Thank you Mother Ganga

From the moment I laid eyes on this river, I felt a sense of home that I can only compare to my favorite body of water - The Pacific Ocean.

Not just a river, if you came to her with a wish, inquiry or intention, it would find its answer whispered back to you in a language that only you understand.
My sentiments after meditating on her banks

My friend Virenda ji doing his Suryanamaha

On my days off, I would always plan to have time to come down and have my interaction with the flow of the river Ganges. As I was in the midst of the winter throes in Rishikesh, the early mornings were often too chilly to sit there and meditate. By around 11am, the wind would die down enough and the sun would give some warmth so that I could find my spot by the banks and watch the whirlpools swirl past. Like many others, I found it worthwhile to strip off and go for a dip by immersing myself in her waters. Other times I would take my speaker down and sing mantra’s. I would also join my Italian friend Giovanni, who would take along his guitar and improvise to the ambience. Others would walk past doing their own rituals and there was a quiet acceptance that we were all here for our own personal reasons.

Giovanni playing improv guitar in the evening light at his favorite spot by the Ganga

People came from far and wide to either gaze by the banks, take a holy dip or just have a selfie taken with them to show loved ones. In the evenings you would hear chanting taking place at the Ashrams. This would be interspersed by the cries of River Rafting tourists who yelled out their various war cries. The Ganga didn’t discriminate. She took in everyone, no matter what their creed or motivation was.

“Bro! Take a video of us so that I can put it on my YouTube channel!”
Bro! I yelled back, you’re a f**king Sadhu! Are you even supposed to be on Social Media?!

One of the funniest incidences was when I suddenly heard some hard core techno booming out of a beat box and cries of several people yelling out to the beat of the music. When I came to take a closer look, I was amazed to see the sight of this Sadhu, who I’d only ever seen walking alone around the banks of the Ganga, keeping to himself and muttering mantra’s that only he could hear. All of a sudden, he had gathered around him several Westerners, and with the groove of the music, they were gyrating in a way that didn’t look that holy to me. Then he yelled out to me, which shocked me as I thought he’d taken a vow of silence:

“Bro! Take a video of us so that I can put it on my YouTube channel!”

Bro! I yelled back, you’re a f**king Sadhu! Are you even supposed to be on Social Media?!