The journal of cursed objects across the globe (ghungroo)
I will be writing short stories over the following weeks about cursed objects. What exactly is a cursed object? It is an object that brought some adversity or misfortune to the owner or anyone who had contact with it. A cursed object has some terrifying history attached to it.
My fist story begins in the colourful country of India, called ‘Ghungroo’ (metallic bells strung together and worn on the leg as a musical piece)
Sanjana came from a place in India called Najafgarh. It was 1964, Sanjana and her family struggled with poverty. It was tough for Sanjana and her siblings. Their dad was very ill and could not work. He needed medical attention and they could not make enough money. Sanjana helped nearby farmers clean the entire farm by herself. Her two brothers were young. Raj was eight and Sanjeev was two. Raj would help Sanjana when he could.
Sanjana loved to dance and was very good at it. She loved the classical dance of ghungroo. They could not afford the ghungroo, Sanjana made one out of wire and stones. When she danced, all her worried would fade away. The classical dance school was hosting a ghungroo dance competition. The winner would receive a 1000 rupees and free dancing lessons for a year. Sanjana was ecstatic to hear about this competition. She would have enough money to get her father medical assistance. Unfortunately, she did not own a ghungroo. This made her very depressed.
The days turned into weeks and she still could not buy or borrow a ghungroo. One morning, on her way to one of the farms, she stumbled across a young woman’s dead body. The young woman’s body was in a bad decayed condition. Sanjana was terrified and began to run. She ran straight into her brother Raj and did not want him to see the body. She sent him to bring help while she waited with the body. As Sanjana stood there, she noticed a beautiful ghungroo on the dead girl’s body and contemplated removing it from her leg. She paced around waiting for Raj. However, very distracted by the ghungroo. She decides to quickly remove it and places it in her pocket.
Sanjana did not tell anyone what she had done. The next day was the day of the competition. Sanjana made her way to the venue and tied the ghungroo onto her ankle. She danced so beautifully and did not miss a beat. The judges were very impressed by her and she had won the competition. Sanjana’s family were relieved to finally receive the medical help for her dad. That evening, she was so happy, she slept with the ghungroo on her leg.
The next morning, she tried to untie it and it could not come off. Sanjana’s mum and dad were going out of town to meet with a doctor and left Sanjana to take care of Raj and Sanjeev. A week had passed and Sanjana could not get the ghungroo off her leg. What had made matters worse, she noticed a rash developing under the belt. She started becoming weak and the rash began to spread onto her thighs and abdomen.
Sanjana looked at her body and it reminded her of the young woman’s body. Her parents returned home, shocked to find Sanjana covered in this decaying rash. They tried to remove the ghungroo and it would not come off. she eventually tells her parents where she had found the ghungroo. After a few weeks, Sanjana passes away. Her family were devastated. After her life comes out, so does the ghungroo.
Some say, if you walk at night on the farms, you can hear the sound of the ghungroo…
Ghungroo Dance :
