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The Ghost On The Train Platform
By Santosh12
(3 stories) (12 posts) (the author is a young adult)
The story I am about to tell you guys happened to my mother when she was about 13 years old. This particular incident made her a believer in ghosts. It happened in the city of Mumbai (Bombay). My mother had went along with 2 cousins to watch a movie in a theater in a different part of city from where she lived. The show was late night and it was 12. 30 by the time it got over. The went to the local railway station (most of the intercity travel in Mumbai is done through local trains) of Ambarnath by 1.30 and had missed the last local train. They had to wait for 3 hours now before the train services would start again. The 3 of them decided to spend the night at the train platform itself as there was no where else to go. Around 2 in the morning, a strange man appeared in front of them. He was wearing the uniform of Indian Naval Officer. He immediately started a conversation with my mother. The officer had a daughter who was about my mother's age and he started to tell her many stories about her childhood. He told my mother which type food his daughter eats, what fashion trends she prefers, which school she wants to get admission in for 11th Grade. My mother was a bit surprised as the fashion trends preferred by the officer's daughter sounded very old and the school which she preferred, my mother had not even heard of it before all the while the officer insisted that it was one of the best schools in Mumbai. When my mother asked him what he is doing on the platform since there is no train for another 2 hours, he replied that he was searching for his wallet. It had fallen off his pocket while travelling from the train (Mumbai local trains have open doors, so it is possible for someones wallet to fall of the train on the platform). He replied that he wanted to buy something I cannot remember which his daughter absolutely loved, but could not do so without his wallet. For 2 entire hours the man talked with my mother until the first train arrived. Upon arrival the man said that he would join my mother and her cousins on the train. His stop was a few stops after my mother's. Upon reaching Dombivali (My mother's stop), the officer decided to say one final goodbye and stepped outside the train. Upon stepping out of the train compartment, he just vanished into thin air in front of my mother. This scared her a lot. Upon returning home she was not able to tell anyone anything out of shock. Her cousins told my grandfather about what had happened. My grandfather worked for Mumbai railways and the next day he visited Ambarnath station to find out what exactly had happened. The station master there told my grandfather that 12 years ago, a thief tried to steal a Naval Officers wallet. When the Naval Officer tried to stop him, the thief pushed him out of the running train on to the platform. The officer fell on his head and died on the spot. The guy my mother met was the same guy who had died 12 years ago. After all these years, he had seen someone who reminded him of his own daughter and naturally he wanted to befriend my mother. He did so, but it ended up making my mother scared of ghosts for her entire life. I personally think it was just a friendly ghost who saw his own daughter in my mother.
Thank you for reading the story guys.
Other hauntings by Santosh12
The Mysterious Woman
Ghost Of Kallavva
Ghost Train (s)
Train Horn From No Where
Voices On The Train
Shadow In Train
The Toy Train
Train Conductor In The Closet
The Train Driver
Woman In White Walking Train Tracks
Ghost Train?
Find ghost hunters and paranormal investigators from India
The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Santosh12, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.
jester (3 stories) (23 posts)
To the OP... Good account. I know of similar stories from Agra and Srinagar, both of them involving dead Armed Forces personnel.
Just off topic, I was reading this story and (so many other stories by Indian posters) and found so many Western readers dismissing it.
Language issues apart (on part of many of the Indian posters), there seems to be a tendency to apply a certain pattern of analysis to stories from the old world (not just India).
None of us on this site are authorities on spiritual matters, but before posting something please research the cultural background of the poster. That will give you many clues to understand the story. Especially those cultures that are older than yours by thousands of years.
My suggestion of course does not mean we should believe total fabrications like teenagers summoning spirits, "I always believed/felt... Blah blah" stories etc. Plots straight out of cheap horror movies.
