It was 2015. Siddharth Bantval of the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS), a group of eccentric professionals, got a call, claiming that some paranormal activities had been detected in a house. Bantval and his team rushed to set up their equipment in the house바카라CCTV cameras, electromagnetic field (EMF) meters, night vision cameras, IR torches etc. They were told that objects get displaced from their original places, the TV is put on, light flickers and some strange and ghostly noises are heard by the family living there.
바카라We set up CCTV cameras in their bedroom and started tracking the visuals, but all of a sudden the camera pushed and somebody locked us inside the room. I had only spent a year in IPS, and I was scared,바카라 said Bantval. 바카라But before we started this, we had also asked some questions, the responses to which were inconsistent. So we surmised that the residents are disturbed.바카라
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Bantval and his team are 바카라paranormal investigators바카라. They investigate 바카라haunted locations바카라 for signs of paranormal activity, using electronic devices like digital cameras, EMF meters, dog dazers, etc. 바카라Ghost hunters바카라 accumulate evidence of patterns and coincidences to connect the dots.
A YouTube search about Bhangarh fort in Ajmer, Rajasthan, brings up several videos suggesting paranormal things related to the ruins. It also throws up videos of eccentric content creators interested in 바카라ghost hunting바카라.
There are several vlogs about visits to the fort, which is said to be Asia바카라s most haunted place. Amit Sharma, who runs the YouTube channel Crazy XYZ, has made at least four videos on Bhangarh fort, and three of them have over 15 million views each. 바카라The notoriety of Bhangarh makes people visit this fort and look for such content on YouTube,바카라 says Vikash Yadav, a local, who has visited Bhangarh fort several times.
바카라There is a famous folklore among locals that YouTube has popularised,바카라 Yadav says. The myth goes: a tantric (wizard) fell in love with a queen named Ratnavati. He knew his love would not be reciprocated, so he created a potion to trap her. But she anticipated that and threw the potion on a boulder, which crushed the wizard. While dying, he cursed the fort, and it was subsequently ruined in war. So all those who lived there are trapped inside. However, officials of the Archaeological Survey of India deny this, calling it a 바카라total myth바카라.
In a video titled Searching ghost in Bhangarh fort at night, Sharma spent hours with an EMF meter to capture any electromagnetic field, indicating the paranormal. The video is wacky and dramatic바카라but doesn바카라t bust the myth about the fort being haunted. It did however bust the myth that whoever goes there at night, dies, because he safely spent the night at the fort. However, his other video is not just about 바카라ghost hunting바카라 but includes bewildering stunts, weird hacks and pseudo-science experiments. Many like him make content on ghosts to get 바카라views바카라, as material that contains surprise and mystery gets a lot of views. Sharma also recorded deviations in his EMF meter, but he left this unexplained.
There are questions of reliability of these devices, as deviations can be linked to something else that is not paranormal. For instance, in Bhangarh fort, it is said that there are underground water flows that cause these deviations.
Content creators like Sagar Tiwari, on his eponymous YouTube channel, had more focused videos on 바카라ghost investigations바카라바카라with the intent to bust myths about paranormal activity in a place. He visits places notorious for evil spirits.
In 2019, the Delhi-based YouTuber decided to make a career busting myths about haunted places. 바카라It all started with a dare. My friend asked me to visit a haunted place in Lajpat Nagar and I did and made a video about it.바카라 Sagar is inspired by Gaurav Tiwari, a celebrated 바카라ghost investigator바카라 and founder of Delhi-based IPS, who had frequently appeared on TV shows and news before he died allegedly by suicide in 2016. 바카라Gaurav Tiwari brought this profession to notice in India. I started to follow his work and got inspired,바카라 Sagar says. Now, his channel has around 3 lakh subscribers.
Waqar Raj, the technical head of IPS, is one of the leading names in India for tracking 바카라paranormal바카라 activities, taking forward the legacy of Gaurav Tiwari with his own non-profit organisation. Raj says in his videos on YouTube that 바카라Paranormal has no future in India. I do it as a hobby and for my friend Gaurav Tiwari.바카라
Sagar too believes this profession has a lot of challenges because the government doesn바카라t recognise it. 바카라Since the profession is not recognised, no professional course is available in India. If I want to study it, I can바카라t.바카라
바카라We face a lot of hurdles. Most of the time I don바카라t get a permit to visit such notorious places. Police and locals eye me with suspicion. We don바카라t have any income source except YouTube,바카라 he adds.
