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One of my fav things is to discuss supernatural phenomenons and incidents. Tried to look for a thread dedicated for the same purposes, but failed to find any. So, created this one, where I can share some incidents and trivia (that I know) with fellow IVG members. Also, I am sure there would be many other members who would be interested in the same topic. So let me get the ball rolling; Chhalaava (छलावा): A Spectre With A Funny Bone. In north India, there is supposedly a supernatural phenomenon which is called Chhalaava (Mirage). Several stories have been heard about this phenomenon in almost every village in North India. Why is it called Chhalaava ?? - Simple. Remember the saying "You can be anything you want."??? Well, this thing took this saying a little bit too seriously. And so it can shift its shape to any and everything. It can be a person you know, any stray or domestic animal around you. Hell, it can even be a tree. and there is no way you can spot a difference between a Chhalaava and a real thing. Its that good. What does it do ?? - It likes to have fun. And its idea of fun is to scare others. One thing that you have to admit is that its very creative and comes with a lot of innovative ways to scare people. Also, it likes to wrestle with people. And let me tell you, according to the legends I have herd, there is no man or even a wrestler who had ever defeated this phenomenon. How Chhalaavas are born ?? - There are many supernatural phenomenons in India with explanations of their origins. But this Chhalaava is one tough cookie. There are many theories on how they are born; (1) If you are a person who likes to have fun on other people's expense and die an untimely death, you become a Chhalaava. (2) Some folks say if you are killed by a Chhalaava (shock) you are instantly recruited. (3) It is also said, if anyone defeats a Chhalaava in wrestling, they join them. How to tackle a Chhalaava ? - Simple. Strip down naked. There have been many cases where the 'survivors' say they encountered a Chhalaava and when they stripped off their clothes, it left. The other way to get over a Chhalaava is not to be afraid. If you are not scared of it, it will just go away. Example: Though I know many stories of Chhalaavas having fun, but the following is my fav incident. There was this guy in our ancestral village. Nce and simple guy, helpful, always minded his own business. One day before the crack of the dawn there was a knocking on his door. He opened the door and saw his neighbour who looked really worried. This guy asked what was the matter and the neighbour replied, "My buffalo is missing." Now losing a buffalo in a village is big deal, and so our Mr. Nice guy decided to go with the neighbour to look for the buffalo. The neighbour suggested they should go by the 'Neher' (Canal) as there is a good chance the buffalo might be grazing there. Soon they were by the canal and what they saw in the dim light of cracking dawn was surprising. There were like hundreds of buffaloes grazing in the field across the Neher. "Lets go." said the neighbour but our nice guy asked him how did he know if his buffalo was among the ones across the canal. The neighbour greedily replied, "Our whole village doesnt have these many buffaloes. Clearly they are not from around here. So I dont care if my buffalo is among them or not. I am grabbing as many I can with me." The neighbour reached across the canal and so our good Samaritan accompanied him. But just when our guy reached the field across the canal, all the buffaloes turned into his neighbour. Now there are hundred clones of his neighbour staring at him with sinister smiles. "What is going on?" The guy asked gathering his courage and swallowing his saliva. The neighbour who led him there replied, "Well, I just wanted to have a wrestling match with you." "But.. but I dont want to." the guy was sh*ting his pants. All the neighbours burst into a sadistic laughter. The man was slammed, bashed and tossed high in the air by many neighbours one by one. They all took turn and wrestled with him. When the morning took over, some passer byes noticed a battered man lying in the field across the canal. He was brought back to the village with several broken ribs and many injuries. He didnt talk to his actual neighbour who took him to the canal for months after this incident. Ohh, I forgot to tell you, but besides being nice, that guy was also a renowned wrestler of the village. He quit wrestling after this incident.