Journey of souls - The story of Reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a belief that after death soul travels to another body. It can be human or animal depending upon the moral quality of previous life. Christianity and Islam don't agree to this but this is a very common belief in Buddhism and Hindu Religion.

Science has not found any proof as of now if souls can travel or even remember the afterlife. Many studies have been conducted and research is still going on.

Biggest example of Reincarnation is Shanti Devi. This incident came to light in December 1930, when she was 4 years of age and asserted that the parents she is living with are not her real parents and claimed to remember details from her past life.

She claimed that her name in earlier life was Lugdi Devi and she was married and had a son with her husband. She had said that her husband lived in Mathura but never uttered his name.

The headmaster located a merchant in Mathura who had lost his wife, Lugdi Devi, nine years earlier, ten days after having given birth to a son.



Shanti Devi too had claimed that not only was she married but that she died 10 days after childbirth. She said that her husband, Kedar Nath, wore reading glasses, had a wart on his left cheek, and was a fair-skinned man.

In early days, her parents were bothered about their daughter's mental health and this case was brought to the attention of Mahatma Gandhi who set up a commission to investigate; a report was published in 1936. Gandhi appointed 15 prominent people including parliamentarians, media members, and national leaders for investigating the case.

These 15 people took Shanti Devi to Mathura, arriving on 15 November 1935. At the station, they showed her a stranger from Mathura and asked if she could recognise him. She immediately touched his feet and recognised him as her husband’s elder brother, who he was.

On reaching home, Shanti Devi immediately recognised her father-in-law amidst a crowd. Shanti Devi told them that in her past life she had buried some money in a particular location in her house in Mathura.

Shanti Devi took the party to the second floor and showed them a spot where they found a flower pot but no money.

The girl, however, insisted that the money was there. Kedarnath later confessed that he had taken out the money.

Everyone was awestruck and couldn't figure it how any of this could be true. The commission’s report concluded that Shanti Devi was indeed the reincarnation of Lugdi Devi.

Shanti Devi was a biology major in school and stayed single throughout her life.

She was close to a Swedish editor who wrote about her life and served her journey to the entire world. She received Padma Shri in January 2021 for her social work in the Maoist-hit Rayagada region. She helped poor and needy for more than six decade.

There are many books written on her life, I have lived before is one of them.

There are many incidences in the world that prove reincarnation is possible. Most of the incidences were seen in Central Asia. This may be because families are closer to each other as compared to the family culture in West.

What are your thoughts on Reincarnation? Do you think this was just a coincidence? Have you ever come around any such incident?

Did you know Shaniwar Wada is actually haunted ?

Most of us have watched Bajirao Mastani but a few of us know that the palace wherein certain shots were taken is considered haunted. We are talking about Shaniwar Wada, which is a seven storey building in Pune that represents Peshawa's culture and Heritage.

Wada in Marathi can be used for any residence complex. Shaniwarwada was built in 1732, it was considered a great seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire until 1818. Following the rise of the Maratha Empire, the palace became the centre of Indian politics in the 18th century.

In 1773, Narayanrao, who was the fifth and ruling Peshwa then, was murdered by guards on orders of his uncle Raghunathrao and aunt Anandibai. A popular legend has it that Narayanrao's ghost still calls for help on full moon nights. Various people, working around the area, have allegedly reported the cries of "Kaka mala vachava"(Uncle, save me) by Narayanrao Peshwa after his death.

It was considered as the most gruesome death of the era. He was chopped in small pieces and fed to fishes in the nearby lake. The disposition took a whole week.

As per the local legends, Shaniwar Fort, ever since that gruesome murder, became a site with terrible haunting cases. It was as if the murder opened up a portal and now Shaniwar Fort is populated by all those who died or were killed in the fort complex. Many locals still say that sometimes they hear the young Peshwa’s gruesome screams. Entry to the fort after 6:30 PM is strictly not allowed.

Apart from history, Shaniwar wada holds an important place in modern day cinema. Movies like Bajirao Mastani and Panipat featured this wada which increased curiosity among the audience.

Wada looks mesmerising and the thought of it being made in the 1700s blows a lot of minds but still many questions haunt us. How would the cries of Narayanrao stop? How can people still hear him calling for help? Why did he call on full moon nights only? Why is the wada closed in the evening? Should we be scared?

What are your thoughts on it?