[at] To fellow Indian poster: Folks please translate your text properly before you hit the "Publish" button.
shobha (35 posts)
Very interesting story. I don't know if it is embellished or exaggerated or whatever, it makes very interesting reading. We Indians do have a flair for the dramatic, maybe this tale is an example. But I liked it a lot!
talib (52 posts)
[at] Lady-glow
Girls in Mumbai go to late night shows all the time usually escorted by males, most shows end by 1200-1230 midnight, it is quite common as its said Mumbai is one of the safer place for women and girls, but roaming on deserted roads after 1.30 a.m, even escorted by a male is not safe for girls in the city, Ambarnath is not exactly in Mumbai, its a far off suburb, actually lies in Thane district, when OP's mother was a teen it was a sparsely populated place.
Talib: in your own words:
"The cousins were probably chanting mantras out of fear in their mind and not doing it loudly. The roads in Mumbai during those hours are deserted, so it would not be safe and wise for the girls to run away from the ghost in the station and venture out on the roads, hence they stayed put."
To this point, we cannot be sure of the cousins' gender nor their age, Santosh hasn't provided that information. I don't want to speculate but, if like you say, it would not be safe for them to get into the deserted streets, how come they were allowed to go so late to the theater? Wouldn't it make sense for their parents to advice them against going to the last function?
It always puzzles me to read the many stories from India in which people hear the sound of anklets during the night and, automatically, assume it to be a ghost because women do not walk on the streets at night. I do not know if things were different when op's mother was younger but, to me, the simple fact that the girl was out so late makes this story's background look a little...iffy? Even worse if it was the three of them!😲
Anyway, it would had been better if Santosh'd asked his mother all the details of her experience before submitting it.
KikiGirl (8 stories) (207 posts)
Hello YGS Members! Hi Santosh! Thank-you for taking the time to review your Mothers encounter and write it up for people to check, analyze and question.
Is it so impossible that an apparition can partake in a conversation or action with a person for second, moment, day or term, period of day? How many accounts are listed on YGS, in which, the apparition appeared in solid form and full colour much like, a human being, while, the apparition seemed oblivious to the human being/s in the vicinity and continued on with the task that interested it? (Note: We can, to a point, exclude residual hauntings). This poses the question, does an apparition need the attention, acknowledgment, engagement or interaction with a human being in order to be fully visible or take solid, human form? No, it appears apparitions can at any time, (with the right conditions), can take and appear in full solid form. So, we have no idea if the station-man apparition appeared in his solid form to other people on different occasions and if, he could only do this at certain times, for example; the early morning hours on particular moon cycles.
If the station-man apparition was to roam the station every year, on that date during those particular hours, we can naturally assume that he would appear in solid-human form for a duration of hours (as this was confirmed as his appearance by Santosh's family). Perhaps, Santosh's Mother's resemblance to his daughter created an interest in communicating with her, as the longing to communicate with our lost, loved ones will naturally be a part of his being departed and unable to see her. In regards to the questions about him departing the train at Dombivali station and then vanishing; his longing to return home, will also naturally be a part of this being an apparition, and confusion which is why he had not yet crossed over.
So, it is not so inconceivable that he appeared in full, solid human form for a duration of hours.
I also think, Manafon1 said it completely 100% correctly when he said, "I think it is very possible that your Mother had a paranormal encounter but in the telling and retelling over the years, it either picked up a lot of embellishments or had a few added in your telling."
Again, I would like to add that it is a possibility she had a paranormal encounter. I can in no way say, she absolutely encountered a ghost.
There are many possibilities in this story to consider, some support that Santosh's Mother did indeed encounter some sort of apparition, ghost or spectre. Other possibilities and questions will discount or oppose the encounter as not being paranormal.
It is very difficult to come to an understanding when the Author did not have the encounter, himself. Simply, because he cannot possible recount all of details accurately and with definite correctness.
One detail that does stand out in my mind is that Mumbai station is not busy around 04:00AM. I live in South Africa, we are also a third-world country. I can tell you that there are people going to work, trucks and other transport operating from 03:30 AM. Living very close to a highway, I have the additional experience to know that it is many people. This is an example of a story-retold and also, a story being told from another persons perspective. There may have been a few people on the train, and perhaps the ghost simply did not touch or bump into them, but, the Author (re) told the story as he understood it to be correct - that there were absolutely no people on the train.
