I am writing here on a phenomenon that may initially seem to have no connection to the general mood of my other writings. Yet, there is a link, which may become visible later, much later.

It is my experience with a phenomenon which may be described as of the Supernatural. Am I superstitions?

I think not.

It is about a being or entity called ‘Muthappan’. The name itself may seem very primitive when seen from English; it is connected to the local vernacular. When I start describing it, it may seem like the Black Magicians & Medicine men of tribal Africa, I used to see in the Phantom Comics during my adolescent years. When I first heard of this entity, this was the very feeling that I had.

I first came across thing entity in the small south Indian town of Cannnore, in the state of Kerala. To describe it: A man starts dressing up in weird tribal attire. There is a headgear made of colourful materials. A large liplike fitting, on the mouth area. To the accompaniment of Chenda (tribal drums of the locality), this man then starts moving in a peculiar rhythmic manner. Then there is chanting of certain words. In the very front of our eyes this person changes into another personification. His voice is changed entirely from the original man. There is fire (a lamp) in front of him.

Though there are many temples where this ritual is enacted with precise decorum, I was very much impressed by this ritual in a small temple at the Cannanore Railway Station.

When the person has changed into the new being, people stand in a line. As one by one of them approach Muthappan, he takes the token amount they have in their hands, and then he utters words which are very, very uncanny for their precision in connection to the person in question. He remains in this form for around 4 to 5 hours.

There is no unnecessary shouting or other distracting actions on his part. Persons ask him question on themes of distress or interest to them. He looks into the lamp and answers with supernatural precision.

When I first saw this entity in this temple, he was doing his ritualistic dance; to the tempo of sharp and piercing chenda beats. The people around him did not seem very impressive.

Then one day, just to tide over the boredom of the moment, I also stood in the queue. The moment I gave my hands to Him, it became a moment of shattering change. What he said in a most casual manner was of with the most shocking exactitude. No scientific instrument or gadget could come near to it in exactness.

Over the years, I have found that this is a near Supernatural phenomenon continuing with supernatural exactitude. He does not narrate one’s complete destiny, past, or present. It is more or less addressing of specific points.

People do think that the spirit or soul or some other supernatural being comes and enters the person who is in the enactment. Actually differing persons does the enactment on different days. In the temple where I do go, this ritual is conducted once every week.

I am sure that something is taking over the person’s personality, and a new personality comes into charge. But it need not be that of a spirit coming through the air, in invisible form, and creeping inside. It seems to me a case of the chanting, activating the other program/software/spirit and disabling the original human software program.

Here I conclude. For, I may come back with another side of this phenomenon from another direction.

Standing on a different frame of reference