The Haunted Villa

I was passing by the street and land near an old abandoned villa. It was named Sunvilla but was not at all sunny. It looked haunted. A spooky cold atmosphere in the month of May. It didn’t explain it anyway. It was rumored to be haunted and even appeared to be.

I had watched a lot of horror movies and it was acting as resistance. I Strengthen my heart and entered the villa. I opened the door and found it to be very dusty. It ached to breathe.

I glanced at the room and it had a royalist setting. The material was expensive and made with a lot of passion. I was amazed but my amazement didn’t last long as my eye fell on the floor.

There were skeletons around. After this sight, I wanted to finish the delivery as fast as possible.

I shouted, “anyone there “.

On getting no response I climbed up the stairs.

Stairs led to the darkroom. I knocked on the door which itself opened. I tried to enter the room; heard a scream. I got scared, fumbled and bumped into someone. I ran out of the room down to the garden, slipped at the staircase but I stood up and what caught my sight was a ghost. Red eyes, a skeleton body and shabby cloths that was his very appearance. The situation was even scary. It was like horror films.

I started chanting a spell,” thee if exists as is told, then prayer my he behold, I wish a day in lieu of the dark. Let my request to bring some spark. I, son of the ring the mercy. let this Satan go back to hell.”

Yups, I am not a priest, I learned it from a movie. I had a doubt about this spell and he confirmed by raising his axe and making me feel like a lame goat. I stood up and ran toward the door. It got itself closed, my fear turned me to stone.

He came towards me and laughed ” ha!ha!ha!”.

He raised his axe again and suddenly a stone came flying toward him aiming his head. He bend down and I, with wet eyes and blurred vision saw man standing on the staircase.

He called me,” come on come here, dude !”.

I rushed towards the staircase and man was none other than my friend Jhon. His face was red and his eyes looking down.

I asked,” Hey what’s wrong, you are feeling ashamed “.

I received no answer but after a minute he broke into my arm and apologized, “Dude! There was no delivery it was a prank, we weren’t aware of the fact that this place was actually haunted “.

I felt like somebody is near and I realized that we were fighting a ghost .we ran to the 2nd floor. Jhon hid in a box and I headed towards the 3rd floor. The ghost chased me to the third floor and Jhon hiding in a box noticed something unusual. He came out of the box and raised his hand signaling me to stop then and there. He chased the ghost, caught him by his arm and pulled him. Ghost fell on the floor.

“I never knew ghost has feet ” Jhon exclaimed, pointing his finger toward ghost’s feet.

we both laughed out loud.

I came down and took the ghost’s axe. He saw me taking his axe and ran downstairs. I was angry. In a mood to kill.

I fastened my feet toward the ghost and Jhon stopped me and

cautioned, ” If you committed a crime you will be sent behind the bars .we will call the police .let them handle him “.

I yelled with the half-smile and utter, ” is murdering a ghost a crime? I never knew. If you want to summon someone then summon reapers and tell them we have a fresh soul here of a skeleton”.

I know, my mood was scary, Scary enough to even scare Jhon.

The situation was very cinematic.

A person begging for life and a ruthless villain hungry for his blood and flesh.

I came down in dramatical fashion with my axe (currently mine now ) and chanted

the hymn, ” when the clock stuck at nine. The devil may invoke my divine. .delusion, illusion, hallucination and darkest dream; get him to bring the most hellish scream”.

I came down ended my dramatic entry and started my actionable exit. I broke upon him with my axe. Skeleton started shivering and shaking.

I stroke again and again but missed it. He fell down and I was ready to give a fatal blow. He moved but lost his concealed identity.

Mask broke and behind the mask. the man that I saw last night at the entrance of Ms. Parker’s mansion before the party.

We witnessed a theft there last night. A costly painting was robbed. Ms. Parker saw a skinny bald shadow. It approx 5.6 inches lingering in the corridor when we showing us the mansion

Wh was strange because all the servants were on leave.

“Well, Well John we found Mr. Parker’s skinny bald shadow ” I spoke like sherlock Holmes.

“What ?how ?” , John said.

Yes, brother, I saw him lingering near Ms. Parker’s gate and his shadow seems the same ” I spoke in a confident voice.

“Well, police will be here in no time. The old lady would happy to get her painting back” John said with a smile.

The ghost stood up and ran towards the door and I chased to kill him. He beat the door, kicked and broke into it. His efforts were futile.

I yelled at him ” just freeze there moron and I‘ll give an easy death else I won’t even spare your soul “.

