It’s that time of the year when monsters and mythical creatures are welcomed into our homes. With Halloween just done with, let’s take a look at some homegrown monsters.
What is Halloween?
The ancient Celts celebrated November 1 as the new year. They believed that on the eve of the new year the dead had a free passage back to earth since the boundaries between the living and the dead world disappeared. While these spirits were feared, the Celts also believed that it was possible for their priests to make accurate predictions about the future which could help the people prepare for any adversity. Centuries later, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints Day and October 31 was All Hallows Eve. With time it became Halloween.
Indian Monsters
Every culture has an assortment of mystifying creatures from the despicable baba yaga that kept Russian children in check, the little ones in the U.S. had the bogeyman. In India, children had their own indigenous monsters to surmount.
Gumma
The popular monster of Karnataka — gumma is described as a “bird of ill omen,” with a “human-like face”. It is compared to a vagabond with matted hair known as Boochandi in Tamil.
Children’s author Shruthi Rao who grew up in Bengaluru, and is now based in San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S. recalls, “I must have been around 7 or 8 years old when playing at a relative’s house, the lady asked us not to go to the backyard because a gumma was there. I’d heard about the creature from relatives and neighbours, and got scared.” Later, Shruthi’s mother told her that there was an open well in the backyard and the story was to discourage children from going there.
Juju
The juju of Bengali folklore was a big, googly eyed, tar-black figure with spiky hair. Not one to make the first move though, this incredibly patient creature waited in the dark for a child to step into its arena. Its jurisdiction included all kinds of mischief and bad behaviour, and even a naive child understood that becoming a morsel for a monster for a minuscule fault like not putting their toys away or incomplete homework, was shocking.
Buddha baba
In Tamil Nadu there is the rustic, shabby tramp referred to as mootai thukara asami or sack man is contrary to Jhola budho of Bengal, who iss a stickler for tidiness and hygiene.
They get their identity from emaciated rag pickers whose occupation entails carrying oversized sacks, large enough to fit in a child.
Kaan Khoa
Some monsters didn’t have a credible or scary back story. These faceless embodiments of fear were made up to prevent mischief.
In Assam, there is Kaan Khoa, which literally means “the monster who eats off the ears of children” when they refuse to go to bed.
From the west
Mike Wazowski
This Monsters Inc. character has led to countless hours of laughter with his crazy and amiable attitude and his single big eyeball and skinny limbs. This monster inspires work ethic and shows that being different doesn’t mean that one is any less.
Hulk
When gamma radiation left him with an anger management issue, the world adopted Marvel’s Hulk as their friendly neighbourhood rage-monster. Children especially have been ritualistically sporting his official merchandise whenever possible. His anger seems quite relatable to children who have hoarded candy only to find that their siblings have eaten it.
Count Dracula
Vampires were always the trend, but Hotel Transylvania’s Drac is probably the most fun of the lot. Gone are the days when children cowered in fear on hearing his name. Today’s entertainment ensures that these broody monsters are revered, and helped in times of need.
