Mumbai: Are you brave enough for a picnic at a crematorium on new moon night?

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Does the idea of going to a crematorium on 'amavasya ki raat' (new moon or moonless night) terrify you? Then you're the perfect candidate for a picnic to be held on Saturday night by the Vidyarthi Sanghatana from Kalyan.

The picnickers will visit a crematorium at Washind in the dead of night - on a moonless night, no less. The purpose of the picnic is to help students face their fears and realise that superstitions of ghosts or amavasya are baseless.

The group, which has been working on a student development programme for the past five years, has organised the picnic for students in Std XI and above. 100 students from Thane, Kalyan and Titwala have already registered for the activity.

Saloni Gadkari, a Std X student, said, "I registered for the picnic to remove all fear from my mind. I have seen so many people who don't allow their children to go out during amavasya. I also get scared of ghosts when the lights are off. I told my parents about it, and they allowed me to join this bhoot picnic." Sidharth Kamble, a Std XI, said, "There is no such thing as a bhoot, and yet, people are still scared of this word. I really want to learn how I can guide people to forget their fear."

The organisers will also hold a lecture at the crematorium and show some magic tricks to the youngsters. Sakshi Bhoir, one of the organisers, said, "We have encountered so many people who are well educated, with senior positions in big companies, but they still fall for godmen or other superstitions. That is because such superstitions are part of our upbringing. That is why we have decided to teach children not to believe such things. We will show them how to identify false claims about bhoot, and warnings against entering crematoriums during amavasya."

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