I rushed to kill him and suddenly the door opened throwing two of us to two different corners of the room.

“Who called me. I am here. Where’s the criminal” policemen shouted.

“Sir, me ” John replied.

I pointed at the ghost guy and spoke angrily, “You better catch this filthy rascal else I’ll bring him to death “.

“My friend suspects him to be painting thief as well. He saw him roaming near our neighbor’s gate and she saw a shadow that resembles like his “.John said.

“Well the justice must be done he will be served right,” policemen said.

The ghost man broke into tears and exclaimed” Spare me, I didn’t mean to kill you. I am not murder . I am a just thief ”.

“Just a thief! What do you mean by just a thief ?! You almost gave a heart attack ” I exclaimed in anger.

“Who are you? What you are doing? And why you scared us ?” John curiously interrogated.

He replied in a shacking and breaking voice ” I am a thief. I steal paintings and hide here. Everyone believes this place is haunted. If you proved their belief wrong I would be homeless“.

“Handcuff him and hunt the paintings” inspector ordered.

The police searched for painting and they found it in the basement .inspector showed us the paintings and asked: “is there any painting of Ms parker “.

I replied pointing at painting “yes, sir .this one“.

Police took thief and left.

“Ooh! They left this weird painting ” John said.

“Weird painting! Show me” I said.

“A beautiful lady in a red gown holding axe. Its made in 1964 ” John said.

“Mrs. Parker never told me axes were in fashion”, I said.

“Hey! Do you check the top floor? You were there, right. “John exclaimed with excitement.

” Yups !almost Except one room .it was locked .” I said.

I look at the window of the undiscovered room and what I saw yet haunts me. A young lady in a red gown holding an axe. Shockingly she and thief’s axe resembled the same as in painting.

I spoke in shaking voice ” gh…ost on the t…op fl..o..or “.

John said,” shut up, there is no ghost “.

“There he is “, I insisted.

“Brother, After what you did in villa I know only one ghost and it's you,” John said.

The bus stopped and we boarded in.

Run

“Run”, whispered Judy and Stephnie was off like a flash.

She ran straight, turned right, found a closet and hid inside it. She was breathing so hard that anyone can hear her from a mile. Stephnie composed herself and waited with bated breath for it to happen. She heard footsteps coming from the next room.

“Where are you” shouted Judy in desperation.

Stephnie let out a sigh hearing this and suddenly the footsteps stopped.

“Help me!!!” Stephnie heard from the other room.

“Nice try Judy,” Stephnie said, “You will have to find me to win you know”.

“It was only a game!!! I am really sorry” she heads Judy cry.

“You are scaring me now Judy” Shouted Stephnie in anger and came out of the closet. It was pitch black in the room and she was finding it extremely hard to see. She tried to adjust her eyes in the limited light which came from the other room and realized the voices have stopped from the other room.

Stephnie and Judy had been fascinated with the house since the time they had moved into the neighborhood and used to look for opportunities to sneak in the abandoned house. They finally had their chance 1 night when their parents were out for a party. They had everything planned. They were supposed to sneak in through the window check the house out and return home like they went nowhere. They entered the house as planned and checked if the lights worked.

“Nope, there is no fuse, none of the lights work,” Stephnie said after checking the fuse box.

“Let's play hide and seek Stephnie” Judy suggested.

Stephnie thought for a second and agreed reluctantly and said “Sure but let's do it fast. This place gives me the creeps”.

“We shouldn’t have come here,” Thought Stephnie while finding her way slowly to the next room where she could make out distinct lights. She felt a hand coming towards her and touching her on the shoulder. She felt a sudden jolt of electricity and was thrown straight inside the closet where she had hidden before.

“No, You shouldn’t have” was the last thing she head before everything turned black in front of her and she passed out.

“Steph!!! Steph!!! Wake up” she heard someone say.

“Judy? What happened” asked Stephnie while trying to get up.

“I, I don’t know” replied Judy looking confused.

“Let’s get out of here,” Stephnie said and took Judy’s hand and walked out with her from the main door.

“Strange!!! I could have sworn the door was locked when we tried earlier” Stephnie remarked while moving towards their house along with Judy.

“I think a storm is coming,” Judy said looking towards the sky. Stephnie looked up and saw that the sky was blood red as well along with the moon. They heard chirping and Stephnie saw there were birds flying around at night with blood-red eyes. Somehow they made home and saw their parents car parked outside.

“Crap!!! Mom and dad are home!! We are so dead!!” exclaimed Judy while entering the doorway.