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Several ghostbusters that Outlook contacted felt they didn바카라t find any 바카라paranormal activity바카라 in the most notoriously haunted places like Dumas Beach in Surat and Sanjay Van in Delhi. 바카라Often, I saw there were some vested interests that had created a myth about some evil spirit, so that people don바카라t try to buy or visit it, especially in the case of private properties,바카라 says Sagar. 바카라I바카라ve also observed that some people behave eccentrically due to psychological reasons, which people call an evil spell.바카라
Giving the example of Bhangarh fort, Sagar adds, 바카라The myth serves a purpose. Bhangarh바카라s haunted tag made it a tourist destination. People come from across the world to visit 바카라Asia바카라s most haunted place바카라.바카라 Also, 바카라Ghost stories deter people from damaging the fort, which otherwise requires a big police contingent to protect.바카라
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Though ghost investigation may not seem an attractive career for many, for YouTubers, it is. Content creators like Deepak Verma, with his channel The Real One, and Rajesh Meena of Exploring India are garnering millions of views and attracting sponsorships from various brands. Their content, like that of Sagar Tiwari, is systematic and focuses on 바카라ghost busting바카라. But unlike in the West, their content is more 바카라wacky바카라 and 바카라daring바카라.
In India, ghost investigation is a niche market. Not many people know about it. 바카라We help people by bursting myths and creating awareness,바카라 says Sagar. But 바카라the government doesn바카라t consider this,바카라 says Sagar.
"Our profession is serious. We respect our clients and their privacy and don바카라t make clickbait,바카라 says Bantwal, adding "IPS has its own YouTube channel since 2012, but 바카라we바카라re not content creators, we are certified professionals trained by Gaurav Tiwari.바카라
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On YouTube, there are umpteen videos of ghost stories and myths. Even mainstream news channels have done stories of haunted places바카라investigating the 바카라presence of ghosts바카라바카라sometimes refuting the paranormal with scientific evidence. But many a time, they propagate myths, fuelling the curiosity of people based on unscientific myths and age-old folklores.
In an article in the Harvard Business Review, professors Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang explain, 바카라Some research indicates that people with a higher sensation-seeking trait (i.e., a stronger need for experiencing thrill and excitement) tend to seek out and enjoy horror-related experiences more. Those with a lower sensation-seeking trait may find these experiences unpleasant and avoid them.바카라 Also, content with an element of curiosity increases interest.
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In an India riven by superstition, myths, ghosts and evil spirits, social media has amplified consumption of such content. 바카라An armyman once wrote to me that after watching my video, he felt confident to go out and take a leak at night,바카라 says Tiwari. 바카라He was scared of ghosts, because in a place where he was deployed, someone had told him ghost stories and scared him. My audience includes many lawyers and judges who grew up listening to ghost stories,바카라 Tiwari adds.
Another popular theme on social media is the prank video, which gets a lot of traction. Ghosts in stereotypical white clothes and long hair slowly walking towards people to scare them, has become a popular template for such content.
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Sristhi Gurjar (name changed) was in college when she heard there was some spirit in her hostel room. 바카라After hearing rumours, I started believing them,바카라 she says. She started watching videos related to ghosts and similar stuff on social media. 바카라I got two anxiety attacks in a year, and even considered dropping out.바카라
For Sristhi, horror-related content gives relief. A few researchers say that in some cases, watching horror films can help cope with trauma. A research paper published in the journal Science Direct, titled Dissociable neural systems for unconditioned acute and sustained fear, says, 바카라Anticipatory fear increases functional connectivity between anticipation and response networks.바카라 This interaction is 바카라dynamic바카라, and in some cases can also adversely affect people.
Rumours spreading in digital space also keep people engaged and force them to consume more content around it. Harmful games like 바카라Momo Challenge바카라 and 바카라Blue Whale바카라, where kids and adolescents were allegedly targeted to perform self-harming tasks바카라get huge traction in all media. Investigations, for instance into the 바카라Blue Whale바카라 game, revealed there aren바카라t many users of it. Despite that, they are all over the internet, preying on the curiosity of people.
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In an interview, Anand Gandhi, the creative director of the movie Tumbbad, said horror stories across the world weave in human emotions like revenge, guilt, sin, greed or patriarchy. And popular ghosts stories emanate from such emotions.
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In India, ghost stories have characters like 바카라disgruntled wizard바카라, 바카라slaves바카라, 바카라vengeful souls of cheated people바카라, etc. The moralistic underpinning and re-telling of old folklores with more twists, provide a commentary on dynamic changes in society. A lot of this content is repackaged on social media and later goes viral, because people want such content.
Many people told Outlook that they heard stories about 바카라the spirit of a woman taking revenge for mistreatment바카라, 바카라spirits of a family trapped by unfulfilled purpose바카라, etc, and got curious. For instance Malcha Mahal in Delhi바카라s Chanakyapuri, on which you will not only find YouTube videos, but also videos of ghost stories with millions of views.
No wonder Bollywood keeps returning to the haunted house for inspiration.
(This appeared in the print edition as "Desi Ghostbusters")
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