Day 37 – A day at the music haven of Mukesh

HRISHIKESH

This morning, Ramon had organised a shoot to cover a music party that he described to be fascinating, one-of-a-kind, rare and glorified. I was all set and ready at 10.30 am with my equipment packed. I met Ramon at Café Coffee Day and we set off riding towards Ram Jhula. After crossing the market near Ram Jhula, a small lane led us to an under construction wooden structure.

The place looked very interesting from the outside. It was an open chamber partly covered with bamboos from all sides. I thought it would be some band that we were going to cover for a story. But it was not just a band….!!

Taking a glance into this little music haven, I saw an assortment of people from coming from various countries from all over the globe, deeply engrossed enjoyed working with some strange looking tools. A man carved something like a long wooden bamboo, another person made a flute and yet another worked on an African Djambe, and some one was making a didgeridoo. This was a workshop making sorts of musical instruments.

I was wondering what they were doing, my curiosity was on the rise. I wanted to know more about what this place was all about as all present there were engrossed and engaged in a work of heart, it was evident that they loved what they were doing and were surely passionate about it. I could not resist it anymore so I asked someone about what this place was about and what were so many people doing there? He guided me to to Mukesh. This was a little music haven of Mukesh. If I had to describe him, I would say, he had a simplistic persona and positive aura, was in his mid fifties having calm and composed mindset. Very humble and loving at heart was this man. The vibes he and this place had were so positive. There was something so magical about it. Talking to Frankie I found out that he was there for almost six years, and in these years he reconnected with his inner being, by making music and these amazing musical instruments – The didgeridoos. He directed me to Mukesh to know more about this enchanting place. I could say that Mukesh is a true household Yogi who is so passionate about his work.

Mukesh makes a living by selling didgeridoos. He offers his expertise for free to those who want to learn this art of making musical instruments. He says India will be glorified when these people from other countries go back home and play music and talk about their experiences. He lives in his own dream-world that sounds surreal to me. He talks about angels and fairies watching over him and listening to the enchanting music. This passion for music and selfless love for humans connects him to his higher reality and he is very happy about doing what he does.

Soon the entire group started to play their own instruments. It was the sounds of music strung in the universality of the musical notes. It was exhilarating. I was lost in the sound of music, it was thrilling to see people from different countries, castes, cultures and personas bound together as one group talking the language of music. They were simply fantastic!!! It was a global fusion. Countries like Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Canada, Israel, Hungary and more all playing music on different instruments all together was an inexpressible incredible experience. My feet were tapping to their tunes. Had I not been video shooting this I’m sure I’d be dancing there like a maniac. A Canadian girl played the trumpet. I was lost in the music I felt a spiritual connection in the sound of music that connected me to the higher reality.

After the global music was the time for some global meal. It was such a pleasant site to see people from all parts of the world together cooking a meal. It was a global recipe of a pot full of rice, with vegetables cut using the tools to make instruments, everyone helped in making that meal and cooked it on a fire that was burning to keep them warm!! I was spell bound in the energy and aura of this place and its people.

A thought crossed my mind…. This man is a true Yogi, better than the ones I met at the Kumbh Mela.

We all had the global fusion rice at 3.00. that followed the round two of fusion music which extended till evening. By now I was in a trance, high on the music and the vigour of this enthralling unique place. Thinking about Mukesh and his passion for work I was altogether on another level of thoughts. His world surely seemed like a dream in a fairytale!!

Day 36 – Meeting with the Spanish T.V. Crew

This morning I awoke as the phone bell rang. It was Ramon, saying that a Spanish TV crew was in Rishikesh and wanted to meet us to cover a story on the two of us as bikers in India. We were to meet them at Café Coffee Day that morning. I thought the meeting would be very interesting, unlike the venue that sounded very UNinteresting to me. The whole thing sounded exciting so I immediately agreed to go because I was eager to get an opportunity to see how this crew work.

After initial discussions and exchanging information on my work, they were very impressed with it and offered to cover an entire show of eight episodes on me in a TV show about India that would be aired on a popular Spanish channel. This sounded good, but giving it a thought, I may not be of much help to them because of the language barrier. The areas I could help them in was in making their videos and give assistance biking around the country. Besides that I was not sure if I could make any other substantial contribution to their plan. Anyways, I decided to go with the flow and take one step at a time. I was happy to understand how they work.

