<p>In a city that talks technology, there thrives an active community that deals with the paranormal. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Though it’s a hobby and passion for some of its members, “ghost hunting” and ‘Ufology” seem to be serious business in the city, with many set-ups boasting fancy names, claiming affiliation to “national” bodies and even offering training courses. <br />And in keeping with the city’s tech culture, they claim to use hi-tech gadgets to hunt down “ghosts”. However, traditional “tools” like lemons and herbs are also part of their paraphernalia. <br /><br />Archana Rao, a paranormal “researcher” on weekends and a finance professional on weekdays, is a “lead investigator” of Team Pentacle, which has on its rolls “certified researchers” for the paranormal and Ufology. <br /><br />Modern gadgets<br />“Ghost hunters” who look out for the unknown and research on paranormal activities rely on “scientific equipment” such as Infrared Thermometers (IR), Electromagnetic Fields Meters (EMF), voice recorders and infrared cameras. Based on requests from citizens, paranormal researchers take up cases. While IR measures the temperature of an object and is used to detect cold spots in rooms, EMF meters detect electromagnetic fields. Ghost hunters believe that in the presence of paranormal activities and ghosts, electromagnetism is emitted and cold spots emerge all of a sudden, despite normal temperatures outside. Infrared cameras are considered to be the best night vision cameras by ghost hunters and work well in total darkness. <br /><br />Weird noises<br />Archana recalls a recent case at Kalpalli cemetery in Sarvagnanagar in Bengaluru. “We received complaints about weird noises and sighting of an old man at 2 am. Armed with gadgets, six of us, including a ‘qualified’ psychic from the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS), tried to look for negative energy or spirits.The EMF tracked nothing and IR thermometer functioned normally."<br /><br />But at Anthargange in Kolar district, known for its suicide point, they claim to have tracked some readings on the EMF. Team Pentacle said they get around 50 calls everyday related to haunting and paranormal activities and “solve” at least five cases a month. <br /><br />Members of Spirit Seekers Army (SSA), another paranormal and ghost-hunting group, said many youngsters are interested in joining such groups. It claims to have carried out research and cracked cases across southern India. <br /><br />Piyush Sharma, a member of SSA said: “People want to associate with us as they are curious about the activity.”<br /><br />The players<br />Bangalore Squad of Investigators on Paranormal Activities ( BaSIPA), Ghost Research and Investigators of Paranormal (GRIP) Team and a branch of the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS) are a few working on paranormal activities in Bengaluru. There 10 “certified” paranormal researchers in the city and more than 350 people have registered as members of paranormal groups. Director of Team Pentacle, Dr Rahul Kumar, said they offer various courses in Paranormal Investigation Training (PPT). He said they get more than 10 enquiries a month from people interested in joining the courses. <br /><br />“People suffering from mental disorders may face illusions at times and report such paranormal happenings around them. Investigation of paranormal activities is difficult and right instruments need to be used to study them. However, in some cases, paranormal activities do happen,” said a psychiatrist, Dr Channapatna Shyam Sundar.<br /><br />‘All in the mind’<br />“Paranormal activities exist in the mind and a few even resort to photoshop (to show images of ghosts) to claim supernatural things. Radiations can emanate from cell towers, various electronic gadgets and objects. Similarly, the shutter of the cameras may malfunction (leading to ghostly images). These cannot be called as paranormal,” said Narendra Nayak, a rationalist. <br /> <br /><br /></p>
<p>In a city that talks technology, there thrives an active community that deals with the paranormal. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Though it’s a hobby and passion for some of its members, “ghost hunting” and ‘Ufology” seem to be serious business in the city, with many set-ups boasting fancy names, claiming affiliation to “national” bodies and even offering training courses. <br />And in keeping with the city’s tech culture, they claim to use hi-tech gadgets to hunt down “ghosts”. However, traditional “tools” like lemons and herbs are also part of their paraphernalia. <br /><br />Archana Rao, a paranormal “researcher” on weekends and a finance professional on weekdays, is a “lead investigator” of Team Pentacle, which has on its rolls “certified researchers” for the paranormal and Ufology. <br /><br />Modern gadgets<br />“Ghost hunters” who look out for the unknown and research on paranormal activities rely on “scientific equipment” such as Infrared Thermometers (IR), Electromagnetic Fields Meters (EMF), voice recorders and infrared cameras. Based on requests from citizens, paranormal researchers take up cases. While IR measures the temperature of an object and is used to detect cold spots in rooms, EMF meters detect electromagnetic fields. Ghost hunters believe that in the presence of paranormal activities and ghosts, electromagnetism is emitted and cold spots emerge all of a sudden, despite normal temperatures outside. Infrared cameras are considered to be the best night vision cameras by ghost hunters and work well in total darkness. <br /><br />Weird noises<br />Archana recalls a recent case at Kalpalli cemetery in Sarvagnanagar in Bengaluru. “We received complaints about weird noises and sighting of an old man at 2 am. Armed with gadgets, six of us, including a ‘qualified’ psychic from the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS), tried to look for negative energy or spirits.The EMF tracked nothing and IR thermometer functioned normally."<br /><br />But at Anthargange in Kolar district, known for its suicide point, they claim to have tracked some readings on the EMF. Team Pentacle said they get around 50 calls everyday related to haunting and paranormal activities and “solve” at least five cases a month. <br /><br />Members of Spirit Seekers Army (SSA), another paranormal and ghost-hunting group, said many youngsters are interested in joining such groups. It claims to have carried out research and cracked cases across southern India. <br /><br />Piyush Sharma, a member of SSA said: “People want to associate with us as they are curious about the activity.”<br /><br />The players<br />Bangalore Squad of Investigators on Paranormal Activities ( BaSIPA), Ghost Research and Investigators of Paranormal (GRIP) Team and a branch of the Indian Paranormal Society (IPS) are a few working on paranormal activities in Bengaluru. There 10 “certified” paranormal researchers in the city and more than 350 people have registered as members of paranormal groups. Director of Team Pentacle, Dr Rahul Kumar, said they offer various courses in Paranormal Investigation Training (PPT). He said they get more than 10 enquiries a month from people interested in joining the courses. <br /><br />“People suffering from mental disorders may face illusions at times and report such paranormal happenings around them. Investigation of paranormal activities is difficult and right instruments need to be used to study them. However, in some cases, paranormal activities do happen,” said a psychiatrist, Dr Channapatna Shyam Sundar.<br /><br />‘All in the mind’<br />“Paranormal activities exist in the mind and a few even resort to photoshop (to show images of ghosts) to claim supernatural things. Radiations can emanate from cell towers, various electronic gadgets and objects. Similarly, the shutter of the cameras may malfunction (leading to ghostly images). These cannot be called as paranormal,” said Narendra Nayak, a rationalist. <br /> <br /><br /></p>
