Welcome, dear readers.
Today’s story was sent to us by Aziz from Fakirhat Upazila in Bagerhat. When our Herbal Team visited Tanguar Haor, Aziz joined us all the way from Bagerhat. At that time, you also had the opportunity to hear a story narrated in Aziz’s own voice.
The person from whom Aziz collected today’s story is named Salman. I have personally met Salman as well. When we visited the Sundarbans, Salman and Tahmid came to meet us in Bagerhat.
Salman collected this story from a man named Mahbub, whose shop is located in Lokpur Bazar. Mahbub owns a shop right next to Salman’s shop.
Salman’s home is in Satbari village of Bahirdia Union, Fakirhat, Bagerhat. Mahbub, on the other hand, is from Khajura village of Lohpur Union in Fakirhat.
Now, let me tell you how Mahbub came to hear this story.
People would occasionally come to their area to work as seasonal rice harvesters. One such worker was a man named Kamrul.
Kamrul was a day laborer. He was extremely hardworking and, according to those who knew him, a very good person.
Whenever Kamrul went outside in the evening or late afternoon—to have tea, visit the market, or simply sit somewhere and chat—he would always carry a medium-sized bamboo stick with him.
He took great care of that stick. He would regularly apply oil to it and keep it polished.
Even when he went to sleep, he would keep the stick beside him.
If he had to go outside at night to use the bathroom, he would take the stick with him as well.
One day, Mahbub became curious and finally asked him,
“Kamrul, what’s the matter? Why do you always carry that stick with you?”
Kamrul gave him a very straightforward answer.
“Brother, I became extremely frightened once. Since then, following the advice of the elders, I always keep this stick with me.”
Mahbub naturally wanted to know what had frightened him so badly.
Without hesitation, Kamrul began telling him the story.
It happened in 2010.
Kamrul had a serious passion for watching movies. Although he had never received formal training in music, he had a surprisingly good singing voice.
He would work throughout the day, and after sunset, he would often sing for a while.
He especially enjoyed singing without any musical instruments.
At that time, there were no movie theaters near their home. Instead, movies were shown on CD players at tea stalls and small shops around the local markets.
Kamrul would sometimes sit at one of those tea stalls and watch movies.
One night, he was watching a movie at a tea stall when he suddenly realized how late it had become.
It was around one o’clock in the morning.
Usually, one or two other people would accompany him on his way home.
But that night, he had to return alone.
The road he normally used passed beside a pond known locally as the Government Pond.
As he continued walking, he came near an old cemetery.
It was not a regular cemetery with rows of graves. According to local accounts, people who had died unnatural deaths, including suicides, were sometimes buried there.
Kamrul continued walking along the road, humming a song to himself.
Suddenly, he felt as if someone was following him.
He turned around.
There was nobody there.
He started walking again.
Yet the feeling remained.
He thought, “Someone is behind me.”
Again, he looked back.
There was no one.
He continued walking.
Then suddenly, he heard a strange sound.
Grrr... grrr... grrr...
It sounded exactly like the deep purring or growling noise made by a cat.
Kamrul stopped singing and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.
At first, he realized that the sound seemed to be coming from a distance.
But slowly, it became louder.
And stranger still, it seemed to be moving around him.
It felt as though the sound was coming from every direction at once.
And gradually, it was getting closer.
Then, all of a sudden, Kamrul noticed something coming from the left side of the road.
It looked like a strange white light.
Kamrul stopped walking.
The light emerged from a garden in front of him and came to a halt directly before him.
That was when Kamrul realized—
It wasn't a light.
It was a tiger.
But this was no ordinary tiger.
Its entire body was completely white.
Its fur was white, and a strange, shimmering glow appeared to radiate from its body.
The light spread faintly into the surrounding area.
Its eyes were pitch black.
And the tiger was enormous—according to Kamrul, perhaps four or five times larger than a normal fully grown tiger.
Kamrul was absolutely terrified.
Then something even more terrifying happened.
The tiger began to speak like a human being.