It was nearing afternoon and we were on the way to the Kumbh Mela. The situation was hilarious. They wanted to interview the sadhus and get footage of them talking and explaining spiritual concepts. Now the irony was that the sadhus spoke only in Hindi and the TV crew only spoke Spanish. I understand Hindi and could manage to translate it in English. Ramon knew English and could speak broken Spanish. So the situation was something like this... I had to hear what the sadhus were saying for fifteen minutes in high-fi-terms of hindi and memorize it all, then recalling it I had to translate it into English. Then Ramon would hear and repeat what I said and translate it in the broken Spanish to the crew memebers I can’t imagine what the meaning was by the time the Spanish guys finally heard it!! It was Chinese whispers in three languages by four different people!! This whole process was repeated back and forth. This whole exercise of translations gave me some insight on how trading and conversations must have taken place during the colonial times.

The hilarity of multilingual translations and interviews went on till evening. There were frequent roars of laughter as the linguistic manipulations took place through the day.

In the evening, we were invited over for dinner by the Spanish crew to a particular restaurant. As we all had dinner and the bill arrived, they asked to pay for what we had eaten. This was amusing enough for me!! Invitees are asked to pay the bill!! I have worked with Indian crews for various channels and the least they do is provide meals for anyone who has worked hard with them the whole day and certainly they do not ask guests to pay for what they have eaten. I was a bit taken aback with their attitude.

Post dinner, the photographer from their team came to get some footage I had covered for them with my helmet camera. He then saw the footage of the Shahi Snaan of the Kumbh Mela. He had not been able to get any footage like that so he wanted it. I would have given him a few clips just like that, but I was pissed with their attitude over dinner, so I said that they would have to pay for it if they wanted it. Their bosses will come back to me as they are the deciding factors for the channel.

With this I mark the end of day thirty-six.

Day 35 - Rafting Expedition

HRISHIKESH
Awaiting the excitement this day would bring, I woke up early, looking forward to raid the white waters of Hrishikesh. Riding to Ramesh’s office, we met our rafting guide Dale. He is a hilarious, friendly and fun-loving New Zealander, who is in his second month of being in India. After working for a while in Switzerland as an adventure guide, he chose to have a few Himalayan adventures by working with DE-N-ASCENT Expeditions. I was sure in his entertaining company this would be an amusing and fun expedition.

Walking along to the storeroom, we could not stop laughing listening to his funny tales of travelling in India. Being relatively new to the country he seemed totally traumatized by the traffic; he kept talking about how petrified he was to commute around. Dale humbly assured us that rafting was surely safer than driving around in India. ;-) We laughed at his hilarity and plight. He was still getting used to all the incredible amusement happening on the streets of our country!!

As we reached the storeroom, I was amazed to see the advanced rafting equipment this company uses. It is by far the best I have seen in so many years of rafting experience with a number of different adventure companies. Each of us was given a wetsuit, a waterproof jacket, an excellent quality life jacket and a helmet. Attired in our rafting suits, we reached Marine Drive, the starting point of our trip.

Instructors gave us a briefing about the terminology and commands to be followed, emphasizing the importance of strictly following the instructions without fail. The commands on paddling were repeated and practiced till we all thoroughly memorized them. Dale explained to the group how important it was to follow the instructions, further adding a warning... other rafts had flipped over in the rapids because the rafters missed the instructions.

Excited about the thrills of white-water rafting we were ready to go! Rafting through the rapids was FUN!!! What a high to triumph over the harshness of wild and wicked nature!!! The rapids at Hrishikesh are grade 3 +.

Some interesting names given the rapids of Hrishikesh are: Black Money, Golf Course, Tea Club House, Roller Coaster, The Three Mice and many others. Any person who does a first ascent up a mountain or descent down a river has the previlage to name the rapid or route to climb. Dale further explained that all these were named by Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first to climb to the highest point of Mt Everest. He was super excited about sharing all this information with us, as Sir Edmund Hillary was a New Zealander and that surely made him proud. Apparently, Hillary also cruised in speedboats to raise money for his favourite cause, supporting the Nepalese Sherpas.

