I am back. Rather, my body is back, my mind is still floating above the
water table of the holy Ganga River.
Well, I've
had one of the best times in my life indeed...
For
me, Rishikesh is one of the most remarkable places I've ever visited. Not for
the amazing scenery, cheap yoga stuff, tasty food, fresh juices or
incredibly good ayurvedic massages...Those are things I could find in many
other places in the world, I guess... The very rare thing that Rishikesh can be
proud of, is the omnipresent peacefulness. Something what seems to be appearing
less and less around the globe...
"No
meat, no alcohol law" is the thing which makes this place so appealing for
living. I am not saying that there is no meat and alcohol at all, I only say
that the calm streets (calm in the Indian way) of Rishikesh give you the
impression that people and nature coexist in a perfect balance here. The way
people treat all those animals living around (even those often aggressive
monkeys) is just awesome! Moreover, watching those animals to live their life
is one of the most relaxing things I've done in ages...
I've
spent a very short time here, time in which you cannot really decide whether a
place is a good for life or not. I feel I could live here forever though...
One thing I can be sure of is that I was given the best lectures on yoga
practicing I could get. I've got what I came for. I am more than grateful for
that, especially since I know that many other people who came to Rishikesh for
the same purpose ended up to be very disappointed. I am not talking only about
the complexity my daily program had, but much more about the motivation and inspiration
it gave me in general. Even though I am still far away from becoming a real
yogi, I feel like I am a small step further on my way and that counts.
There
is one thing I wasn't that much aware of before I left home.
Love.
All
those people I've met in India were literally "packed" with love. I
will never forget about them, I know that, I feel that, I am sure about that...
I had never experienced something like that before, it was so overwhelming...
I am
an Aquarius, I know, I tend to idealize things. But as I reckon, sometimes, my
idealism can be a true gift. Maybe I just needed to feel love all around
so I took as much of it as I could...But more likely, Rishikesh is a very
special place, because I was not the only one who felt it...
To
all those people who are complaining that there is no more any authenticity of
yoga in Rishikesh...
I'd
like to remind you that the very essential feature of a spiritual life can be
only found by turning inward. If you look for something like that, stop using
your senses, stop looking for something external and realize that there is only
one place where everything can be found...
I
felt so much of a positive energy in the last day of my staying. I was a bit
sad about leaving all those amazing people behind and coming back home
though...
I
decided to go by a taxi to Delhi, not to fly... It is a 230 km-long way which
took us 10 hours. Yes, hard to believe that, but this is India, people, cars and trash everywhere. The journey was tough, but the dust,
smog, busy traffic and driving in the Delhi's highway opposite traffic line are
not even mentionable...
The
journey could be simply described as an "Indian misery packed in
10-hour-long drive" for different reasons...
I won’t support this romantic image about traveling in India we often have.
Yes, you may come
back with awesome pictures full of colors, smiling people and cheeky monkeys,
but it is just a little part of the story, isn't it?
I
was full of positive thoughts, full of energy when I was closing the door of my
room in Rishikesh for the last time. At the very beginning of that journey, I
promised myself to look at the scenery in the positive way and try to focus on
nice things around. But you simply cannot neglect it. You cannot force yourself
not to see what is out there, behind the windows of your fancy taxi car.
When
you are someone who was studying development studies, you can get a picture in
advance, you know it might be harsh...But there is nothing like being prepared
for that. You just have to see it with your own eyes. ...And
be sure, you won't wash it away with your tears. Forget about that.
What
I have seen during those 10 hours? Do you know those touristic ads Incredible
India? Well, I have seen incredible India. So incredible that it could be very unpleasant
to see it for some people from the developed countries, I am sure about that. We often close our
eyes because we don’t want to see that this world is interconnected to such an
extent that somehow we are part of this Indian misery, we are contributing to it. I
contribute to it too and that make me sad. But is it enough of sadness to start
doing something about it?
There
is no point in describing it. I only wish everyone could go and spend at least those 10 hours there. I would be so happy if we all could start to think more about our
lives, change our perspective...
We
are human beings; we have the chance to decide about our lives, to do it in a
very smart way, consider other human beings, their needs and give love
as well as receive it... This kind of perspective I am talking about.
I
met an amazing man in Delhi, who is a photographer and he said something what
I still have to think about. He said: "I take photos of people's decadence; I wanna
show how bad we can be". Isn't it obvious, omnipresent wherever we look? Why somebody has to remind us by taking photos of it ?
And why it is so hard to rather start looking for the loving creatures in us in
the first place?
It happens to me. I am always over-emotinal when I come back either from Kyrgyzstan or India. It will fade away...but I wish I could keep it forever and contribute somehow to this world becoming a better world. Idealism? No. I just believe in us. Because if you look at our thoughts, it doesn't matter where you live, LA or Rishikesh. We all have the same simple wish.
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिन , सर्वे सन्तु निरामया, सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु, मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत्, ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्ति
I recommend this as it was recommended to me before:-)
