ALAPPUZHA: A chill goes down the spine of most pedestrians passing along the Thuruthankavala Puthanambalam road in Muhamma at night. For on the way, lies a wooded area Sumathi Kadu where an unwed girl named Sumathi and her infant were found dead decades ago.
So passersby, especially women and children, keep their fingers crossed when ever they reach Sumathi Kadu.
Around 70 years ago, the area was a thick forest without road connectivity, stretching out as far as the eye could see and people used to pass through it for various purposes.
However, one day, an unwed girl named Sumathi committed suicide in the forest by hanging herself from a branch after killing her infant.
Since then, people in the area believed that the woman's ghost would haunt those passing through the forest and some even claimed that they had seen apparitions of Sumathi in the area at night. Following this, nobody had the courage to pass through the forest at night.
The Sumathi Kadu is owned by the Padinjare Kuttathi Veedu family. Incidentally, around 24 years ago, one man who belonged to this family, was also found dead in the Sumathi Kadu.
Gradually, most of the forest was cleared and a road was laid through the place, connecting the Alappuzha Thanneermukkom road with NH 47. However, the place where Sumathi and her infant were found dead still remains as a small forest. Though the road is a busy place during the day, it wears a deserted look at night.
Salim, a youth who passes along the road at night said he was told the story of Sumathi Kadu by his grandmother when he was a child. "I have never seen or experienced any unusual things in the forest. But I keep running whenever I pass through the Sumathi Kadu at nighttime," he says.
Samosh, another youth, said he had heard the story of Sumathi umpteen times from elderly people. "But, I don't believe in ghosts. So I'm not afraid to walk in front of Sumathi Kadu at night. According to the members of the family which owns it, they are planning to clear it to construct a house." Samosh said.