By getting a little adventurous in risking the use of a camera, I was lucky enough to get excellent video footage of certain rapids we crossed during this expedition without wetting my equipment.

For safety reasons two kayakers followed us all the way. Luckily our raft did not topple over. After all the thrills of white water rafting we were back and hit base by 3.00 pm at the Laxman Jhula, having covered 26 km in six hours. Making just one halt, at a virgin beach from where we jumped into the Ganga from a height of twenty feet above ground level, we completed the expedition!!!

Retuning to our hotel, engergized with the thrills of this adventurous experience, we marked the end of day thirty-five with a good nights sleep!! Yawwnn...

Day 34 - Laxman Jhula

HRISHIKESH

The exhausting previous day had its effects, showing up on me this morning. My need for a hot cuppa ginger-lemon-honey and a vegetable sandwich took me to the German Bakery. Sitting under the sun, watching the world go by, the playful mischief of the agile monkeys grabbing food from passersby at the Laxman Jhula was a sight I enjoyed over breakfast.

Wandering about, I walked to the Laxman Jhula after breakfast. This was the most entertaining walk I had. I kept an ear open to eavesdrop on some of the conversations I was overhearing among the crowds, and was amused at the coversations they had. All sorts of people from various parts of the world, discussing their own theories and thoughts about the Laxman Jhula, in different languages and accents... it was entertainment enough to keep my ears engaged. I would have loved to record it all and make a half-hour documentary on it. Two ladies conversing: “What happens if we fall down from the bridge?” The second replied, "Nothing will happen… it is the Ganga river." I wondered what they meant, that nothing will happen to them, or to the river? I was not sure…! Another overheard snippet: "You know Himalaya begins from this bridge if you walk till the end!"

Walking down this bridge, listening to conversations and stories of people is a good passtime, every day I can cover a unique and innovatively interesting fact of the Laxman Jhula. In our culture, story-telling such an important element of our lives. Everyday begins a new story, no wonder, you too are glued to reading this thread and I am here trying to look for new stories to cover for you! So the interactions go on!

I’m amused at the adaptability of this place and its people. It caters to the needs of visitors from all over the world. Locals here sell western clothes. In an attempt to please the foreiners they have modified their own style of dressing. Cloning them sometimes can prove to be a hilarious attempt. A man selling western clothes, himself attired in the most colourful clothing, wearing funny sunglasses looked like a clown straight out from the circus was on the streets... he looked Rangeela in the literal sense!

Before I knew it, walking in this amusingly entertaining place, I reached the Ram Jhula. Chotiwala is a very famous eatery near the Ram Jhula. Here a man with a rangoli painted on his face, with a big belly, had choti on his head. It resembled a dried up twig. Sitting on a chair outside the restaurant, with a watermelon-like face, this man is supposedly the mascot to attract customers. I was amused at this unique attempt to entice customers. Two brothers each owning individual restaurants by the name of chotiwala, next to each other, had their own mascots sitting outside on a chair. One has a happy-faced Chotiwala, always smiling with a pleasant expression and the other just was the opposite glum, sad and depressing, without a smile. It was so demotivating to go into the restaurant who had such a sad person at the entrance.

In the evening I went to for the famous Arti of Hrishikesh. On the way I met up with Ramesh who is running a rafting agency in Hrishikesh and we passed a few hours discussing the course of action for the following day, which marked the end of day thirty-four.

DAY 33 Kumbh Mela

HARIDWAR

Damage for the day

Chai Rs 5

Samosa Rs 10

Dinner Rs 50
Distance travel 50 km

Today was a big day in terms of video coverage. I woke up early morning and started for “Har Ki Paudi” in Haridwar. I wanted a particular spot on the podium so decided to be an early bird to get the best location. It was a chilly morning. I decided to go without any jacket, riding gear and helmet as I knew I had to be out the entire day. Later on in the day managing them would mean having to carry additional baggage. My hands, legs and entire body were rattling with shivers because of the cold. I packed the essential equipment, secured it with a bungee cord and hit the road to Haridwar.