Both of them stopped dead on their tracks while looking inside the house from the open window. There were people sitting in the drawing-room. Both of them turned towards each other in shock and made a face of utter horror. There were their parents along with Stephnie, Judy sitting on the sofa. Judy let out a cry from the driveway which made the 4 people inside the house look at them with their red eyes and in a flash they were standing at the window glaring at them with a dead glaze.

It was at that very moment both Judy and Stephnie head a clear voice whisper in their ear…. “Run”!!!!…

Tragic Death

My cousin had always been a victim of occult experiences. Since childhood he witnessed strange occurrences and incidents himself. He hardly shared those out of fear and hesitation. The only one who heard him was his mother and I. Both of us performed the same duty of calming him down, instilling courage and motivating him to stay stronger. It’s been years and he still hasn’t been able to come out of that inner fear as the incidents never stopped.I spoke to him today to share my story I recently wrote which was on similar lines to his eerie experiences. I must agree that mine was much milder than his. After hearing mine he continued..

This was back in 2010 when he had moved from our house in Delhi to one in Greater NOIDA. His friend took him and his belongings to his own house built in a little secluded place in NOIDA. Not many residents were there back then so there was no building closeby. The closest one was at least 5 minutes drive. So he shifted with him in that big house which was double storeyed. His friend used to share one room on the ground level with his girl friend while he was given another one.

While in sleep, he used to get up often with the sounds of quarrels between his friend and that girl in the other room. Afterwards he used to sleep without complaints, however that became a regular phenomenon hence he got a little worried. He observed that the girl used to cry in a very painful voice.

One day his friend had to go out of town and he requested the cousin to take care of the girl for few days. The cousin agreed to. He and the girl used to cook, eat and talk and they helped each other in household chores. One night when he was trying to sleep he heard her crying the same way as before from her room. He got up. The crying would not stop so he went to her room to check yet she kept crying repeatedly. He enquired in the morning if everything was fine and she responded positively.

This incident repeated and he got really scared. In a while she knocked on his door and requested to sleep in his room. For her comfort he slept on the floor and she on his bed.

One evening they decided to cook fish so he went out to get some. Barely 10 minutes after his return, he found that all his clothes – 4 shirts and 4 pairs of jeans were washed and hung. He asked her the reason to rinse them so quick and she said they were all washed properly. He was surprised, nevertheless. They had fish that night and he went off to sleep.

Next morning his friend called. When he heard that they had fish he repremanded him. He firmly said that she was a vegetarian and never had fish! Hearing this was startling to him. He could not understand. He was anxious hence he called his mother and told her about his discomforting incidents. His mother calmed him down and told him to return back home if he felt the need.

The next day when he was sitting and watching TV the girl came and appreciated that he looked sexy. This was unusual again hence he scolded her saying his friend won’t like that if he heard her, to which she replied – If he would come to know he would reprimand HER, not me!

This was a total shocker. He could not believe his ears and was awake whole night. In the morning when he related the girl’s story to another friend, he advised that she needed to be sent home immediately owing to being disturbed. Out of fright he wanted to get rid of her presence hence booked her tickets for home and she as well readily agreed to go.

He left her at the airport and she departed saying not to go to her room much. He agreed and returned home. While at home, he switched the TV on and felt someone behind him but found no one. He tried to sleep without switching the lights off and in a moment felt as if a shadow was moving towards the other room. He shouted at the top of his voice who it was. He got up, took a torch and entered the room. He saw that the mattress was pressed on one area as if someone was sitting there. There was nobody. He took the torch to the bathroom connected to that room and saw that on floor, there were big spots of acid drops as if something was attempted to get eliminated. There was a bath tub in the washroom and in its end sat a girl in dark. He caught a glimpse of hers and she uttered to him – Leave this place. Aghast, he felt a blood drop in his foot thumb and fainted there.

Due to early morning rains pouring through the window upon him, he woke up, came out to his room, packed his things as much as he could and rushed out of that house. After paying a hefty amount to an autowallah due to Holi, he managed to flee from there. That night he slept in a bus station and later took refuge to another friend’s place.

Later some day he came to know that his friend and that girl had come back to leave that house. On its first level lived a tenant. Upon lots of interrogation it was told by him that the house owner was an NRI and he had killed his wife in that wash tub. He had another wife with whom he moved abroad.

Everything was clear now, the incidents and the reasons.

This story definitely ended but incidents before and after had remained episodic.

The Last Summer Evening

The sudden cold wind on a hot summer evening made me shiver from head to toe. Looking around I saw Lisa silently knitting and busy humming a song. My mind traveled to our college days.

