Stevenson case

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You’ve chosen an intriguing case—Parmod Sharma, one of the more well-documented children’s reincarnation accounts from Dr. Ian Stevenson. Here’s a detailed summary of the case:

The Case of Parmod Sharma

Profile

• Name: Parmod Sharma
• Birth: 11 October 1944, in Bisauli, Uttar Pradesh, India  .

Early Memories

From around age 2½ to 3, Parmod began expressing memories of a previous life:

• He told his mother not to cook him meals because “his wife in Moradabad” could do it—Moradabad lies roughly 90 miles (145 km) northeast of Bisauli  .
• Between ages 3 and 4, he elaborated on memories of his past: a business he ran with family, a shop named “Mohan Brothers” selling biscuits and soda water, located in Moradabad with another branch in Saharanpur about 100 miles to the north  .

Behavior & Distinctive Traits

• Parmaod preferred solitary play—making model shops and “mud biscuits” to serve with tea or soda water  .
• He demonstrated unusual aversions: a strong dislike for curd (common in Indian diets) and fear of being submerged in water. He claimed he had fallen ill in his previous life after eating too much curd and even said he “died in a bathtub”  .

Verification Visit

When Parmod’s parents took him to Moradabad:

• He directed them to “his” seat—what would have been the owner’s “gaddi” (a special seat at the front of the shop). That seat had indeed been moved after the death of Parmanand, the shop’s original owner  .
• A soda machine had been purposely disconnected as a test—but Parmod identified the issue and told exactly how to repair it  .
• At the former home of “Parmanand,” Parmod correctly identified personal possessions: the low table he ate at, the cupboard he used, and even correctly recognized family members (mother, wife, daughter, and sons), addressing them by appropriate terms—including telling the wife, “I have come but you have not fixed bindi,” and criticizing her for wearing a widow’s white sari instead of colored one  .

He also recognized locations tied to Parmanand’s businesses: the Victory Hotel in Moradabad, noting additions (“new sheds”) built after Parmanand’s death, and the Churchill House in Saharanpur, identifying cupboards he’d supposedly had built, which were later moved to Victory Hotel  .

In Saharanpur, he also noted a doctor and a man named Yasmin who owed “Parmanand” money—both verified when they were met  .

Research Context

• Dr. Ian Stevenson collected thousands of similar cases, but applied stringent criteria—excluding any where there was potential gain, fraud, or prior connections between families   .
• The Parmod Sharma case aligns with Stevenson’s rigorous standards: detailed, specific memories, independently verifiable, with no apparent motive for deception   .

Summary Table

Aspect	Details
Age of onset	Around 2½–3 years
Previous identity	“Parmanand” from Moradabad, of the “Mohan Brothers” biscuit & soda business
Key behaviors	Model shop play, mud biscuits, aversions to curd and water
Verification	Directed to the old shop, recognized home and personal items, accurately navigated business connections, recognized relations
Research reliability	High—thoroughly investigated, with no family gain or prior contact

Significance

This case is frequently highlighted in discussions of reincarnation and parapsychology due to its structured, verifiable details and Stevenson’s rigorous methods. In his broader studies, Stevenson estimated that only a small fraction of the thousands of cases he collected met such high standards  .

If you’d like, we can delve deeper—for example, exploring any published academic accounts (like Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation), comparisons with other similar cases, critiques, or follow-up developments on the families involved. Just say the word!