Rishikesh

After the good and the bad in Haridwar, we decided to make our way to Rishikesh, another historic Hindu town made holy by the number of rishis (priests and gurus) who meditated for the good and peace in this world, for the betterment of humankind. Rishikesh has the title of being the ‘yoga capital of the world’ and I was excited to take a few yoga classes here. We took a local bus, the ride not as eventful as the bus ride in Goa but saw four grown men on one motorcycle who were only too pleased to be photographed 🙂

Rishikesh is on the other side of Ganga from the main town and is connected via two pedestrian bridges which are also shared by bicycles, motorcycles (unfortunately), cows, dogs and monkeys! The bridges are called Ram jhoola  and Laxman jhoola. We walked across the river on the Ram jhoola and made our way to the Parmarth Niketan ashram which would be our home for the next 10 days!

We got a large room for 400 rupees (about $7 a day) with a shared courtyard. Our days consisted of going to daily yoga classes (at 6 in the morning!), getting porridge/muesli breakfasts, reading fiction, drinking chai by the Ganga ghat and feeding the stray dogs and cows, chatting up fellow travelers, and listening to the sermon during the evening artis. We also went to a Sufi concert in this Hindu town! We had a regular chai walla who we would go to every evening, even a regular bindi walla who would sing old Hindi film songs like Teri Bindiya Re while applying bindis on our foreheads :). It was a true vacation and at the very same time, it quickly became a lifestyle that we felt we could adopt when we retire. Only downsides – strictly vegetarian food, they wouldn’t even serve eggs or garlic or onions, and NO alcohol! 😦 In spite of this, Rishikesh was easily my favorite place to visit in India!

Each ashram is led by a religious guru whose teachings the workers and volunteers in the ashram follow. The guru at Parmarth Niketan was very progressive. His sermon at the evening artis was very secular with emphasis on one God and how the humankind should help each other no matter who they pray to and what they look like. He also stressed on how people should donate to causes that build toilets in India as opposed to more temples. In his words – you can’t go to school before you go to the toilet. He made everyone at the arti pledge to plant a tree and reduce the use of plastic bags – a rather refreshing experience after the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar!

Raj’s Beena massi and Shyam mama and family came to visit us in Rishikesh for a couple of days. It was fun hanging out by the Ganga with them and hiking out to the nearby Neer Falls 🙂

I want to share a personal experience while in Rishikesh. One morning, after the yoga class, I took off to get some chai on my own. I went to this café called ‘The Office’ which we frequented during our time there. Ironically, none of the patrons of ‘The Office’ had any work to do :). The place had a nice balcony laid out with sheets and cushions, with a view of the Ganga. A swami dressed in saffron robes with a tikka on his forehead took a seat next to me and I offered to buy him a chai. We ended up conversing for over two hours on life, love and purpose. It was amazing to me how this swami (along with others) left all worldly relationships – his wife, parents and kids, and all material possessions to live a life meditating and praying in Rishikesh, all the time not knowing where the next meal would come from. We discussed fate, highs and lows in life, attachment to materialism, and how the one God would always take care of you no matter where you go and what you do. He shared these words with me, to share with Raj, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to share them with anybody who reads this blog:

Om Namaskar

Life is short

Fix your mind on God

Try to understand yourself

Time is passing fast

Your death is waiting

Follow your intuition

Listen to your inner voice

Believe in God

Surrender to God

Remember God

Open your third eye

Wake up

Everything is possible

God bless you

Universal love

Thank you Ladu Babaji! In speaking with him, I’m back to being agnostic, spiritual even. I went back to Raj at the ashram feeling happy, more in love and ever so grateful.