Riding slow in that freezing hour of dawn for 26 km, I reached Haridwar in forty minutes. Parking the bike in the allotted area, I hurried towards the podium which was a 3.5 km walk from where I parked. Having some tea to warm up, I began walking. Bamboo barricades were made in U pin curves to control the human traffic. There were more than thirty such bends covering the entire ground. It was pitiful for the senior citizens waiting in the queue. It was so inhuman to put them through this agony, making them walk so much. It could have been better planned, keeping in mind their age and feeble bodies; it was not fair to them. I felt sorry for them.

Walking down, I reached the photographer’s platform. The security was alert and vigilant in checking the identification of all photographers. I was not permitted to go up without a media card. All my convincing charm and sweet-talking ability did not work on them. I was asked to go to a small tower a few meters away to try my luck. I had to make some arrangement, as I could not miss this opportunity. Reaching tower, the same story repeated itself. This time, when asked for the media pass I said, “Wait a minute, it is in the bag.” I was allowed to go in to keep the bag and look for it, later on the security guy forgot about it and I emerged, lucky to get entry on the podium.

It was chillier than I thought it would be, at that height. How magnificent it was to see so many people, all varied ages, sex, sects, castes, economic stratas, in the same place at one time. I was absorbed in the moment. One common thread of religion, belief and faith strung them all together in this one place at one time. The highlight of the event were The Naga Baba’s (Nude sadhus), who were supposed to arrive at 8.00 in the morning, but the first group came into sight only at 10.30, after which they were visible in thousands and more. The entire Har Ki Paudi was full of them. They were nude and covered with ashes, carrying spears, tridents and swords! Doing some rituals they all jumped into the river for the holy dip (Shahi Snaan) It was an indescribable sight. I am short of words to justify the truth of that mesmerizing and amazing moment. You have to witness it to believe it!

The second group was going to be there by 2.00 p.m. If I left the podium, chances of re-entering back in were bleak. I was hungry and thirsty, not having had a morsel of food in the day, but letting go of that prime spot to get some water or food was out of question for me. So I decided to hang on till the second group of Naga Babas arrived. Waiting for them until it was almost 3.00 in the afternoon, I decided to move out from the podium and quench my thirst and grab a bite. I had made up my mind to get video coverage from the ground level.

Grabbed a quick bite and got back to work getting good footage. I was exhausted and dehydrated, so I decided head back to Hrishikesh. I moved on, walking back to the parking lot, crossing the barricades and walking another 3.5 Km to get to the bike. It seemed like a tough walk. I was going to get myself a rickshaw ride after crossing the ground, but I changed my mind when I saw exhausted old men drawing the overloaded rickshaws stacked with numbers of people. If I was exhausted, weren’t they? My conscience did not permit me to let them carry my weight as well. I was tired but certainly not an old helpless man, so I decided to walk on carrying my equipment. Singing Kadam Kadam Badhaye chal… I walked for 2 km and then took a rickshaw that dropped me at a parking area. I asked a policeman if this was the only parking area; he affirmed it was. I was suprised when I found I was unable to spot my motorcycle, even after covering the area back and forth three times! In my mind, there was an explosion of thoughts. Thinking about Indi Motorcycle diary, was this going to be the end of the diary? Had my bike been stolen? Should I return home? Should I borrow my friend’s bike and move on in the journey? Should I go to the police station? I was calm and yet busy in my head, thinking about the next plan of action. Just then,

I saw a small boy selling imitation jewellery. Asking him, I got to know that there was another parking ground a couple of hundred meters ahead. Walking further on for a few minutes, I reached the lot and was happy to find my bike there! It was a moment where I thought of a situational filmy dialoge “Kumbh-ke-mele mein bichade hue… aaj phir ek ho gaye!!! LOL!!!

Happily, I went to the bike but this time not finding the bungee cord I had wound on it. Damn! Why would someone want that? How will I carry my equipment back without the cord? I was frustrated. On giving it a second thought, I was happy to find my bike; losing the cord did not seem like a big deal anymore!! I would surely have given up something more than that bungee cord to find my bike. With this thought, I smiled and was all set to take the challenge of riding back with a laptop, camera and tripod, without any help or a bungee cord to tie the equipment to the bike. I tucked the laptop between my thighs and the tank bag, put the camera on my back in a bag, and lugged the tripod on my shoulder, riding in this unique way till Hrishikesh. It was then I realised impossible also spells “I M POSSIBLE”. It’s your attitude towards life and situations that makes up for everything!

