gaurav tiwari's interview- paranormal underground

12 Paranormal Underground August 2011

Investigator Spotlight

This month’s Investigator Spotlight has gone interna-tional! Paranormal Under-

ground is excited to profile para-normal investigator Gaurav Tiwari, founder and director of Indian Para-normal Society and lead investigator for Ghost Research & Investigators of Paranormal (G.R.I.P.).

“We are a professional, non-profit association of dedicated paranormal researchers, ufologists, parapsychologists, and enthusi-asts,” Gaurav said. “We focuse on researching and understanding the human condition through the scien-tific study of aerial, psychical, and anomalous phenomena, its reality, reach, and impact on humanity.”

Gaurav is also a certified lead-ing paranormal investigator, certi-fied paranormal investigator, and certified UFO field investigator for ParaNexus.

In January 2009, Indian Paranor-mal Society formed G.R.I.P. — based in New Delhi — to investigate and research paranormal phenomena throughout India under the leader-ship of Gaurav. G.R.I.P. not only helps clients with paranormal encoun-ters, but the team gained widespread popularity in India and abroad thanks to their popular TV series based on real paranormal investigations, called Girls Night Out on MTV.

Indian Paranormal Society Breaks Through Countrywide Barriers

continued to work in favor of para-normal research by educating the public and doing shows on paranor-mal investigation for Indian news channels. Gradually, paranormal investigation and research became more accepted in a society that was inundated by pre-conceived notions, according to Gaurav.

By Robb Demarest

The team wasn’t always popular or even respected.

“G.R.I.P. was not being taken seriously by the majority of people in India, as paranormal research and investigation was something modern and new to this country,” Gaurav explained.

But Indian Paranormal Society

For many years, paranormal investigator Gaurav Tiwari fought to break stereotypes about paranormal investigation within India. Today, his paranor-mal team, Indian Paranormal Society, researches locations across India and

educates the public about the paranormal field.

August 2011 Paranormal Underground 13

“Today, Indian Paranormal Society is expanding its wings all over India to educate and research,” Gaurav said.

Continue reading to learn more about Gaurav, Indian Paranormal Society, and G.R.I.P.

* * * * *

Q: Tell us about your back-ground? You grew up in India but have spent time in the U.S. as well, correct?

Gaurav: I grew up in a family of nonbelievers in India. I then moved to Florida to learn to fly commercial-ly. I had some very good times in the United States for the 3.5 years that I spent there.

Q: What drew your interest to the paranormal field?

Gaurav: Because I grew up in a fam-ily of nonbelievers, I always thought that spirits and ghosts were nonexis-tent. But, on the other hand, I always had a curiosity to hear about them.

Then life got busy with the gen-eral things, and I lost the idea about spirits and ghosts. But my inter-est in them returned when I faced some situations in my own house in Deland, Florida. There were five people living in the apartment, and we all witnessed different so-called paranormal experiences there.

I then researched on the Inter-net and found out about paranormal research and paranormal investi-gators. I got myself enrolled with ParaNexus for my basic guidance in the paranormal field.

Q: How did G.R.I.P. come about? Was it easy creating a team, and how does the team operate now?

Gaurav: It all started in Florida when I joined ParaNexus (www.

who took interest in my field and dedicated a part of their lives to learning about the paranormal by accompanying me on investigations. We named this team of Indian Paranormal Society as Ghost Re-search & Investigators of Paranormal (G.R.I.P.), which is specifically meant for haunting and parapsychology-related investigations.

Today, G.R.I.P. has a good repu-tation in India. We have around 14 investigators, which allows us to cover most of the states in India. Many oth-ers are joining us as members.

Q: Was it hard to get a team started where there had been almost no teams before? What were some of the early chal-lenges and triumphs?

Gaurav: It was not as difficult to get the team started as it was to make the general people understand about what we were doing. When we started investigating in India, people thought we were Tantriks and exorcists.

We then started educating peo-ple through news channel and print media about the paranormal and the logic behind it; and this manifested rationalists of India to debate with me on national television. I could logically stand strong against them.

Eventually, there was a definite craze about paranormal research in India. This craze started right after our show on MTV called Girls Night Out, as I believe people were really bored reading and watching those typical Hollywood/Bollywood types of ghosts.

Q: What has been the general reaction to your team, and what you are trying to accomplish?

Gaurav: Most of the people appre-ciated our efforts. Mostly youngsters! But many made fun of us. They thought we are trying to fool people.

paranexus.org) in 2008. I am thank-ful to Doug Kelley for his guidance and education that he has provided in the field of paranormal research. It really changed my life ... a com-mercial pilot turned serious paranor-mal researcher!