Manafon1 (5 stories) (626 posts)
talib--You're entitled to have your opinion on this account and I'm entitled to have mine. It should be noted though that the op herself stated in her most recent comment regarding what her Mother saw, "Maybe she was just pranked by her cousins into believing she saw a ghost."
The man didn't vanish between stations as you suggest in your comment but, according to the op, vanished while stepping off the train at Dombivali. From my perspective, it seems much more likely that the op's Mother was pranked than communicating with a full body apparition for two hours. Not just a full body apparition but a walking, talking apparition. In my extensive reading of paranormal case studies, there simply aren't any such credible cases of this complexity and duration that exist. Although not outside the realm of possibility it seems highly unlikely.
Finally, and this may just be a language issue, what exactly is a "train boogie"?
**Correction to my previous comment
Op's mom home station was Dombivali and the incident happened in Ambarnath station, the man vanished from the train in between stations.
Why are people here doubting that an interaction with a ghost for 2 hours is not possible.
In the following story, the poster not just interacted with the ghost but also gave her a lift to the town
Http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=11891
[at] Manafon1
In Mumbai local trains don't run for a few hours in the night (1:30 to 4:00 am), hence the first few trains after 4.00 am are usually empty, its not surprising to know that the train boogie had no other persons other than OP's mom, her cousins and the ghost. You can never get all the information from the internet.
The cousins were probably chanting mantras out of fear in their mind and not doing it loudly. The roads in Mumbai during those hours are deserted, so it would not be safe and wise for the girls to run away from the ghost in the station and venture out on the roads, hence they stayed put.
The man was in Naval officers uniform, hence OP's mother did not doubt his credentials at first sight and chatted with him. Also the ghostly man it seems was drawn to her because it reminded him of his daughter, may be OP's mother looked similar to the man's daughter.
Finally the ghost boarded the same boogie as OP's mom and cousins, he said that he would be getting down at the station of Dombivali which comes after Ambarnath station at which OP's mom and cousins were supposed to get down, but he vanished in between.
Razz (7 posts)
lady-glow, in response to your last post...yea, it is odd that the cousins just started chanting and the OP's mother didn't ask why BUT it's also odd that they didn't intervene when a strange man was talking to their cousin (OP's Mom) I mean, wouldn't you intervene if you saw a strange man talking to your friends/relatives?...Ok, now, assuming that they figured out it was a ghost, I don't see it as strange that they wouldn't distance themselves from it... I mean, some people will panic and run but some will stay to see what happens, so I don't see that as a big deal... As far as not answering promptly? Well, not everyone can hang around a forum 24/7...life gets in the way... Santosh posted on 3/12/17 and again on 3/13/17...I don't see that as "total silence" at all... These points do not make this story true but they also can't negate it...
Santosh12 (3 stories) (12 posts)
Thanks for the comments guys. The problem is since it was my mother's experience, there are a lot of queries I cannot answer as I simply don't know enough. Maybe she was just pranked by her cousins into believing she had seen a ghost. I will ask some of your doubts to her when I speak with her in the evening
Razz: I realized my mistake a "publish button" too late. Still, this doesn't change the fact that the cousins did nothing to remove OP's mother and themselves away from the ghost and instead they began chanting.
What makes me wonder why the girl didn't ask them the reason for the chanting.
If they were aware of the man being a ghost, why they did stay with him for two hours? 😕
That and the fact that Santosh went from answering questions promptly to a total silence makes me think that s/he ran out of ideas to sustain this story.
Perhaps s/he said "Oops, these people in YGS aren't as naive as I thought!"
lady-glow, read what you quoted... Nowhere does it say the mother chanted...anyway, I agree with what Tweed said originally... 2 hours is a LONG time for a "paranormal visit", shall we say?...As I've always said to people, I wasn't there, don't know what really happened but this seems a bit, oh I don't know, "unlikely"
sushantkar (16 stories) (524 posts)
3 teenagers went out to watch movie... Waited whole night to catch a train, chitchated with a friendly ghost for marathon 2 hrs. Talking about the atires and the schools which as per the OP is outdated... Strings are just not connecting. So many loop whole have created doubts on the credibility on this account.
