Every Indian’s childhood has come with its fair share of ghost stories. Among other things, they were used to coax us to finish our meals or fall asleep on time. We’re all well-acquainted with the chudail by the peepal tree whose feet are turned backwards, the shapeshifting naagin who never forgets a face or the lady in the white diaphanous sari who is traversing deserted streets alone. Chances are that we’ve never met these women, but still know them all too well. It is not just folklore before sleep. Look at Bollywood; millennials grew up watching Vikram Bhatt’s movies, where spirits with unfulfilled businesses waited patiently to settle scores, while looking absolutely stunning.
Yet, on the last day of October when Halloween comes, the inspirations rarely hearken back to Indian folklore or the wardrobes of these ladies we’ve grown up with. We don’t need the same skeletons or skulls, daggers dipped in red paint, the classic bleeding hearts or other Westernised Halloween paraphernalia. Our own culture, with its gothic and horror elements, has always been opulent. Reimagine it as talons on the fingertips, hair springs in the braid, or a serpent coiled around the arm, reminding us of stories of tantra, witchcraft and black magic. Simply imagine a forlorn dead queen roaming an abandoned haveli.
So, skip the skull. Here are 13 pieces from homegrown Indian labels that will do the haunting for you.