Lisa and I met at the college canteen. I was completing my master's in public health and she was a language student. We instantly clicked and our bond became stronger as the years passed.

Forward to six years, I had lost contact with her nearly two years ago. One day while walking to the Starbucks near my office I saw a small kid-run towards me. I smiled, well I always loved kids. I turned around to find his parents and loh! I found Lisa! A happily married woman she was and I couldn’t be happier for her.

After exchanging phone numbers and promising to meet each other we parted our ways. This time we did meet. She invited me to her house to meet her husband and mother in law. Well, that was the summer evening I would never forget. The old vintage style house with a chimney and a beautiful garden. I had always loved vintage-styled houses. But being a busy human with demanding work I had a small apartment in the heart of the town.

The evening went well and her mother in law was really quiet all the while. I wondered why she scrutinized me. Her husband and child were pleasant to talk to. But well, there did come a time I was left alone with the woman. I was dreading to talk to her though. Lisa was busy setting the table and her husband was in the garden with their son.

“You are bad luck for my family”, said the woman. I looked at her surprised to hear the blunt truth from her. Indeed I have been bad luck for many. Another reason why I tried my hands in medicine. When I was young the children of my age always avoided me. They said I was followed by a gruesome-looking old man. They never played with me. One night my mother was very sick. My father and I tried our best to give her comfort. Finally, the father decided to call a priest. As soon as he entered the room he shouted at me, pulled me out of the room, and shut the door on my face. I started crying, I was only 10 then!

That summer evening I felt a strange coldness, and my mother passed away at night. Had this happened once, I would have thought it was a mere coincidence. The priest wouldn’t allow me to enter the church and there was a rumor that I was the devil’s incarnation. I lost my faith in God soon. The following summer, my father passed away under the exact circumstances. A distant aunt of mine took me as she adopted her though I spent my life in hostels.

Few years after my graduation when I returned, she too died on one summer evening. Well, that was the day I realized I was bad luck. To get rid of it I did social works, tried to help others as much as I could, but I knew one thing, I was indeed bad luck who brought death.

I looked at Lisa’s mother in law again. “I know I am bad luck,” I said.

She spoke in a low voice, “Get out of my house “.

I didn’t need another response. The last thing I wanted was death. But while the drive home I felt a familiar cold which made me shiver. As soon as I reached home I got a call from Lisa. The call I was dreading the most. Yes her mother had collapsed as soon as I left. I knew this was the end, so without any choice, I drove back to their house only to find the woman in her last stage. As soon as I entered the room she shouted “Get out! Stay away from my family “.

A cold sweat ran down my neck. Lisa ‘s husband was out for his night shift. Her son was sleeping and she was knitting. Who was the person now I thought? Suddenly I heard her son shout! We ran towards his room to find him talking over his sleep. Lisa checked his temperature which turned out to be very very high. We called the doctor and her husband. The bit I knew, no one, no one can stop this. Or maybe someone can.

Steeping silently on Lisa ‘s backyard I looked at the moon. It was summer and yet I felt no warmth. I knew the devil as all called it was with me. I knelt down and said, “Not this time. All my life I have witnessed many lives that you took away. But not this one, not the small boy! Take my life instead. Yes, I want to give my life, take my soul! But leave the child alone. Please “. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Suddenly I collapsed.

I don’t remember when but I heard Lisa silently crying beside me. It was afternoon and my throat did hurt bad. I muttered water and asked her about her son. She said he was absolutely fine. According to her, it was a miracle. I smiled. I told her to give me a pen and a paper, for I knew the last time I had, I had to utilize it. That evening as the whole family surrounded me, the strange cold feeling covered me. I didn’t flinch this time. Instead, I smiled. I saw the face which had haunted many and made me bad luck for many. That night I embraced my long time companion.

The letter I left, I had asked Lisa to burn every single of my belongings so that I may never return to this material world. But she is she, did nothing as such. Hence if any such summer evening you feel a strange cold remember, it might be “The last summer evening ” but of course I will be waiting for you.

The Unknown Path

A long time ago there was a place which was not out of the ordinary, a regular town which was filled with houses, shops and a school. This was a time before the existence of the internet and cell phones. Just like any other town, there were areas that were unexplored and there was, in particular, a path that was never taken by anyone. This was because of the rumor that those who have tried to go down that path have never returned.

