From where Ganga flows..

Interesting visit to the extreme North of the country…Uttarakhand….rather unprepared for and grudgingly set out as there were enough last minute challenges as usual at office. In retrospect, a wonderful respite….for there were moments of introspection, new perspectives in my career path and also dare devil activities that I would have otherwise not bothered to venture into all by myself. A team navigated drive to Hrishikesh, just prior to the conference, kept popping exotic scenery of Hrishikesh and set great expectations in the mind. First halt was at ‘Lakshman jhula’, literally translated as the swing of Lakshman-the mythological character. Hurried paces to the venue, only to realise that the ‘jhula’ was a reference to an old suspension bridge, constructed by a king decades ago, destroyed in the floods and revived by the Government to keep the mythological and spiritual sentiments of people alive. On the other side of the bridge was the narrow alley of shops displaying various knick knacks, fabric display ranging from stoles to sarees to shawls and intermixed with stalls that sold snack and interjected with small idols and priests worshipping them fervently. Bewildered by the series of meditation and yoga centres to attract visitors to this destination got me thinking of how quickly the Indian mind connects with anything that is spiritually interpreted. The next halt on the way was at Haridwar. ‘Hari’…the mendicant god as fondly addressed and ‘dwar’ meaning the gateway…so the gateway that released Ganga and her waters onto Earth from the abode of Lord Shiva. The Ganges danced wilfully and as the feet immersed in the waters, there was a sense of purity that purified your mind and calmed it. Thereafter was my first ever lunch at a dhaba…phew..what an experience! Friendly people, ever willing to extend their help, very hospitable a culture and more than anything the drive to survive in the hilly areas weathering the cold. The entire drive made us open up to alien people who ended up being friends, irrespective of what the challenges await us in life, away from the humdrum of routine mundane roles we play. Perhaps that is what these mountains, ghats and valleys teach us….face life as it comes, one day at a time. Inspiration gained from the quick trip had me energised for the conference next day on ‘Knowledge spill over’ and yes thoughts overflowed, for selfless grows the mind as you learn to share seamlessly, spill over like the Ganges that flows effortlessly absorbing what she can in her journey down earth. The journey through life continues as you learn to pick the best on and rest the unwanted at the bottom of the mind…..