‘Why can’t a woman learn a new language on her own’: Chennai man’s Tamil ghost story sparks debate

In addition to the original post, Narayanan later added that the cleaner was super-bright and interested in tech. He also said that he had gifted him a second-hand laptop recently.

In a bizarre tale, a Chennai man claims his car cleaner has taken a one-month leave to go to Nepal with his wife, allegedly possessed by a Tamil-speaking ghost. Sharing a post on X, Narayanan Hariharan said the car-cleaner wanted to go to Nepal as there was an emergency. When he offered him money, the man revealed why he wanted to go.

“He said– Mere wife ko chudail ne pakad liya hai. (A ghost has possessed my wife.) I knew his wife was unwell, something to do with a hole in her heart. But he believes it’s not medical. It’s supernatural. In the last 6 months, she’s started speaking fluent Tamil. Not a few words. Entire sentences. Almost like a native speaker,” Narayanan wrote.

He further added that the car-cleaner had tried all ways to find a solution to this problem. “He took her to doctors (GH), and they’ve given up. He then took her to a nearby masjid, and they tried a few rituals in the last two months. No change. In fact, she now speaks even more Tamil. The imam recently told him to take her back home,” Narayanan added.

The post also mentioned that the wife never learned Tamil and the couple lived in a tight-knit Nepali group in Chennai.

The incident has left netizens divided. While several users found this fascinating, others pointed out that the woman could have learnt the language on her own. “It's 2025 and Indians are in disbelief that a woman can learn a new language on her own - would rather attribute it to witchcraft,” a user said.

Another post read, “Xenoglossy refers to a rare phenomenon where a person speaks a language they've never learned or been exposed to. This can be a fascinating topic, especially in the context of your car cleaner's story.”

One user said the car-cleaner was just trying to get a new job. “Car cleaner wants to try out a new job & wants the option of returning back to you if it does not work out hence the story.

1. Tamil can be picked up in 6 months if you regularly interact with locals (ask the Marwaris in Chennai)

2. He just used the story to hoodwink you & get ₹ (sic)”

In addition to the original post, Narayanan later added that the cleaner was super-bright and interested in tech. He also said that he had gifted him a second-hand laptop recently.