It didn’t bother the town much as there was nothing of interest in there, the path was covered with trees and hence there was no light to guide them, nothing lied beyond the path so they never wanted to cross it for any reason. Even in the morning sunshine was always blocked by the huge trees and due to the presence of such greenery there existed a variety of insects, bugs, birds. No one in the town could make out which species any of them belonged to. Although the town was filled with schools, shops and houses this path covered with forest always stood apart as if it had never changed. As if it had been the same since people explored this town.

People always stayed away from that path in fear of not knowing what lies ahead. The trees kept growing as time passed but the path remained, the path was always clear even when no one walked over it. It was very strange as the grass on both sides kept growing but it never once covered the path.

The Boy - It was a bright morning when the boy who always admired the path passed by to get to school. He had always admired the path hoping that it would be an adventure to explore, to see new things. He wanted to see what the path leads to, but he was also scared due to the rumors that went around about no one ever returning. The reason he wanted to go down the path was simple, no one had ever been there which means no one actually knows where it leads and what the path has to offer. He always watches the path as he passes by every time, determined to travel on the unknown path and to find out what is present in there. The school ended and summer vacation started. He had a lot of time in his hands, filled with curiosity he was determined to see what the path had to offer so he went in.

The Path - It was 10 in the morning but as soon as he entered, engulfed by the trees not a single ray of light entered making it dark as midnight. He knew about this so he carried a torch along with him, he turned the torch on and saw that the path led him straight ahead. The rumors were true the path was never covered by the grass, he carried forward-looking at both sides trying to see what was present in the greenery. So far he was able to find some insects, which were slightly bigger than the regular insects but were not that special.

Similarly, he also heard some birds which he had never heard before. As he was moving forward he heard something move beside him, unsure of what he heard due to the darkness all around, he flashed the torch to see what it was. He was unable to spot anything he then turned around and started to walk but suddenly his leg slipped on a rock which threw him off balance so he grabbed onto a vine that was closest to him in order to regain balance. He was able to balance with the help of the vine but alas it wasn’t a vine it was a snake.

Terrified seeing the snake hissing, he threw it away and started running. Soon he was sure that he had got rid of the snake but the horror-struck him as he forgot in which direction he started running. He was filled with fear, if he went back he might get out and go home but there was also a chance that his home was in the opposite direction. He tried to flash the light from his torch to see if he could remember the way he came in. But it was of no use since it was covered with trees on all sides his home could be in any direction. Fear started to grip him, but he moved forward in a random direction hoping it would lead him somewhere.

After the fear subsided he calmed down and realized that it was a mud path, after all, his footprints would still be present. He continued in the direction he had come running as there was only one set of footprints which would mean he didn’t run in the opposite direction. He planned to head back home and as he was walking something fell on his head, it was as if a bug had landed on his head. He quickly tried to knock it out with his torch and smashed the bug with his leg in fear and that’s when he felt some cold fluid run down his cheek. It might have been blood from the bug after all he did try to push it away with the torch but it wasn’t blood it was water.

He looked above and realized it had started to drizzle. It slowly started to rain and so he took shelter under one of the huge trees. As he was waving his torch on the ground to make sure nothing was approaching him. He took shelter but then it struck to him, the rainwater washed away his footprints of the ground but he was glad he at least found the direction he had come from so after the rain he could return back home. After some time the rain stopped and he started to head back home. He continued forward but never saw the end, it was as if there was no end. He moved forward but took an eternity and still he was nowhere near the end, so he started to run and run. Eventually, he did stop to catch his breath and that’s when he looked down to see a crushed bug. It looked very similar to the one he had crushed, he panicked but he still was determined to find his way out. He marked the tree with a stone to make sure he wasn’t running in circles. He moved started to walk, he was tensed and a sense of fear originated in his mind, he started to think of the rumors it made him fear more.

As he walked forward, it was faint but he could see something as if there was some light at the end, he was glad, he started to run towards the light. He was finally out, he made it. He was happy, he ran towards school as If he was late to school. He didn’t stop to question why he was doing that, maybe he wanted to amaze his friends and brag about making it out. The school was going, he sat in his desk and saved the explanation for later as the class was about to start. He couldn’t hold it in as he stared at the clock, waiting for the break to start and then he could narrate his adventure. He fell asleep staring at the clock and that’s when it struck to him.

If he went inside at 10 in the morning wasn’t he late for School?

Should he be in casual dress instead of a school uniform?

Why was the school working? Wasn’t it the summer vacations?

