The Kali Chaudas, which goes before Diwali, keeps on being related with terrible signs, notions, mysteries, and black magic. In the 21st century, the strange notions might have ebbed yet they won’t vanish totally.
There are many places and areas in Ahmedabad associated with ghosts. A pocket of Kotarpur area of Naroda, which hogged limelight after the encounter of gangster Abdul Latif there, is known as Bhoot Bungalow area. Once an isolated area, it has now turned into a concrete jungle. The Bhoot Bungalow no longer stands but people continue to identify the area by the same name.
Similarly, Bhoot Ni Ambli near the Gita Mandir bus stand does not bear any Ambli tree. However, local residents continue to identify the area by the name coined ages ago. A locality in Gomtipur also bears the same name.
A building, located in Nagina Pol of Dariapur, is known as Bhootiya building. Then there’s a slum in Asarwa’s Girdharnagar which is known as Bhootiya Bungalow Na Chhapra. The bungalow, after which the place was named, no longer exists.
Explaining the phenomenon, Pankaj Bhatt, a social worker from Khadia, said, “Till 1985-87, children used to play cricket in the huge ground opposite the petrol pump. An Ambli tree stood on the ground and was a kind of landmark. Due to ghostly tales that percolated down the generations, related to the tree, the area is known by the same name even today. The tree no longer exists and the ground has become the hub of travel agencies and private bus operators.”
Bharatsinh Vaghela, a resident of Kotarpur, said, “Kotarpur is just opposite the Naroda railway station and the place is known as Bhootiya Bungalow.
“It is the same place where Abdul Latif was killed in the police encounter. During the British era, mill owners used to reside here in 16 bungalows. The bungalows were abandoned after incidents of supernatural presence.”
In 2020, all the 16 bungalows were pulled down and a TP scheme was announced there. Development has taken place and people have also bought plots of land. However, the area retains the old name.
Gomtipur councillor Iqbal Shaikh said, “Ambli trees were believed to be abodes of evil spirits in old times. The belief was evident till a few years ago. Local residents refused to send their children to municipal school number 3 and 4 about 25 years ago because an Ambli tree stood behind the schools.”
Dariapur residents no longer believe evil spirits reside in the local Bhootiya Building but the landmark retains the name.
A Bhootiya Police Chowki
In 2007, Kaligam nagarpalika was included in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Due to the presence of a container depot here, a police chowki was set up. However, no police personnel were ready to do a night shift, thanks to an “evil spirit” and soon it came to be known as Bhootiya Chowki. With passage of time, the chowki was dismantled.
The ghost who walked away
The underpass joining Ranip and Kaligam was at one time known as Bhootiya Garnala. The place used to be isolated and had no streetlights. Residents never ventured out at night believing in the presence of a ghost. When the area came within the AMC jurisdiction, streetlights were installed. People started believing that the ghost fled due to the lights. Today, the area has shaken off its ghostly past as few are left to narrate old tales.
