He is out and about at the unholy hour
When the clock strikes One at the Central Tower
In a moment of madness he took his life
Now he keeps awake from One to Five.

My father-in-law was then studying for his Master's Degree in English at the Presidency College, Madras. In the early part of the twentieth century, there were no suitable colleges at Ernakulam, his hometown, and he along with five other students had come down to Madras. They hired a dilapidated bungalow, not very far from the heart of the city.

This house was reportedly haunted and one of the students of the earlier batch had gone insane while trying to challenge the existence of the subtle co-inhabitant residing there. His other batch-mates, therefore, advised the newcomers not to venture out of their rooms after midnight till dawn and really it was not necessary too because all the three rooms had attached toilets. If they observed this restriction and did not cross the line, the newcomers would be safe, they added.

My father-in-law and his friends kept awake on the first night itself, to find out what was happening. They heard footsteps coming down the stairs at 1.00 a.m. sharp, going to the bathroom, opening and closing the taps, and footsteps climbing back up the stairs, all these actions accompanied by chanting and mumbling of prayers. This continued till 5.00 a.m., at least seven times, after which all was quiet. Though they peeped through the keyhole, they could not see anyone. This apparition was heard every night whenever they were awake at that hour.

They made enquiries with the neighbours, who were reluctant at first, but later on narrated the following story.

Ananthasayanam was a mere cook. He was a perfect father; he never let his only son feel the absence of his mother who had died early. Though he was uneducated, he took great interest in his son's education.

He sacrificed even his basic necessities in order to save money for his son's higher studies. With his father's encouragement, the son Gopalakrishnan, did so well in his examinations that he got admission in a medical college and became a qualified doctor.

As a person, Dr. Gopalakrishnan was money-minded, proud, haughty and selfish. This gave him temporary success and fame. By and by he built a big bungalow and housed his father upstairs.

Though he had made all arrangements and employed a cook and servants for household work, he had not married. He wanted a fashionable wife who could move freely and gracefully in high society; as a prelude to this, he himself changed his name to Dr. G.O. Pal and started wearing suits and speaking English with a foreign accent. He also learnt to smoke cigars, though he did not like the flavour, and to assert his modernity, he would smoke it in the presence of his father.

Ananthasayanam, however, had not changed a bit. He was as humble as before and used to wear at home nothing but a towel and his sacred thread. Most of the time, he would sit on a bench on the veranda, reciting his prayers.

On the day of reckoning, Ananthasayanam was sitting on the bench on the veranda as usual, mumbling his prayers, when his son along with his friend, both wearing suits and smoking cigars, made a grand entry.

The friend, on seeing his father, asked scornfully, "Who is that bloke sitting there?"

Dr. G.O. Pal replied, "Oh! He is my servant, a good-for-nothing fellow - he sits there and wastes all his time!"

Though Ananthasayanam had no education, he could make out what his son had said. Having worked as a cook in the houses of eminent persons such as judges and magistrates, he had picked up a rudimentary knowledge of English.

That night when his friend slept, Ananthasayanam accosted his son. The latter defended himself saying that according to Western culture nobody should eavesdrop on others and it was wrong on the part of the father to have done so. This added insult to injury - here he was, who had sacrificed everything for educating his son who was now calling him a good-for-nothing servant and further accusing him of eavesdropping! In his frustration, his disappointment and rage he banged his head on the wall several times and fell down dead with blood covering his forehead and trickling down his face. Though his son tried to prevent him by holding his arms from behind and pulling him back, he was not successful, for, Ananthasayanam had acquired the strength of a thousand bulls in his moment of madness.

After necessary formalities and cremation of the body, Dr. G.O. Pal deserted the house. His whereabouts were not known afterwards.

The house passed on to some distant relative after it fell into disrepair and he could only find students for tenants.

My father-in-law and his friends observed the restrictions as advised by the seniors and had no problem during their stay. They peacefully co-existed with the other occupant.
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