It said,
“Hey, Kamrul! You pass through here almost every night, singing as you walk. You disturb me by coming through my path like this. I haven't said anything to you for so long. But what you're doing isn't right. You've caused me a lot of trouble.
“I don't usually get you alone.
“But tonight, I've finally found you by yourself.
“Let's see what I can do to you tonight.”
Hearing this, Kamrul became completely paralyzed with fear.
He wanted to beg for forgiveness.
He wanted to promise that he would never do it again.
But not a single word could come out of his mouth.
He couldn't even take the cigarette out of his pocket and light it.
He had become so terrified that he had forgotten every prayer and supplication he knew.
Then, without thinking, he simply turned around, shouted,
“Allahu Akbar!”
and started running.
There was a Qawmi madrasa some distance ahead along the road.
Beyond the madrasa was a brick-paved road, and if he continued along that road for a while, he would reach his home.
The path he had originally been taking was actually a shortcut.
Because it was so late at night, Kamrul had chosen that route.
But after encountering the tiger, he turned around and ran toward the main road.
As he ran, he felt that the creature was following him.
At one point, he suddenly felt as though something had struck him hard on the back.
It felt like a slap.
However, the impact did not seem to land directly on his body with full force.
This happened when Kamrul was already close to the Qawmi madrasa.
The impact caused him to stumble and fall onto the road.
He somehow got back up.
Then he looked across the road.
The enormous white tiger was standing there.
And it spoke again.
“This area is forbidden to me. I am not allowed to enter here.
“But don't forget—you still pass through this road from time to time.
“If I find you here again, I will catch you.
“Remember that.”
After saying this, according to Kamrul, the tiger suddenly transformed into something resembling white smoke.
And then it completely disappeared into the air.
Kamrul was terrified.
When he had fallen, his lip had split open and started bleeding.
He didn't stay there another moment.
He immediately ran home and told his family everything that had happened.
Following traditional rural practices, his family heated a piece of iron, placed it into water, and gave him that water to drink. They also heated water and bathed him with it.
After that, Kamrul went to sleep.
But the next morning, he realized that his entire body was aching.
He could barely move.
He also had a high fever.
His family contacted a Huzur from the nearby Qawmi madrasa and brought him to their home.
The Huzur performed ruqyah and recited prayers over Kamrul.
According to the Huzur, no jinn could enter the madrasa's area with the intention of harming anyone.
He explained that a Pir Sahib from Noapara in Jessore had personally come to the madrasa in the past and spiritually sealed or protected the area.
That was why, although the entity had followed Kamrul with the intention of harming him, it could not enter the protected area.
The Huzur told Kamrul,
“You have survived by the mercy of Allah. Otherwise, something much more serious could have happened to you.
“However, it would not be correct to say that you suffered no harm at all.
“The creature tried to strike your back. The blow did not land properly, but even the small amount of impact you received was enough to cause considerable harm.
“You will have to suffer for a few more days.”
After that, Kamrul was taken to several Huzurs and traditional healers.
By the mercy of Allah, he gradually began to recover.
Eventually, he went to another healer, at whose home Kamrul had to stay for three consecutive days.
After three days of continuous ruqyah, Kamrul finally recovered completely, according to the account.
Before Kamrul left, the healer gave him a bamboo stick.
The healer recited prayers over it and blew over it, then told him,
“Keep this with you at all times. Whenever you go outside in the afternoon, evening, or at night, take it with you.
“Not only will this protect you from that particular jinn, but, Insha'Allah, no evil force will be able to harm you.”
From that day onward, Kamrul began carrying the stick everywhere.
And according to the story, he still carries it to this day.
Now, there is another interesting part of this story.
You may have noticed that the Qawmi madrasa played a very important role in what happened.
According to the account, the area had been spiritually protected by a Pir Sahib from Noapara in Jessore, which was why the entity could not enter the madrasa grounds.
Aziz has also told us that there is another story connected to this madrasa.
So far, he has only managed to collect part of that story.
Once he is able to collect the complete account, he will send it to us.
And when we receive it, we will certainly share that story with you as well.
Until then, keep listening—and stay with us for more unexplained stories.
