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- I’d like ghosts to exist, minus the superstitions: Rupam Islam
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I’d like ghosts to exist, minus the superstitions: Rupam Islam
On Bhoot Chaturdashi, Rupam Islam and son Rup Aarohan share their literary takes on the supernatural
Bhoot Chaturdashi may not have been a childhood tradition for Rupam Islam, but the unknown has found its way into his music, stories and imagination. His 16-year-old son Rup Aarohan Prometheus, meanwhile, is drawn to Halloween, fantasy fiction and horror-inspired art. In a conversation with CT, the father-son duo discuss their differing perspectives on the supernatural, literary influences and why ghosts make for such fascinating subjects.What do Bhoot Chaturdashi and Halloween mean to you?Rupam Islam: I didn’t really have any perception of Bhoot Chaturdashi. I discovered the festival only five or six years ago. Through a radio show, I explored the subject and even put together a Bhoot Chaturdashi special featuring spooky songs and some of my unreleased compositions. Ghosts deserve a celebration too! Neither Halloween nor Bhoot Chaturdashi was particularly significant in my childhood. My mother was Christian and my father Muslim, and I grew up celebrating festivals like Christmas. Durga Puja, however, was something everyone celebrated.Rup Aarohan Prometheus: I always wanted to dress up for Halloween and invite friends over, but they would invariably turn up in their regular clothes! I don’t do that anymore. Halloween here is also different because you can’t really go trick-or-treating. For Bhoot Chaturdashi, I know maa (Rupsha Dasgupta) lights candles on the balcony, and I sometimes help her. We are also supposed to eat choddo shaak, which I absolutely dislike!Do you believe in the unknown?Rupam: No. But I write about it. I read plenty of ghost stories growing up, and what fascinated me was the craft of constructing something frightening. When I read those stories, I believed in them momentarily. But once I closed the book, that chapter was over!
Rupam Islam and son Rup Aarohan jam to Bhoot Naki Bhoyonkor, a song Rupam performed for the first time ever, exclusively for CT
Have you ever experienced something you couldn’t explain?Rupam: I have had a couple of psychological experiences, which I believe were illusions due to over exhaustion. Once, when I was extremely exhausted, I heard a familiar voice calling my name through a window. When I went to check, nobody was there. On another occasion, while lying in a hotel room, I felt as though my body was expanding enormously. I couldn’t lift myself and my limbs felt gigantic. I later learnt that extreme fatigue can cause such sensations.Rup: Nothing like that has happened to me. I have only been alive for 16 years!Rupam: My mother once had a paranormal experience in a room in Serampore, where she lived and taught at a school. She had told me about it, but I don’t remember the details.Which ghost stories and supernatural works have stayed with you?Rupam: Satyajit Ray’s Tarini Khuror Kirti Kolap is one of my favourites. His collections of twelve stories also contain wonderful supernatural tales, including Neel Bibhishika, Badur Bibhishika and Norris Saheber Bungalow. I have also loved Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s Gosain Baganer Bhoot and Pagla Saheber Kobor since childhood.Bhooter Raja in Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne is another beloved character. I remember being around six when I desperately wanted to watch the film. When Doordarshan finally telecast it, our television wasn’t working. I went across to a neighbour’s flat, where I had never visited before, and requested permission to watch it.What about supernatural literature for you, Rup?Rup: I haven’t read horror stories, but I enjoy fantasy, particularly theHarry Potter series. The ghosts at Hogwarts are friendly. Nearly Headless Nick is particularly interesting because he can open and close the wound on his neck! I have also read mythology from different cultures, including ancient Egyptian beliefs about preserving bodies through mummification so spirits could return to them.Does your father’s interest in these subjects influence your expression?Rup:I draw a lot, and most of my drawings are horror-related. When I’m bored, I often start with a random line. Ghosts are easy to create from random shapes because they don’t have a definite form. Even monsters can look like scribbles, so it’s fun to turn an arbitrary shape into something frightening.A seven-year-old Rup dressed as Dracula
You don’t believe in ghosts, so what inspires your ghost-themed music?Rupam: It’s about imagining what would happen if they existed. I have written songs about Utopia without necessarily believing in it either. I think it would be wonderful if ghosts existed because they would give us another subject to explore. If they offered harmless entertainment and a little innocent fear without interfering with our lives, I wouldn’t mind!Have you watched horror films together?Rupam: We have watched Bhool Bhulaiyaa films. In fact, we watched the first one on the day Rupsha and I got married! We had a registry marriage in the morning and went to watch a film afterwards. I also enjoyed The First Omen (2024).Rup: I enjoy immersive horror experiences. The Mummyride at Universal Studios was terrifying. Even the queue was frightening because the entire waiting area was designed to look spooky.Does the supernatural influence your writing?Rupam: Absolutely. I write ghost stories too. My character, Brahma Thakur, a psychiatrist, features in supernatural narratives, including Roopkund-er Kankal – my latest published story. In Bagh Brahma Khela, there are ghosts too. Even in my song Chandnite Unmad Ekjon, it is never explicitly established whether a presence is a memory or an actual ghost.I particularly like the idea that a ghost is the material manifestation of memory. One of Brahma Thakur’s friends, Gerard Cossé, expresses this thought, which the character often quotes.A snippet from an exclusive interview with CT in 2017 when Rupam released Chnadnite Unmaad Ekjon
Rup: We had studied Walter de la Mare’s works in school, which uses ghosts as a metaphor for memories. My father had explained.Rupam: I recently discussed the poem with Rup. I can also recallThe Listeners by the same poet. Robert Browning’sMy Last Duchess is another favourite because of its eerie quality.
I would like ghosts to exist because they would give us another subject to explore. But I wouldn’t want superstition to accompany them or influence how people live
Ghost sketches are easy to create from random shapes because they don’t have a definite form. I enjoy turning an arbitrary line into something frightening
A ghost is the material manifestation of memory. The very idea of a ghost is connected to memory and the past, which makes the subject fascinating to explore
I always wanted to dress up for Halloween and invite friends over. But every time, they would turn up in their regular clothes
Rup Aarohan Prometheus
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