The idea of establishing Indian Paranormal Society was on my mind

since then. I came back to India in mid-2009. It was not easy to con-vince my family members, who are still nonbelievers, but my Dad sup-ported me.

I am also thankful to my friends

“Eventually, there was a definite craze about paranormal research in India.”

Ghost Research & Investigators of Para-normal (G.R.I.P.) was formed out of Indian Paranormal Society to investigate haunt-

ings and parapsychology-related investiga-tions across India.


spirit); Pret-Aatma (malevolent spir-it); and ParamAatma (the supreme spirit, God). If we dig further in the Vedas, other categories of spirits and their nature have also been defined.

So, undoubtedly, Hindu religion boasts of a great understanding in spiritualism and God. Hinduism has taught me to respect and love all the religions equally, which should be the first quality for any paranormal researcher.

Q: India, to me, is one of the ulti-mate destinations for paranormal investigation. The belief system, the stories, and the absolutely jaw-dropping locations make this a dream to anyone looking to seek out spirits. Tell us about some of the incredible locations that you have investigated? What has been the best so far?

Gaurav: India has been a land of kings and wars. Also, there were so many tragedies that happened dur-


selves before they have tried to learn about the spirits.

Q: Could you give us an over-view of the Hindu belief sys-tem as it pertains to spirits and how that affects you as a Hindu paranormal investigator?

Gaurav: Like every other religion, Hinduism is based on spirit com-munication and spirituality. In fact, all the religions have the same core

belief in spirits and demons. Old Hindu manuscripts, called

the Vedas, are believed to be written by the God himself; they speak of different types of spirits: Aatma (any

Some even said that I was a jobless pilot trying to fool people to earn some money. But time and hard work is slowly shutting many mouths and raising many hands in appreciation.

Q: What are the overall goals of G.R.I.P., and what do you feel makes G.R.I.P. different from teams in both India and the rest of the world?

Gaurav: I look at it more as a combined effort between teams to contribute something to paranor-mal research. I am happy that my team maintains professionalism in this field. Professionalism embraces various things, such as seriousness, knowledge, positive attitude, cour-tesy, good communication, etc.

Every G.R.I.P. member has a sense of personal responsibility, are assertive and logical, respect clients and their property, are confident, and they have learned about them-

“Like every other religion, Hinduism is based on spirit communication

and spirituality.”

While investigating a bungalow located near a beach in Mumbai, Gaurav found unexplainable scratches on his arm. The location was near a very old children’s cemetery adjacent to the bungalow.


The entire night, the cameras had a tough time. And whenever the strange sound started coming out of the camera, our EMF meters regis-tered a heavy spike. It looked like something was attacking the camera with EMF. The strangest part is that the cameramen swear that the strange problem never appeared in their cameras before or after that investigation.

Q: Bhangarh has been a dream location for me, and you and I actually became friends by first talking about this place as you and your team were the first to do a full-scale investigation here. Could you tell us about this location … the history, the ghost stories, and your investi-gation?

Gaurav: Bhangarh is a place be-tween Jaipur and Alwar in Rajasthan,

of unexplained EMF rising to 8 to 12 mG. We also recorded some strange EVPs and registered many EMF+temperature fluctuations at the same time. Some of our investiga-tors also heard their names being whispered.

During the shooting of MTV’s Girls Night Out in Kuldhara, one of our producers also got partially possessed. We had placed more than 30 IR dome cameras to record any activity. After the shooting, we watched the footage from many tapes. But when the tapes were sent to the editing lab, all the tapes were blank except for one.

This happened again when we were there to re-investigate the place. Our working cameras started emit-ting weird sounds together, and our cameramen were astonished with problems in two cameras at the same time. But they were soon working fine again.

ing the British Rule. India doesn’t only have great-looking Mahals and forts, but there are many sad stories hidden behind the walls of those great forts.

There are so many great loca-tions that we have visited for our investigations. One of them is Bhan-garh. Another is “Kuldhara Ruins,” Rajasthan. This place has a deep history. Our experience there was a little disturbing.

There are many more other great locations, including haunted bunga-lows, towers, island, hospitals, private farm houses, railway station, etc.

Q: Could you discuss the dis-turbing experience you men-tioned?Gaurav: It is said that the residents of 84 neighboring villages in Rajas-than, including Kuldhara, vacated the villages overnight around 200 years ago! No one knows for sure where they migrated to, but they are believed to have migrated to a place somewhere near Jodhpur.

The residents were Paliwal Brahmans — said to be very intelli-gent and residing there for about 500 years. So what made them do such an act? Stories say that the ruler of these villages pounded the Paliwals with heavy taxes and treated them very in-humanly; the ruler was unethical and forceful. They had no alternative but to vacate all the 84 villages overnight and just disappear from the vision and reach of the ruler.