Santosh--I thank you for answering the questions that have been put to you. It does strike me though that you have explanations that would have been very pertinent to have included in the original account. In other words, they seem designed to keep your account "untouchable". Usually someone posting a story is a bit more willing to consider ideas suggested by members in the comments. To have neat, air tight answers for everything, especially as you weren't there, makes me and others, a bit more skeptical.
For instance, you state that "trains are not very crowded at 4:00 AM and I am speaking this out of experience." That is fair enough, and I have never been to Mumbai but (according to wikepedia) 7.5 million people travel the Mumbai train system every day. The trains, have some of the most severe overcrowding in the world. I know 4AM is mighty early but it seems to stretch credulity that there wasn't one other person on the train. It is of course possible but it seems a bit "convenient."
It also seems odd that you wouldn't have mentioned that your Mom's cousins felt the man was a ghost early on and "chanted the name of ram (a Hindu God) the whole night." That seems like a big thing to leave out of the account. Why did they feel early on he was a ghost? Your Mother initially found the man a bit strange but didn't seem to feel he was a ghost until he vanished before her eyes. Wouldn't your cousins incessant chanting have embarrassed your mother who was talking with what she initially assumed to be a living person?
I think it is very possible that your Mother had a paranormal encounter but in the telling and retelling over the years, it either picked up a lot of embellishments or had a few added in your telling. I guess I am on the fence.
"... Both my mother's cousins seemed to have realised that this was a ghost and went on chanting name of ram (a Hindu God) the whole night..."
"... When my mother asked him what he is doing on the platform since there is no train for another 2 hours..."
If your mother was chanting, how did she managed to ask any questions?
How old were your mother's cousins? It is hard to fathom a group of 3 kids, or adults, staying in the company of a ghost no mater how friendly for two hours without running away.
I don't know...
Tweed (28 stories) (2218 posts)
Santosh, if your mother really believes she interacted with this ghost for two hours and her memory hasn't been distorted by a young age at the time... (and you're not 'fibbing' *nudge nudge wink wink*) You really should look into contacting some paranormal researchers about it.
Ghosts appearing out in public is of interest to me, same with shadow figures. I became interested in ghosts out in public after I staked out a location for about a week a couple years back. First and only time I've ever done a proper paranormal investigation. I saw a woman get off a bus and disappear behind a tree. She interacted with the door of the bus, avoided bumping into other people, other people avoided knocking into her. I didn't think she was a ghost until she wasn't there beyond a small tree. I think this is an area of paranormal investigation that really needs exploring. Stuff like this gets overshadowed by haunted dwellings and disused buildings. In that same location I also saw a man and his dog suddenly go awol. A guy at the bus stop also saw this and crapped himself. So I'm not discounting your mother's experience, I believe it to be very possible. But the two hour thing and a solid, talking ghost, this is, well it's unheard of.
The last time someone had an experience on here about a solid apparition which spoke to them at great length, it was an army dude talking to another 'ghost' army dude. A member (who shall remain nameless, hi if you're reading!) emailed me about why this person's encounter made no sense. They gave details about the uniform, protocol, army practices, location info. Just about everything in this person's experience didn't match what really happened back then and how things were done in the army, back then, in that location with someone of their age. As the story's narrator seemed to believe what they were saying as 'true' no one really made a thing of it. But it further proved how these prolonged apparition interactions are seldom, if ever, a reality. So another possibility for you to consider would be if your mother fell asleep, and dreamed everything. A young person might mistake something dreamed as 'real'.
I hope you don't take this as an attack on your character, it's not. I find this area very interesting and I'm motivated by extracting the facts from the details you provided, and hope to educate you a bit on the ghost 'stats' in the process. Is ghost stats even a thing? I don't know, it is now! 😆
matrix899: The stop which the ghost mentioned he wanted to go (where he probably lived when he was alive) was a few stations after Dombivali. Or he simply made up the fact that he too wanted to travel to spend some more time with my mother. I don't know much more than that either. These are my best guess
matrix899 (1 stories) (52 posts)
A good story with a lot of details, but many questions jump out at me after reading.
"His stop was a few stops after my mother's." How does a ghost have a stop? Where was he going, and why get off the train to say goodbye?