That’s when he woke up, there was no school, and he was taking shelter from the rain. The bug he smashed was still there. He never left. He wanted to get up and run but he couldn’t, he looked down only to find his legs buried in the mud. He was being eaten by the ground, he tried to claw through the ground but his hands ended up being swallowed by the ground he was going in deeper and deeper until only his head was visible. He tried to turn around, he saw that he had fused with the tree, his legs became roots of the tree and all that’s left was his face which is now the face of the tree and he can’t differentiate if he had skin around his eyes or it was the tree bark which is now on his face.

He now only had eyes but a bug blocked his view, the same kind of bug which he had smashed earlier. With his left eye, he tried to search for the smashed bug on the ground it was nowhere to be found. Maybe it is the same bug, who knows there wasn’t much he could do with only two eyes. He is trapped and will stay trapped for years to come. The bug walked from his right eye to the left blinding him in the process. Now it all went dark, dark as the night without the moon and stars. He couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore, it was all dark and silent.

Muhammad Ali

(born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. January 17, 1942 – 3 June 2016) was an Olympic and World Champion boxer, who also had a unique personality, based on self-belief and strong religious and political convictions. In 1999, Ali was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated. He won the World Heavyweight Boxing championship three times and won the North American Boxing Federation championship as well as an Olympic gold medal.

Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942. He was named after his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., (who was named after the 19th-century abolitionist and politician Cassius Clay). Ali would later change his name after joining the Nation of Islam. He subsequently converted to Sunni Islam in 1975.

Early boxing career - Standing at 6’3″ (1.91 m), Ali had a highly unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer. Rather than the normal boxing style of carrying the hands high to defend the face, he instead relied on his quick feet and ability to avoid a punch. In Louisville, October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay won his first professional fight. He won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker, who was the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia. From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19-0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated such boxers as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark (who had won his previous 40 bouts by knockout), Doug Jones, and Henry Cooper. Among Clay’s victories were versus Sonny Banks (who knocked him down during the bout), Alejandro Lavorante, and the aged Archie Moore (a boxing legend who had fought over 200 previous fights, and who had been Clay’s trainer prior to Angelo Dundee).

muhammad_aliClay won a disputed 10 round decision over Doug Jones, who, despite being lighter than Clay, staggered Clay as soon as the fight started with a right hand, and beat Clay to the punch continually during the fight. The fight was named “Fight of the Year” for 1963. Clay’s next fight was against Henry Cooper, who knocked Clay down with a left hook near the end of the fourth round. The fight was stopped in the 5th round due to a deep cut on Cooper’s face.

Despite these close calls against Doug Jones and Henry Cooper, he became the top contender for Sonny Liston’s title. In spite of Clay’s impressive record, he was not expected to beat the champion. The fight was to be held on February 25, 1964, in Miami, Florida. During the weigh-in before the fight, Ali frequently taunted Liston. Ali dubbed him “the big ugly bear”, and declared that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” Ali was ready to dance around the ring, as he said, “Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see.”

This was a typical buildup for Ali, who increasingly enjoyed playing to the crowd and creating a buzz before a fight. It was good news for fight promoters, who saw increased interest in any fight involving the bashful Ali.

Vietnam War - In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were inadequate. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. He refused to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, because “War is against the teachings of the Holy Koran. I’m not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers.”

Ali refused to respond to his name being read out as Cassius Clay, stating, as instructed by his mentors from the Nation of Islam, that Clay was the name given to his slave ancestors by the white man.

By refusing to respond to this name, Ali’s personal life was filled with controversy. Ali was essentially banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966.

From his rematch with Liston in May 1965 to his final defense against Zora Folley in March 1967, he defended his title nine times. Few other heavyweight champions in history have fought so much in such a short period.

Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell in a unification bout in Toronto on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out and Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper and Brian London by stoppage on cuts. Ali’s next defense was against German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.

Ali returned to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams in the Houston Astrodome. A year and a half before the fight, Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing one kidney, 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams in three rounds.

On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, “What’s my name, Uncle Tom … What’s my name.” Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 of 15 rounds on two judges’ scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel’s “Ali Rap” special, speculated that the fight only continued because Ali chose not to end it, choosing instead to further punish Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, “It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty.”

Ali’s actions in refusing military service and aligning himself with the Nation of Islam made him a lightning rod for controversy, turning the outspoken but popular former champion into one of that era’s most recognizable and controversial figures. Appearing at rallies with Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and declaring his allegiance to him at a time when mainstream America viewed them with suspicion — if not outright hostility — made Ali a target of outrage, and suspicion as well. Ali seemed at times to even provoke such reactions, with viewpoints that wavered from support for civil rights to outright support of separatism.