When the Paliwals left the villages, they left a curse that nobody could ever inhabit the villages again. Resi-dents of Jaisalmer say that there have been attempts by some families to stay there, but they did not succeed.

We have been to Kuldhara twice for investigations. And both the times we came back home with great experiences. During the investigations, you will find pockets

The G.R.I.P.’s team currently uses equipment like the K-II meter, EMF detec-tors, EVP recorders, DVR, IR cameras, non-contact IR thermometers, night vision goggles, motion sensors, IR still cameras, and a laser grid during investigations.


twice and found many reasons why we think people believe Bhangarh is haunted, including:

• No one really knows the real story behind destruction of Bhan-garh; even the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is not sure.

• The legend became myth, and people nearby started believing the place was really cursed.

• Superstition is at an extreme in this area and nearby villages. That is why villagers themselves, being afraid of spirits, stopped outsiders from visiting Bhangarh ruins after dark.

• Matrixing: Our brain has a tendency to form images from distorted shapes. Most of the pillars and bushes at Bhangarh are short in length and appear like humanoid figures in the dark.

• Wild animals: Sariska Wild Life Reserve is adjacent to the bound-aries of Bhangarh, and many wild animals, including panthers, tigers, monkeys, jackals, and wolves, visit Bhangarh ruins in search of water.

• The overall environment at night in Bhangarh looks very spooky. Anyone going there alone can surely freak out due to the strange sounds and activities of wild animals and spooky scenery.

Q: Now as much as I have always wanted to investigate in India, there must be some places around the world that you have on your list. Could you share these places with us?

Gaurav: Waverly Hills Sanatorium, The Tower of London, Myrtles Plantation, Amityville … there are so many more on the wish list.

Q: What is the best piece of evi-dence your team has captured to date?

Gaurav: We captured a Class A EVP of a spirit child replying to our


maid in the market buying scented oil. Seeing this, he got an idea by which he could meet the princess. He used his black magic and put a spell on the oil, which would hyp-notize the princess by her merely touching the oil, and she would sur-render herself.

The princess foiled this plan though. She had seen the tantrik enchanting the oil, and as she threw it away, it rolled over a stone. As

soon as the oil touched the stone, it started rolling toward the wicked tantrik and crushed him. While dying, Singhia cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it, without any rebirth in their destinies. The very next year there was a battle between Bhangarh and Ajabgarh, and Ratnavati died.

G.R.I.P. investigated Bhangarh

India. It is known for its ruins and is worth a visit; the place is beautiful and scenic. What remains, though, are ruins of a once beautiful and rich kingdom.

It is said that the city of Bhan-garh was cursed by the Guru Balu Nath, causing the town’s evacuation. Balu Nath sanctioned the establish-ment of the town but said: “The moment the shadows of your palaces touch me, the city shall be no more!”

Ignorant of such foreboding, one ambitious descendant raised the palace to such a height that it shad-owed Balu Nath’s forbidden retreat and thus the town was devastated as prophesied. The small Samadhi, where Balu Nath is said to lie bur-ied, is still there.

The other myth speaks about the charm of the princess of Bhan-garh- Ratnavati, who was said to be very beautiful. In the same region, there lived a tantric — a sorcerer named ‘Singhia’ who was well-versed in the occult and was desperately in love with the princess, knowing that he would never be allowed to even see her or meet her alone.

One day, he saw the princess’

Prior to the establishment of Indian Paranormal Society and G.R.I.P., organized paranormal investigation was virtually nonexistent in India.

“We captured a Class A EVP of a spirit

child replying to our questions.”


have any idea what they are really trying to do. I recently found a video of a group trying to find spirits with a fake iPhone application. I was later informed that this group is charging their clients fees up to 4$00 to get a ghost (which they found using their iPhone) out of the house.

Another group was running a Website using Indian Paranormal Society’s name, and they were trying to make money using our name. They are in legal trouble now.

I am planning to launch a book on the Indian Belief Systems and their affect on people’s life. I have stated all kinds of belief systems practiced within India and also how the general belief system affects the society.

We have planned many future events that are in pipeline, such as the first-ever ghost tours in Indian Territory.

Q: If an investigator comes to India, what do you think their biggest culture shock would be?

Gaurav: India is definitely a rich

questions. It was taken at a haunted house where the owner complained of child spirit activity.

Q: Did you learn why there might be a child there? What were the questions and an-swers?

Gaurav: The owner of the house complained that he heard a child crying every night. He also said that his wife was always pushed or pull when she was alone at home.

This is a bungalow located near a beach in Mumbai. There is also a very old children’s cemetery on the beach adjacent to this bungalow. When we investigated, I not only found a weird, unexplainable scratch on my hand, but also recorded a child saying, “Yes, throw, wait, now,” in Marathi. We did not capture any-thing else. We tried to reinvestigate the place, but the owner had moved to another city.

