Desi folk have been superstitious since time immemorial. And a major part of the country still fails to break free from its clutches. But when it comes to family, people go to any extent, be it in the name of superstition or for the fear of God.
The curious case of a man hailing from UP is proof. Fearing his death, a 66-year-old man has been dressing as a bride since the past 30 years. Chintaharan Chauhan, a labourer from Jaunpur dresses completely like a bride, with a red sari, huge nose ring, bangles and jhumkas. Apparently, he does so to ‘save’ his entire family, reports News18.
“I have lost 14 members of my family in the past years and the chain of deaths stopped only after I started dressing up as a bride,” he said.
Married at the age of 14, Chauhan first lost his wife within a few months of their marriage. He then worked at a brick kiln in West Bengal at 21, where he became friends with the owner of a grocery shop. After four years, Chauhan married the daughter of the Bengali shop owner. But since the family objected to their marriage, Chauhan quietly left his Bengali wife and returned home. The betrayed wife could not tolerate this and committed suicide, reported Gulf News.
“A few months after my third marriage, I fell ill and one by one my family members started dying. My father Ram Jiyavan, elder brother Chotau, his wife Indravati, their two sons, younger brother Badau died in quick succession. Then my brothers’ three daughters and four sons also died,” he said. According to him, his Bengali wife who kept visiting him in his dreams, insisted he dresses as a bride to stop deaths in his family.
“She would accuse me of betraying her and would cry loudly. One day in my dream, I begged for forgiveness and asked her to spare me and my family. She asked me to keep her with me by dressing up as a bride and I agreed. Since that day, I have been dressing up as a bride and the deaths in the family have stopped,” he said.
He further added that his health has also improved. Although his third wife passed away a few years ago, his sons, Ramesh and Dinesh, are reportedly healthy. “In the beginning, people laughed at me but I have done this to save my family. People now sympathise with me,” he said.
Well, this is not one stray case that has made headlines. Several bizarre cases of people going above and beyond just because of age-old superstitions are still reported. Do you believe in them?