Mysterious writings

The mysterious might fascinate us, but for Dr Mehra Shrikhande, a Pune-based ophthalmic surgeon, delving into the unknown is much more than a fascination. As her book Paranormal Experiences: Beyond the Realms of Reason hits stores in Mumbai, Dr Mehra shares her out-of-this-world experiences with CS:

Finding answers
When I was very young, my friends and my relatives would often talk about their brush with the supernatural. I was completely fascinated by these stories and questions like what happens when we die, what happens to our soul when we cease existing in the physical form plagued me. Then when I went to medical college, I started reading a lot of books on the subject and started talking to patients.

Finding dope
I used to write down instances that people shared with me and would highlight passages in books that fascinated me. My friends and relatives laughed at me, but in a way, that egged me on. I find it truly amazing how our soul and body work two people who are suffering from the same disease don't heal in the same way; good things happen to bad people and vice versa. When I was working in Nair hospital, I'd sit next to burn patients, women in labour rooms, accident victims and try to understand what they were feeling as they neared death. I also spoke to people who'd had out-of-body experiences (OBE), visited 'haunted' places in Mumbai and went to dargahs in Ahmedabad which were visited by people possessed by spirits.

Since I was interested in learning more, I would frequent Ouija board and planchette practitioners. From first-hand experience, I can say that the coin does move by spiritual force. I also learnt auto writing, where you hold a pen to a paper and your hand moves through some mysterious force, the thoughts too are not yours. The first time I did auto writing, it was really frightening. To be just sitting there holding a pen and witness your hand moving without any effort on your part, is freaky at a level. And let me tell you that this experience has helped understand and solve a lot of physical and mental in my present life.