I've a week left in India. Now all the gurus and most of my mates have left Rishikesh it's a chance to ponder my time away or as the gurus say to 'marinate'.
- How to punch a Guru
- The sex door knocker
- The importance of The Beatles
- How to be famous in India
- Indian bungie jumping - would you?
Last week's temps - top is Dharamshala bottom Rishikesh.....I'm glad I stayed :)
Alot of my friends have left, even the tantra banta has subdued. Something I was glad about after my neighbour tried her sex robot antics on me again and I had to reject her a second time (30 minutes later she was doing robotics with another neighbour). Oddly I saw that application of tantra as my alter ago from my time at Agama; something that happily has changed now. What hasn't changed is the spread of sexbots. Agama is now offering Tantric massages (only to women!) here which on paper looks fine and I agree in it's application as a therapy but doing it in a Holy Indian city to me seems a bit inappropriate.
I love the NB note - hilarious
My own application of neo-tantra took a funny twist last week. One night whilst dancing blues with a girl on the balcony I realised quite how difficult it is to have public romance in India. I looked up to see 5 indian guys on the neighbouring roof all with their camera phones pointed in our direction. I cannot wait for automatic face tagging on youtube!
Luckily bhajans on the beach were replaced with Acro Yoga and I soon had a new gang. Acro yoga is a cross of Arcobatics, Yoga and Thai Massage. Quite a treat.
Once satsang finishes a big question is what to do after. Gurus advise to marinate on the teachings but for those that have grown attachment (most of his followers) it's tough. I think to balance things out Gurus should do some reality TV where they are put back into the real world and test their skill of understanding the meaning of life. For example, getting Prem Baba to work in a truckers cafe in Limerick whilst trying to raise 5 kids on their own and with a supply of zynax in the bathroom cabinet. Interesting to see if they continue as unphased by life as they do in their normal peaceful guru surroundings.
At this point you need to be playing this song in the background.......
I have visited the beatles ashram (home of the late Maharishi guru) twice since I've been here. Yoga came to the west via a number of ways including Swarmi Vivekananda at the parliament of world religions meeting and Queen Victoria's fascination with the amazing feats of yogis. However, I think the beatles and other stars of the 1960s coming here and stuying yoga and meditation is what shifted the interest. It's amazing to think that The Beatles spent so much time in a place so different from Abbey Road. It was supposed to be one of their most productive periods, apart from Ringo who went home early as he didn't like the food! The Ashram is a breathtaking place (they even had AC in The Beatles rooms - 1960s in India!!). However, for years it's been left in ruin and run in a typically Indian way ie. you have to bribe your way to get in or find a low part of the wall and break in. That was the case up until a few weeks ago when the government started working on renovating the site. The Ashram, once reopened will be a big tourist landmark in India. Rishikesh is touristy now but it will become massive. As they've only recently excavated one building me and my friend also managed to get some personal trinkets. I was seriously tempted to take a toilet!
One of the workers:
The current state of disrepair of the yoga shala
Some of the residential quarters
Stunning Murals
Last Sunday me and some other travellers took ajeep with 6 kids from the music school I've been working with in Rishikesh and headed to Kunjapuri Devi Temple. A truly special visit giving the kids their first view o the Himalayan range whilst offering puja at the famous hindu temple. The group (including Roopak), all made it up the final 300 steps in record time. Bear in mind that some of those with polio have mobility by walking on their hands.....they were the first ones to the top - amazing :).
Roopak going up the 300 stairs
The gang at the top with the Himalayan range in the background:
One of the kids coming down the 300 steps on his hands:
The next day I woke with Delhi Belly. I was gutted as it threatened my last week in India. I ignored the usual 'wait 24' hours and started taking nuclear drugs within the first 6 hours. After a few days it hadn't improved so I went to an ayuvedic doctor who after giving me my drugs asked me if I was on Facebook or WhatsApp. In India anyone who is not from India is famous!
I'm now better and in one week I'll be back in Europe so I'm cramming my last few days full of lovely stuff. The great thing about travellingis that everyday is special regardless of the acro yoga or trips to the mountains.Normal conversations are rare; just last week I was sat next to the assistant director of Life of Pi and this morning I had chai talking to a professional snowboarder from Japan who'd quit to study ayuvedic medicine (and did not ask to add me on FB!). Topics usually revert between things like bowel movements and Tantra, stuff you'd never think of talking about at home but happily sip a lassi whilst chatting about here. I even met one girl who combined the two in a chat ...the topic of 'Space Docking'. Something not to discuss over food.
My favourite phrase heard this week was an Indian trying to decribe pins and needles using 'Sparkles and Tickles' instead :)
My favourite story overhead was an Australian backpacker who did a bungee jump (it's getting touristy here!) and as he stepped out on the platform asked "this is safe right?" to which the Indian worker simply wobbled his head.
