Spooked out: City wakes up to paranormal walks

Imagine getting down from your car on a lonely road in the night and spotting some sudden movement around. Scary, isn’t it? Now, picture an old dilapidated bungalow in the vicinity; one that has no ceiling or human presence but something completely spooky about it. Normally, one would just get back into the car and drive away by this time, but not Akshai Sthalekar.
Spooky tales
Narrating one of his investigative experiences to us, Akshai, a paranormal expert from the city, explained how he didn’t want to turn back halfway from the spot. “This place is on the Pune-Lavasa road and according to locals, there have been a lot of spirits spotted walking around during the late night, in the area. We decided to investigate and finalised this place for one of our paranormal walks,” informs Akshai, founder of the Indian Paranormal Team (IPT). While the enthusiasts who embarked on the walk got scared after reaching the bungalow, Akshai went in. According to him, he saw three graves at a corner of the house in a photograph he took from one of the specialised devices used in
paranormal investigations.
Paranormal walks on the rise
The popularity of Hollywood horror franchises, including Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring, Insidious and more, has swept across a wave of curiosity about the paranormal among many. Understandably then, paranormal experts get a lot of enquiries from people wanting to be a part of their investigations, either just for the thrill of it or to actually find out if ‘such things’ exist. Prathamesh Hindagle, a businessman, accompanied IPT on one of their investigations and came back convinced about paranormal activity. “You can’t be a sceptic and not do anything about it. I ventured on the investigation partly because I wanted to find out if such things actually happen and also because I was curious about the investigation and cleansing process that follows,” says Prathamesh, whose tryst with the paranormal happened at Lonavala.
For Dev Jani, a DJ, it was just an invitation from Akshai that took him to the dilapidated bungalow on the Pune-Lavasa road. “I knew Akshay and one day he told me the story about this house. I was intrigued because I used to travel on that road frequently. It was quite an experience and I went for two more walks with the team later.
Honestly, I feel you can’t convey the experience in words and only when such things happen to someone, do they believe their existence,” says Dev.

Amit Singh, from the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS), adds, “We organised a night walk at the Mehrauli Archeological Park in New Delhi last year. We had to restrict the number of participants to 25 despite receiving around 3000 enquiries. We regularly organise paranormal walks and invite those interested to join us in the investigations. The response we get is overwhelming.” IPS had also organised a ghost tour to Bhangarh in Rajasthan, and a lot of foreigners were a part of it.
Want to be a certified paranormal investigator?
In a city that many believe has umpteen number of spooky places, paranormal investigations are on the rise. Interestingly, there are dedicated courses for people interested in the field. Akshai adds, “We get at least 5-6 people a month interested in becoming paranormal investigators. The number has risen from what it used to be in 2013, when IPT was formed.” People who complete the courses become certified paranormal investigators and can either join the existing spook teams or start out individual investigations. According to Amit, more than a hundred people call throughout the month asking about their paranormal investigation courses.
Science or not?
“Why not?” asks Akshai, adding, “There is enough proof to back our research and if metaphysics can have some connection to science, paranormal can too.” He
informs that though in the West, paranormal investigations are completely scientific, Indian investigators blend paranormal and spiritual aspects.
Amit says, “We don’t have those many paranormal investigation teams in the country as of now. This is partly because of the lack of awareness. People think that what we do is jaadu-tona and tantra-mantra but that’s not so. Western countries are more aware about paranormal science than us. Having said that, we are working towards getting people
informed about the field and have seen success too.”
Courses one can undertake:
- Certified Paranormal Investigator
- Certified Demonologist
- Past Life Regression
- Professional Paranormal Investigator n Metaphysics Advanced Course
Places said to be haunted in Pune:
- Shaniwarwada
- Choice Hostel, Kothrud
- Holkar Bridge
- Bhoot Bangla on Taljai hill
- Old mansion near Residency Club
*Information mentioned is based on the experts’ knowledge about the said field.