Hypnotism

Pic source: http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/kaa,mowgli/Interesting

Disclaimer:
This is not to prove that Hypnotism is fake or those who practise it indulge in match fixing. This is only to show that personal loyalty, integrity, determination, strong will power and endurance can be more effective than being in a state of hypnosis.

Introduction:
One can remember how Kaa the snake in Jungle Book story tries to hypnotise Mowgli the boy and enslaves him!

Hypnotism was very much popular in the Early Seventies. Here in Mangalore, Prof. Din Coly had demonstrated Hypnotism in his shows at Town Hall. My brother was in Mysore Medical College then and he learned Hypnotism by reading books and watching others perform. Late Din Pai was also into Hypnotism then, and both my brother and Pai were friends. Narendra Nayak also was an enthusiast demonstrating Hypnotism those days.

Introduction:
Hypnotism was very much popular in the Early Seventies. Here in Mangalore, Prof. Din Coly had demonstrated Hypnotism in his shows at Town Hall. My brother was in Mysore Medical College then and he learned Hypnotism by reading books and watching others perform. Late Din Pai was also into Hypnotism then, and both my brother and Pai were friends. Narendra Nayak also was an enthusiast demonstrating Hypnotism those days.

Experience No. 1

Narendra Nayak held shows mostly at Pompei School Hall(St Aloysius School Urva) and I attended one such show at Pompei School. I also sold tickets for Narendra Nayak's shows since he was a good friend.

Narendra first explained to the audience, the scientific background of Hypnosis and its uses in curing certain psychological disorders. He then did a mock demonstration with a sample subject on stage. Finally he called a few people from the audience and demonstrated real hynotism.

That part was rather funny due to the presence of Narendra's youngest brother Surendra among the people participated. When Narendra mesmerised those on the dais with his catch words "Sleep! Deep sleep sound sleep...!", Surendra was quick to respond and others took some time.

I then started to get a doubt that Surendra was acting as if he's being mesmerised, to show the spectators that his brother  a powerful Hypnotist!

Then Narendra gave command to each one of them to perform certain duty and Surendra was made to act like Shammi Kapoor, supposed to be his

favourite actor. Surendra jumped and danced like Shammi Kapoor, tilting and nodding his head just like him! Then all others played the roles of their choice and were asked to relax in their chairs.

Then Narendra flicked his fingers and shouted "SLEEP!"

Surendra fell off his chair and started snoring! At this point, Naredndra also was convinced that Surendra is acting, and he disqualified him and sent him back to audience. Surendra walked like a zombie and sat in the front row.

Narendra repeated the show with the remaining ones on stage performing in different roles and then again shouted "SLEEP".

This time, it was rather unexpected, but Surendra fell off the chair on which he's sitting in the audience. He also started snoring aloud!

Then Narendra either got convinced that Surendra was indeed mesmerised or he didn't want further embarrassment by his brother's overacting.

He called him back on stage and ordered him to perform something else than being Shammi Kapoor and Surendra did it well!

Experience No. 2

Same year, my Medico brother was home on a long vacation.

He wanted to show his talent as Hypnotist and he announced that in the afternoon he will demonstrate Hypnotism in our Radio Room and all the neighbourhood boys were supposed to be present.

Around 6-8 boys including me and my elder brother were present. My brother asked a volunteer to come forward. I went forward and he started the usual commands like swinging a key chain and asking me to concentrate on it, saying in soft tone that slowly my limbs, my eyes and my whole body feels numb and then I will go into a different world in my sleep. He then said "Sleep" and I closed my eyes, leaned on the folding chair with my head rested on my shoulder like we sleep in a bus!

Then he asked me to cry like a baby, laugh like a hyena, roar like a lion, act like a monkey and what he did next, is very interesting!

He asked my elder brother to get some small round root vegetable 'Arvi'(Aalva Maande we call that in Konkani) and he got them intact, unwashed, with mud sticking to them! I was slightly worried now about what will happen if I am told to eat them!

My expectation was not wrong. He did exactly like I thought and he said "Now I have these delicious juicy world famous apples from Kullu Valley. You just enjoy eating them!"

Omigosh! Kullu Valley apples...these arvi root bulbs! That too with heaps of mud! I thought I'd quit and say I'm very much alert and not at all in a stupor, but my priority was to save my brother from embarrassment in the eyes of our friends who had high regard for him! They may lose faith in him forever and all the good things he'd done mnay go wasted!

I was determined, and I ate two of them at a go, hurriedly biting and chewing them, feeling irritation in my throat and the sandy taste of mud as I chewed them but I didn't stop. I ate them both completely and laughed happily, though inside me I was crying silently!

They all clapped and approved "Bhayankara mhaaraaya! Aagabahudu!"(Amazing man! Really great)

I thought he will stop at that and end the session, so that I can run to the toilet and puke all that muddy crap and feel good. He went further and said "Now this is the last and final feat for today. For that I want a volunteer, heaviest and strongest among you all."

Balu came forward. He was well built and strong, at least 60 Kilos at his age of 12! I was watching with half my eyes closed and thought,

"Today is my last day, I'll be told to wrestle/do boxing with Balu, he will give a few solid ones and I'll bleed to death for sure!"

My brother smiled and said "I will demonstrate steel body! Yes. A human being with body as strong as Bhilai Steel! Now this man will sleep facing up, on two folding chairs placed opposite to each other with a space in the middle. When I give him command, his body will become stiff and strong as steel. Then Balu will stand on his stomach for 1 minute to show that this is not fake!"

I started to curse my luck for being born in that household and also thought, it would've been more convenient, if I were born elder to my brother testing me like a guinea pig with so called Hypnotism and all that nonsense!"

Yet, my loyalty, my integrity, my dedication, my determination...these overpowered my weakness and I at that moment thought, "Anyway this is the last part of the program. Let me withstand this torture as well!"

I was adept at adjusting according to circumstanes and I had a knack of passing through any calamity without uttering a word. I inherited this unique quality from both my parents who were mentally strong as long as they lived!

They placed two metallic folding chairs opposite to one another, I was told to lie down on them with my legs on one and my shoulders on the other with almost 2 feet of my torso hanging loose!

"Now you will feel like tempered steel sheet from Bhilai plant. You can withstand 5 Tonnes of load on your body! Keep stiff. Keep still!"

I tightened the stomach muscles as much as I could, held my breath, made my body stiff and waited.

Balu climbed on a stool kept next to my tummy, set his first foot on my belly, tested if it is firm, two boys held his hand to support, then he set his other foot as well and stood on my belly. My abdominal muscles were stiff but Balu was moving with a swinging action like tight rope walkers swing in a circus. I didn't feel any pain in my tummy surprisingly and I could bear his weight for slightly more than a minute without breathing even! My face flushed with blood rushing in my veins and I thought my brain will explode, but then Balu was asked to get off my stomach and I was set free!

I was alive! Yes. If I were not alive that day, I'd not have shared that incidence with you all today!

My throat irritation persisted for 2 days in spite of gargling with hot salt water or consuming Incidal tablets. I can still remember the pungent taste of raw arvi with its rough skin coated with mud even today!

Thankfully my brother discontinued hypnotism after that, and I was spared from getting dejected in life.