sister like I do) visited us one week end. She took my mother aside and told her to be careful. 'Careful about what' Amma asked her in a loud voice. I was in the next room and my ears honed in on the hush hush conversation. She said, she had seen the astrologer and that the time was very bad astrologically for my father and me and that my mother should look after me. One of us would die she told my mother'. I just shrugged my shoulders and let it pass as I did not believe in astrology

My older sister Chammakka had finished her House surgeonship or medical internship and got her first posting as a doctor to a place about 35 miles from Madras called Chinglepet. 

She along with another good friend of hers Mala Chanda were posted to the same place. They had joined duty and were temporarily sharing a room in another doctors residence.

My dad suddenly decides that we are all taking the car, my brother in laws Austin A40 in which I had self taught my self to drive with my father by my side
and me driving to Chinglepet for a holiday? . I was shit scared to be honest and my Dad did not know how to drive even though he taught me

My mother protested saying where will we stay. He said we will just stay there for the night with my sister and then look for a place to rent the next day. These things are not done in Madras. Finding a place to rent in one day. There were no such things as Motels those days and we did not have that kind of money to waste either.

I was just 19 and have taken the car out a couple of times. But did not have a license. My dad insists and the whole family leaves in the old Austin A40. The passenger load is so much that breaking was extremely difficult. I had to stand on the brakes. Only weighed 52 kgs then. I take it nice and easy until we get to a railway crossing. The gates are closed and I made the mistake of going right up to the gate which was on a slope and stopped.

The traffic pulled up right behind me pretty fast. Right behind me was a mean looking lorry. The train passed and the gate opened. Now was my turn to proceed being the first car. With the load the car would not go forward and releasing the hand brakes made it slide back onto the lorry behind me. Horns started to blare. And my dad was screaming at me asking me not to be afraid. Fortunately for me the driver of the lorry saw my plight and got his assistant to jump out with a piece of log that he placed behind my back wheel to stop the car from rolling backwards. 

That helped and we were on our merry way to another impending disaster

We reach the house unannounced and my sister Chammakka is very cross but scared to tell my dad anything. So she yells at my mum. 

There was no point as my dad was a tyrant. The owner of the house and his wife were  not too happy either with about six new guests to share the house. Well soon it became dark and there was no choice. Some dinner was prepered and we all crashed where ever we could.

Next morning bright and early my dad disappeared. We all knew he had gone house hunting. By mid day he returns and says he has found a house. We take the car and go shopping for pillows and mats and sheets for the family as well as some cooking utensils and provisions.

By about 4.30p.m  we all pack into the car and make for the new place. We had the use of the first floor of the house with an open terrace as well on the roof. My sister Ummi and I go to the terrace and found that there was a neat little garden and seats made of concrete and cement like garden chairs. This is very uncommon and we were amused.

When we came down we found a number of people from the street had dropped in to say hello to the new comers. This we found was very very uncharacteristic of Indians. Puzzled we decided may be we were city dwellers and that country town people were more friendly. But some of the questions that they kept asking was intriguing to say the least. Yet we did not understand anything that was happening.

It soon became dark and we had dinner that mom cooked played a game of cards and went to bed around 10.00pm I should say.

About 2.00am I was very restless. I sat up as I had had a bad dream. I had dreamt that my father had died. I just shivered with fright and was very very upset. My younger sister Ummi who is now doctor in UK also stirred. She also sat up looking very pale. She was very close to my dad.

We were both sitting up and she says I hate this place. Something bad about it. I said why. She says I had a bad dream but will not tell me what. I told her I had a bad dream too and then told her about my dream. She had tears in her eyes. I said what is the matter. She said she had dreamt the same too. We were both scared. 

Next we hear dad saying what are the two of you doing up and talking at this time. Turn the lights off and go to sleep. So we did. We never defied dad ever.

Would have been about 3.30am. The lights come on in the next room. My dad is up and is walking between the bedroom and the toilet many times. One by one we all wake up as everyone is talking. Dad cannot pass urine. Enlarged prostrate we found out later. As time progressed the bladder was bursting and the abdomen bloated and he was in agony.

At 4.00am I get into the car and drove to fetch my doctor sister her friend and the senior doctor. The three experts examine him and decided to take him to the hospital immediately. They use a catheter to drain the urine and attach a urine bag that he has to carry around. We are all very upset as it was so degrading.

Well there was no point staying on. We had to get back to Madras to see a specialist.

Would have been around 7.30 am and the land lord downstairs comes to know about it. Soon the word gets around and all the people who visited us the previous evening came back to tell us the most horrendous story that we have ever experienced in our lives.

They were all up in arms against the owner who had rented the place to us. They abused her for her greed and putting innocent people's lives at risk.

The story goes that the owner's daughter had committed suicide in that house and no one has ever been allowed to sleep in the first floor ever since her death. Who ever tried, never slept more than one night. The garden on the roof which we thought was unusual was for the dead daughter to enjoy.

So our family had just slept there one night.

A few months before us was a young muslim doctor Ghani who had come with his wife and sister. They stayed one night too and the sister became violently ill. She had died within a month. 

When my dad was not around the good neighbours told us that we should look after him well and make sure he survives a month. After which he would be safe from the curse. He was in hospital for exactly 29 days and was going to be discharged that day when he asked me to go home and get the house ready for him. He died in the hospital of a heart attack even before I had reached home.

We checked on the Hindu almanac and felt so bad that the day we left home was  a bad day for travel for my dad and death was indicated.

My dads words on his last day:

I had gone to the hospital in the morning with some breakfast for my dad. He seemed in high spirits and was chatting up the nurses in his usual way. He still had his urine bag. They had refused to perform a surgery on his prostrate as he had very high blood pressure.

Two things come to mind. 

My dad asked me for his cheque book as he wanted me to draw some cash on my way home for expenses. He signed my name as Ramachandra….very unusual I thought for him to get my name wrong…I asked him what had happened and why he had spelt my name incorrect. It should have been RamChander. 

Well it is Gods name he said and nothing wrong about that….that was the last cheque he had signed and was to God….for what ever reason it happened.

Then he turned around and asked me how will you carry me upstairs ?? 

This upset me very much. I said Acha what is the matter with you. You are walking all over the hospital and you will be climbing up the stairs.

He shook his head and said 'No you will have to carry me upstairs.' 

I just left it at that.

His subconscious mind was at work and he knew what lay ahead. 

I left the hospital and he died with just mum next to him, within 20 minutes of my departure. I did not know for one full hour as I took the bus home. There were no Moble phones and for that matter we could not even afford a land line. I was shocked out of my wits when I got home and got the news. He was right after all. We had to carry him upstairs for he would never walk again.

My dad was a very angry man and we used to be at loggerheads especially as I used to defend mom all the time which angered him more. But my dad was very special. He worked all his life so hard to provide for his huge family as well as his mother and sister. He did it all single handed. He was definitely my unsung hero. He loved cars and property but never had them.

Every time I have purchased a new car in Sydney. I sit in it and dedicate it to my Dad and imagine how much he would have loved to drive around in these beautiful cars. Physically he may not have been there but was always there in spirit with me.

Damn the rotten Ghost. Why did it have to be my Dad ?