"My grandfather worked for Mumbai railways and the next day he visited Ambarnath station to find out what exactly had happened."
I am impressed that your grandfather took the time to investigate this matter of the ghost with the stationmaster.
And two hours of interacting and conversing and traveling...
Hi Manafon1, There is no system of conductor in Mumbai Local Trains. There are what we call Ticket Checkers who check whether all the passengers have tickets or not. However, they are not in every train. Infact they are not there in most of the trains. I myself in my 22 years living in Mumbai, only had a TC ask me for ticket thrice.
Santosh12--If your Mother and cousins could see the apparition did the conductor see him as well? Even if the train compartment was empty at that early hour there still must have been someone on the train, or at the station, selling and collecting tickets. Was he visible to your Mom and cousins and invisible to the conductor/ticket seller?
[at] roylynx. The trains operate that late only in big metropolis. I doubt they run that rate anywhere other than Mumbai.
Thank you for all your comments guys. Both my mother's cousins seemed to have realised that this was a ghost and went on chanting name of ram (a Hindu God) the whole night. Also the caught the first train in the morning at 4 AM. There was no one else except the 4 of them traveling through the compartment. Trains in Mumbai are not very crowded at 4 AM and I am speaking this out of experience.
roylynx (guest)
Santosh12, You suddenly reminded me of a story I wanted to share!
Do trains in India operate that late though?
Anyway, yes, like other people, I too believe that the spirit was friendly and innocent of his/her death.
Blessing from São Paulo
E.Lynx
Hi Santosh12--Your account of your Mother's interaction with a friendly apparition was very interesting but Tweed zeroed in on a major issue. Namely that ghosts don't interact with the living for such a long periods of time. There are other problems that need to be addressed as well. Did the two cousins traveling with your Mom see and talk with the ghost? In a two hour period I don't see how they couldn't have. Or did they think your Mom had gone off the deep end and was talking to herself? How did the ghost get on the train? Did he have a ticket? Surely a conductor would want to collect his ticket.
If he traveled on the train with your Mom and cousins, did he interact with other passengers, or bump into any of them. I understand that trains in Mumbai are extremely crowded and one would think this spirit would have to interact with other passengers in such a crowded situation.
There are a lot of questions that are just hanging there. If your Mother did indeed have a two hour chat with a ghost it is the longest one on one with a ghost I am aware of. Especially because he talked the whole time as well!
Melda (9 stories) (1160 posts)
Santosh - Fascinating story!
I must admit I agree with Tweed that two hours is a very long time for interaction with a ghost. Where would he get the energy from to manifest and hold a conversation for that length of time?
Is it not possible that this was in fact a real person who just took off in a different direction amongst another group of people without your mother noticing? Quite a lot can happen in a few seconds.
Then again, stranger things have happened, ghosts do surprise us at times!
Regards, Melda
Santosh, thanks for answering so quickly. Was she the only person who spoke to him? Did anyone she was with acknowledge he was there too? What I mean is, could she have been the only person to know he was there?
I ask these questions because an apparition who talks and is solid who interacts for two hours is very rare. I mean, almost impossible rare. If she was very young at the time, it could've felt like two hours but been much less.
Azraa (1 stories) (8 posts)
Hey Santosh, thanks for sharing your story! I too think it was a friendly ghost who did not know he was dead. Perhaps your mom or grandfather should have helped him move on. Nonetheless it was a realy scary story
[at]tweed. I don't recall the exact amount of time that had passed between the officers death and the day he met my mother, but he did actually spend almost 2 hours with my mother and her cousin. Perhaps he felt better around my mother as she reminded him of his daughter, so he decided to hang around. Point is I don't know why he was there for 2 hours, but I do know that even today, my mother gets afraid at the slightest mention of a ghost.
Hi Santosh,
I enjoyed reading your narrative. But two hours is a very long time for a ghost encounter and this sort of threw a spanner in the works for me a bit. Are you sure it was that long? Also 12 years wouldn't alter trends that much, perhaps you have the dates wrong? 😕
© The ghost story The Ghost On The Train Platform is copyrighted to Santosh12. Edited by yourghoststories.com.