Near the end of 1967, Ali was stripped of his title by the professional boxing commission and would not be allowed to fight professionally for more than three years. He was also convicted for refusing induction into the army and sentenced to five years in prison. Over the course of those years in exile, Ali fought to appeal his conviction. He stayed in the public spotlight and supported himself by giving speeches primarily at rallies on college campuses that opposed the Vietnam War.

In 1970, Ali was allowed to fight again, and in late 1971 the Supreme Court reversed his conviction.

Muhammad Ali’s comeback - In 1970, Ali was finally able to get a boxing license. With the help of a State Senator, he was granted a license to box in Georgia because it was the only state in America without a boxing commission. In October 1970, he returned to stop Jerry Quarry on a cut after three rounds. Shortly after the Quarry fight, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali was unjustly denied a boxing license. Once again able to fight in New York, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970. After a tough 14 rounds, Ali stopped Bonavena in the 15th, paving the way for a title fight against Joe Frazier.

The Fight of the Century - Ali and Frazier fought each other on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The fight, known as ‘” The Fight of the Century”, was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and remains one of the most famous. It featured two skilled, undefeated fighters, both of whom had reasonable claims to the heavyweight crown. The fight lived up to the hype, and Frazier punctuated his victory by flooring Ali with a hard left hook in the 15th and final round and won on points. Frank Sinatra — unable to acquire a ringside seat — took photos of the match for Life Magazine. Legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy and actor and boxing aficionado Burt Lancaster called the action for the broadcast, which reached millions of people.

Frazier eventually won the fight and retained the title with a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. Despite an impressive performance, Ali may have still been suffering from the effects of “ring rust” due to his long layoff.

In 1973, after a string of victories over the top Heavyweight opposition in a campaign to force a rematch with Frazier, Ali split two bouts with Ken Norton (in the bout that Ali lost to Norton, Ali suffered a broken jaw).

Rumble in the Jungle - In 1974, Ali gained a match with champion George Foreman. The fight took place in Zaire (the Congo) – Ali wanted the fight to be there to help give an economic boost to this part of Africa. The pre-match hype was as great as ever.

Against the odds, Ali won the rematch in the eighth round. Ali had adopted a strategy of wearing Foreman down through absorbing punches on the ropes – a strategy later termed – rope a dope.

This gave Ali another chance at the world title against Frazer. The fight lasted 14 rounds, with Ali finally proving victorious in the testing African heat.

Muhammad Ali in retirement - Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the early 1980s, following which his motor functions began a slow decline. Although Ali’s doctors disagreed during the 1980s and 1990s about whether his symptoms were caused by boxing and whether or not his condition was degenerative, he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson’s syndrome. By late 2005 it was reported that Ali’s condition was notably worsening. According to the documentary ‘When We Were Kings’ when Ali was asked about whether he has any regrets about boxing due to his disability, he responded that if he didn’t box he would still be a painter in Louisville, Kentucky.

Speaking of his own Parkinson’s disease, Ali remarks how it has helped him to look at life from a different perspective.

Mahatma Gandhi

 was a prominent Indian political leader who was a leading figure in the campaign for Indian independence. He employed non-violent principles and peaceful disobedience as a means to achieve his goal. He was assassinated in 1948, shortly after achieving his life goal of Indian independence. In India, he is known as ‘Father of the Nation’.

Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in 1869, in Porbandar, India. Mohandas was from the social cast of tradesmen. His mother was illiterate, but her common sense and religious devotion had a lasting impact on Gandhi’s character. As a youngster, Mohandas was a good student, but the shy young boy displayed no signs of leadership. On the death of his father, Mohandas traveled to England to gain a degree in law. He became involved with the Vegetarian Society and was once asked to translate the Hindu Bhagavad Gita. This classic of Hindu literature awakened in Gandhi a sense of pride in the Indian scriptures, of which the Gita was the pearl.

Around this time, he also studied the Bible and was struck by the teachings of Jesus Christ – especially the emphasis on humility and forgiveness. He remained committed to the Bible and Bhagavad Gita throughout his life, though he was critical of aspects of both religions.

