1. THE RIVER OF LIFE (Bangkok-Banaras-Bihar) 2015


A ten day trip took me from hustle and bustle of the Oriental City of Bangkok to the chaos (yet strange sense of calm) of one of India’s holiest cities ‘Banaras’ and finally into the two islands of tranquility of the Bihar Schools of Yoga. An awesome trip with amazing learnings – after all what else is the point of such travels, but to ignite something within that helps one transform to become better and happier!!!

So, for the next few days, am sharing some insights (in no particular order).  I write this mainly for myself. If these touch you in any way, that is indeed a bonus and humbling! 


1. THE RIVER OF LIFE – NOTHING LIKE LOOKING AT DEATH SO CLOSELY!

The Ganga occupies a hallowed place in Hinduism. Banaras, along with Riskhesh/Haridwar are two of the most religious towns on its banks as it traverses from the Himalayas through the plains of North India until finally emptying itself in the Bay of Bengal. 

So, there I finally was – on the banks of the river looking for the boatman to take me across the river when I saw it barely 10 metres away – a just lit live pyre. I had heard and seen visuals in the past and had conjured up images of dread. But here, it seemed all so natural. A few family members gathered around. Close by there was another pyre. I sat there for a while and just watched life/death unfolding before me. A very timely reminder right at the start of my trip of the temporal nature of our existence and this pyre indeed rekindled the light within to cherish, embrace and dive into life fully and joyfully without sweating the small stuff.

I just came across a nice piece on ‘awe.’

“Awe is what we feel when we encounter something vast and majestic. Something bigger than ourselves. It breaks us free from the mundane and expands the way we see the world. We all need these moments of awe that calm our nerves, enlarge our perspective, and life our attitude.”


This indeed was one such moment.

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