Q: Now you were the lead investigator for MTV’s Girls Night Out. How was that expe-rience for you? Did it change your impression of other para-normal shows that you have watched?

Gaurav: MTV Girls Night Out helped me a lot in becoming more responsible as a paranormal investiga-tor. The experience was great. I have seen and learned so many new things during those investigations. I could also learn from my mistakes and refine my investigation techniques.

It has made me learn that it real-ly takes a great effort to make a great paranormal show. I now have higher regards for other good paranormal shows for their hard work.

Q: How is the paranormal scene in India? Is there coop-eration among teams? Ani-

mosity? Events? Books on the paranormal?

Gaurav: Indians have mixed men-talities ... most of them are believers and few of them are nonbelievers. I have met many Indians who have a great knowledge in the field of the paranormal. But there was no orga-nized group for this kind of research until we got established.

I have met a lot of old people who have been researching in this field since 1955. They used their homemade custom EMF meters and other gadgets too. There are many in India who will laugh at your face if you speak to them about the para-normal, but the modern school of thoughts in Indians is changing. Most of the youngsters now are educated and have open minds to understand and accept the possibilities.

Indian Paranormal Society receives thousands of applications every month from people wanting to be paranormal investigators.

There are many other teams emerging in India, but most don’t

According to Gaurav, India is a dream location for many paranormal researchers as a result of the society’s rich spirituality and historical locations. “People here are

very cooperative, especially with visitors to India,” Gaurav said.


Q: What are some of the popu-lar misconceptions about India, and could you clear them up?

Gaurav: The most popular miscon-ception in India about the spirits is that all the spirits are negative and that is why most of the Indians are terrorized by just the mere name of ghosts.

But Indian Paranormal Soci-ety is gradually finding success in educating people about the thin line between the belief and the reality.

Another misconception is that all the spirits want to possess human beings. We have helped to show that this is a misconception by visiting places that are said to have posses-sion activities.

Q: You have investigated in both the U.S. and India. Are there any differences you have found?

Gaurav: Yes, there are many differ-ences when you speak of the belief systems in both countries. Also, Indian haunted locations are full of dust, and you will not find electricity at most of the locations, which some-times is a big problem if you are not carrying a generator system.

Also, most of the people in In-dia do not know what a paranormal investor does, so you will need time to make them understand about what you are trying to do. Otherwise, they will consider you as a Tantrik, which is a person who practices Black/White Magic or sorceries.

Most of them use Black Magic to harm others. They are also found to practice cannibalism, as well as other such practices.

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For more information about G.R.I.P., Indian Paranormal Society, and Gau-rav Tiwari, visit www.gripteam.org, www.facebook.com/gripindia, and www.youtube.com/gripindia.

location when it comes to spiritual-ity. This is indeed a dream location for many paranormal researchers. People here are very cooperative, especially with visitors to India.

But the only problem an inves-tigator would face is that people are not very open to talk about spirits and ghosts. People do not want to speak about their experiences to an outsider due to shame, fear of spir-its, or fear of being laughed at.

Even though the young genera-tion in India is slowly getting onto Western track about this, many families still have conservative lifestyles.

India is a developing country. There are mixed standards of places in every state. Some are very ad-vanced, and some are a little slow. Many haunted locations are so remote that it takes two to three days to get there. Not every place has an airport or local transport facilities. At some of the places, roads are so narrow and broken that you cannot take a vehicle.

Food, on the other hand, is something that every outsider will love. India is known for different flavors of food.


Q: I know we have discussed the difficulty in getting new technol-ogy in India. What equipment do want to add to the G.R.I.P. arsenal, and what equipment do you never leave home when you go on an investigation?

Gaurav: We are waiting for a lot of equipment, like full-spectrum cam-eras, EVP boosters, thermal imagers, TriField Natural EM, geophones, etc. We currently use equipment like the K-II meter, EMF detectors, EVP recorders, DVR, IR cameras, non-contact IR thermometers, night vision goggles, motion sensors, IR still cameras, laser grid, etc.

Most of the equipment is made in the U.S., UK, and China. India doesn’t have any store or lab that makes such equipment.

You might find EMF meters, IR thermometers, and digital record-ers in the market, but they are also highly overpriced to have been imported from U.S. or China.

If one gets equipment from other countries, he needs to pay a heavy custom duty. The overall pain and effort to bring such equipment to the country is little tough.

The most popular misconception in India, according to Gaurav, centers on spirits being negative in nature, which is why most Indians are terrorized by the mere

suggestions of ghosts.


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gaurav tiwari's interview- paranormal underground

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