My fav dog in Rishikesh. Due to his protruding jaw, his bark actually sounds like he's saying "sausages".
At this point you need to be playing this song in the background.......
I have visited the beatles ashram (home of the late Maharishi guru) twice since I've been here. Yoga came to the west via a number of ways including Swarmi Vivekananda at the parliament of world religions meeting and Queen Victoria's fascination with the amazing feats of yogis. However, I think the beatles and other stars of the 1960s coming here and stuying yoga and meditation is what shifted the interest. It's amazing to think that The Beatles spent so much time in a place so different from Abbey Road. It was supposed to be one of their most productive periods, apart from Ringo who went home early as he didn't like the food! The Ashram is a breathtaking place (they even had AC in The Beatles rooms - 1960s in India!!). However, for years it's been left in ruin and run in a typically Indian way ie. you have to bribe your way to get in or find a low part of the wall and break in. That was the case up until a few weeks ago when the government started working on renovating the site. The Ashram, once reopened will be a big tourist landmark in India. Rishikesh is touristy now but it will become massive. As they've only recently excavated one building me and my friend also managed to get some personal trinkets. I was seriously tempted to take a toilet!
One of the workers:
The current state of disrepair of the yoga shala
Some of the residential quarters
Stunning Murals
Last Sunday me and some other travellers took ajeep with 6 kids from the music school I've been working with in Rishikesh and headed to Kunjapuri Devi Temple. A truly special visit giving the kids their first view o the Himalayan range whilst offering puja at the famous hindu temple. The group (including Roopak), all made it up the final 300 steps in record time. Bear in mind that some of those with polio have mobility by walking on their hands.....they were the first ones to the top - amazing :).
Roopak going up the 300 stairs
The gang at the top with the Himalayan range in the background:
One of the kids coming down the 300 steps on his hands:
The next day I woke with Delhi Belly. I was gutted as it threatened my last week in India. I ignored the usual 'wait 24' hours and started taking nuclear drugs within the first 6 hours. After a few days it hadn't improved so I went to an ayuvedic doctor who after giving me my drugs asked me if I was on Facebook or WhatsApp. In India anyone who is not from India is famous!
I'm now better and in one week I'll be back in Europe so I'm cramming my last few days full of lovely stuff. The great thing about travellingis that everyday is special regardless of the acro yoga or trips to the mountains.Normal conversations are rare; just last week I was sat next to the assistant director of Life of Pi and this morning I had chai talking to a professional snowboarder from Japan who'd quit to study ayuvedic medicine (and did not ask to add me on FB!). Topics usually revert between things like bowel movements and Tantra, stuff you'd never think of talking about at home but happily sip a lassi whilst chatting about here. I even met one girl who combined the two in a chat ...the topic of 'Space Docking'. Something not to discuss over food.
My favourite phrase heard this week was an Indian trying to decribe pins and needles using 'Sparkles and Tickles' instead :)
My favourite story overhead was an Australian backpacker who did a bungee jump (it's getting touristy here!) and as he stepped out on the platform asked "this is safe right?" to which the Indian worker simply wobbled his head.
My fav dog in Rishikesh. Due to his protruding jaw, his bark actually sounds like he's saying "sausages".
Namaste, Chris.
ReplyDeleteIndia seems to cover the spectrum, from that adventurous neighbor offering you time with her sex bot to those long-sheltered neighbors video-recording your balcony blues dance with a girl.
But I’m reassured to know the guru Mooji did not loose his cool when you accidentally impaled him. It was a test of transcendental consciousness, and he passed.
Your pictures of the Beatles ashram are fascinating, but I think the lasting images in this latest blog post are those of Roopak with his crutch climbing the 300 steps to the Kunjapuri Devi Temple, and the other young man, partly disabled by polio, crawling down those same steps.
Now I wonder, as you get ready to return West, how the world of yoga and yogis has changed your philosophy.
- Frank
Hey Frank
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Well see if my marination worked. If it's going to work anywhere, it's Rishikesh!
Hi Kris, I've enjoyed reading your blog. I've tried to subscribe but doesnt seem to work? maybe it's my tablet, it doesn't always compat with these things! Will you continue it in Ireland? I'm not on facebook except for my art pages so I'll just check now and then to see if you've updated. Good luck with the move back home. Maybe catch you in the UK sometime....or Ireland even...I've been long wanting to go dig out my family roots there :-) Charlene x
ReplyDeletehey charlene - sorry I only just saw this.....the subscription doesn't seem to work with blogger - I've subscribed to myself (!) to check it and don't get notifications BUT I am gonna try and follow up with at least a few more posts :) I'll let you know when I next plan to go to the UK or over to the islands :)
ReplyDelete