No multi-storey house in Punjab village

Bhatinda, Dec 24 (UNI) Moving with the times, Punjab today boasts of multiplexes and high rise buildings, which even dot the countryside, but in the Faridkot Kotli village in this district, not even a single multi-store building can be seen.

Residents of this village live with a 154 year old prophecy and do not want to construct a multi-storey house, as they fear that if they did so they would face losses in terms of life and property.

The roots of the belief lies in an incident that took place 1852. The then head of a 'dera' in the village had warned, at the time of his death, that anyone who would construct a building higher than his 'dera' would incur heavy losses of life and property.

No one from amongst the 450 households comprising a population of 3,000 in this village has dared to run the risk by testing the truth behind this belief.

''The residents still belive in what the Baba said and have not added any floors to their houses'''', Pritam Singh, a village resident said.

According to the villagers, way back in 1960, a resident had constructed his house against the advice of the Baba, as a result of which two of his family members died and his crops were destroyed. The fear is so deep rooted that even after the present chief of the 'dera' gave his approval for the construction of a multi-storey, the villagers were not convinced.

A couple of youths in the village challenged the 'curse' of the Baba and wanted to raise the height of their houses, but were prevented from doing so by the village elders. The youths complained that after marriage they wanted privacy and this was being denied to them as they could not construct another storey.

Though outsiders have tried to convince the residents of Faridkot Kotli against their supersitious belief, but the village elders continue to persist with the words of the Baba.

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