The year might have been 1965-66; we lived at Jammu and would go during summer vacations to Kashmir.
I along with my sisters and our mother arrived at our Matamal@Safakadal, this would be our vacation home for the next two months. Our younger mamaji we called Bhaiji one day accompanied us to his that time posting which was situated next to a beautiful garden at Acchabal. It was a beautiful forest hut which served as his office cum residence. The hut was located half way up the hill behind the garden and to reach it we had to travel through the garden which had in addition to flowers and lawns , beautiful ponds full of trout fish. Those days we would sit on the veranda and often saw wildlife like mountain cats, wolves and the like - chasing each other up and down the mountain slopes making loud scary noises. One such evening I was found to have very high fever and despite all efforts of applying cold bandages to my forehead it wouldn’t come down. It was told that I had become very agitated , my eyes had bulged and I was muttering gibberish. Everybody was scared and it was suggested that I may have been affected by some mountain spirit. Next day morning a local hindu Priest was summoned. He lit some incense in an earthen plate and proceeded to perform some sort of exorcism. Occasionally between his chants he would blow the smoke on my face. After a while he declared that I was free from any spirit and instructed to keep a small iron object under my pillow when I slept. Later a doctor was also called and he gave me an injection and some bitter mixture. Those sensations ; the events of that night still remained with me until my teen years and whenever I used to have high fever I would always follow the advise - and keep a small knife under my pillow.
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