Gandhi in South Africa - On completing his degree in Law, Gandhi returned to India, where he was soon sent to South Africa to practice law. In South Africa, Gandhi was struck by the level of racial discrimination and injustice often experienced by Indians. In 1893, he was thrown off a train at the railway station in Pietermaritzburg after a white man complained about Gandhi traveling in first class. This experience was a pivotal moment for Gandhi and he began to represent other Indias who experienced discrimination. As a lawyer, he was in high demand and soon he became the unofficial leader for Indians in South Africa. It was in South Africa that Gandhi first experimented with campaigns of civil disobedience and protest; he called his non-violent protests satyagraha. Despite being imprisoned for short periods of time, he also supported the British under certain conditions. During the Boer War, he served as a medic and stretcher-bearer. He felt that by doing his patriotic duty it would make the government more amenable to demands for fair treatment. Gandhi was at the Battle of Spion serving as a medic. An interesting historical anecdote is that at this battle was also Winston Churchill and Louis Botha (future head of South Africa) He was decorated by the British for his efforts during the Boer War and Zulu rebellion.

Gandhi and Indian Independence - After 21 years in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India in 1915. He became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement campaigning for home rule or Swaraj. Gandhi successfully instigated a series of non-violent protests. This included national strikes for one or two days. The British sought to ban opposition, but the nature of non-violent protests and strikes made it difficult to counter.

Gandhi also encouraged his followers to practice inner discipline to get ready for independence. Gandhi said the Indians had to prove they were deserving of independence. This is in contrast to independence leaders such as Aurobindo Ghose, who argued that Indian independence was not about whether India would offer better or worse government, but that it was the right for India to have self-government.

Gandhi also clashed with others in the Indian independence movement such as Subhas Chandra Bose who advocated direct action to overthrow the British.

Gandhi frequently called off strikes and non-violent protest if he heard people were rioting or violence was involved.

In 1930, Gandhi led a famous march to the sea in protest at the new Salt Acts. In the sea, they made their own salt, in violation of British regulations. Many hundreds were arrested and Indian jails were full of Indian independence followers.

Gandhi – after holding up a cup of salt at the end of the salt march.

However, whilst the campaign was at its peak some Indian protesters killed some British civilians, and as a result, Gandhi called off the independence movement saying that India was not ready. This broke the heart of many Indians committed to independence. It led to radicals like Bhagat Singh carrying on the campaign for independence, which was particularly strong in Bengal.

In 1931, Gandhi was invited to London to begin talks with the British government on greater self-government for India, but remaining a British colony. During his three month stay, he declined the government’s offer of a free hotel room, preferring to stay with the poor in the East End of London. During the talks, Gandhi opposed the British suggestions of dividing India along communal lines as he felt this would divide a nation that was ethnically mixed. However, at the summit, the British also invited other leaders of India, such as BR Ambedkar and representatives of the Sikhs and Muslims. Although the dominant personality of Indian independence, he could not always speak for the entire nation.

Gandhi’s humor and wit - During this trip, he visited King George in Buckingham Palace, one apocryphal story which illustrates Gandhi’s wit was the question by the king – what do you think of Western civilization? To which Gandhi replied

“It would be a good idea.”

Gandhi wore a traditional Indian dress, even whilst visiting the king. It led Winston Churchill to make the disparaging remark about the half-naked fakir. When Gandhi was asked if was sufficiently dressed to meet the king, Gandhi replied

“The king was wearing clothes enough for both of us.”

Gandhi once said he if did not have a sense of humor he would have committed suicide along time ago.

Gandhi and the Partition of India - After the war, Britain indicated that they would give India independence. However, with the support of the Muslims led by Jinnah, the British planned to partition India into two: India and Pakistan. Ideologically Gandhi was opposed to partition. He worked vigorously to show that Muslims and Hindus could live together peacefully. At his prayer meetings, Muslim prayers were read out alongside Hindu and Christian prayers. However, Gandhi agreed to the partition and spent the day of Independence in prayer mourning the partition. Even Gandhi’s fasts and appeals were insufficient to prevent the wave of sectarian violence and killing that followed the partition.

Away from the politics of Indian independence, Gandhi was harshly critical of the Hindu Caste system. In particular, he inveighed against the ‘untouchable’ caste, who were treated abysmally by society. He launched many campaigns to change the status of untouchables. Although his campaigns were met with much resistance, they did go a long way to changing century-old prejudices.

At the age of 78, Gandhi undertook another fast to try and prevent the sectarian killing. After 5 days, the leaders agreed to stop killing. But ten days later Gandhi was shot dead by a Hindu Brahmin opposed to Gandhi’s support for Muslims and the untouchables.

Gandhi said his great aim in life was to have a vision of God. He sought to worship God and promote religious understanding. He sought inspiration from many different religions: Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and incorporated them into his own philosophy.

On several occasions, he used religious practices and fasting as part of his political approach. Gandhi felt that personal example could influence public opinion.