I was ready to crash after dinner, exhausted and fatigued! At the end of this remarkable day thirty three I slept like a log!

Day 32 - Kumbh Mela Preparatory

HRISHIKESH

Damage for the day
Break fast Rs 70
Ginger lemon tea Rs 20
Golgappa Rs 20
Lunch Rs 40
Tea Rs 10
Dinner 100
Room Rent 250
Distance travel 50km


A good night’s rest with an empty stomach got me up and about early in the morning. Finding my way to get some breakfast, I landed at the German Bakery, close to the guest house. I ordered my favourite – a cuppa ginger lemon honey and vegetable sandwiches. As I was waiting for the order, my friend arrived. He looked a bit shaken up, so I went to the guest house and settled him there with the luggage. On returning to the bakery after dropping off the luggage, we had breakfast together. From his conversations it looked like something that happened on the way had shaken him up a bit. My guess was right. When he stopped over for tea on the way to Haridwar, he was stopped by a couple of men who asked him what was in the bag. Feeling insecure and jittery from the vibes he was getting and unsure of their intent, he hightailed it out of there, zipping away as fast as he could.

Tired after the previous days stressful ride, we decided to rest and recuperate. Tomorrow is the big snan (bath) at the “Har Ki Paudi” in Haridwar where thousands of Naga Baba’s (Naked Sadhu’s) will come for the holy dip in the Ganga on occasion of Mahashivaratri. I needed to survey the locations from where I could get best video coverage. After getting a good rest I set off to do the preparatory work for the next day's shoot and rode to Haridwar. They had specially arranged a podium for photographers at the main location for the holy bath. I was happy seeing the location and excited for the next days shoot. It would surely get me the best view for good footage.

Wandering about in Haridwar after the groundwork was done, I was craving for some chaat. Looking for a chat centre was like going on a treasure hunt, as all the shops were shut due to the Kumbh Mela. Yes!! Finally, I spotted one! All excited to have gol gappas, I parked the bike near his stall. He had puris with two colours of sauce, one red and the other green. The green water was greener than grass but totally tasteless and the red one was sweeter than sugar. He ran out of potatoes and other masala so I had to make do with just the puri and paani. I had two and was done!!! No thank you!! No more of this coloured water in the name of gol gappa’s for me!! Not worth risking my system. I was out of there now convinced that this was the worse chat I have ever had! Finding my way to another eatery I chose to have hot rotis and dal. Looking over into the streets was a sheer pleasure to see the festive mood set in. The hustle and bustle of excitement and enthusiasm amongst people was an appealing sight.

Talking to the locals I found out that the security was in high alert. Some terrorists had been caught there with some kind of explosives, which is why the military had been called in and the security was tightened under strict vigilance.

Riding back to the guest house at Hrishikesh, retiring at the end of day thirty two, I was eager to see the dawn of the next morning… awaiting a big day for covering the event and hoping to get good footage!

Day 30 - Global Fusion on a Pizza Pie

Day 30 - PUSHKAR - AJMER

Making a to-do list post breakfast, I hailed out of the guest house to get it all done. First on the list was to bathe my baby ;-) off I rode to the service salon along with her. It has been a month since she was groomed to be sparkling clean.

Leaving her at the service station to get a body wash, I went to the music store to pick up some music. My preference in music is new age or fusion. Here in Pushkar, awesome new age music CD’s are available for sale at the music stores. My computer was cleared of music because I needed disk space. I had no music to listen to, depriving myself of it is something I can’t do. So I went into a music store and bought some amazing new age, fusion and world music CD's. Happy!!

Third on the list was to pick up my licence, which I successfully did. My licence was deposited at the mobile-phone store, to complete some formalities of getting a new-SIM card.

Fourth task on the checklist was to get my friend’s punctured bike tyre repaired. This was being done while the love of my life was in the spa.

Next, I headed towards Ajmer to do some odd jobs of banking, like payment of bills and loan EMI. Riding on my sparklingly clean, all groomed Karizma was a pleasure and absolute thrill for me!!

With the creative juices flowing I was in a mood to dress up the bike and all set to decorate it with stickers, I got a bit too carried away. Sticking on it sorts of stickers in an assortment of shapes, sizes and colours, I was having fun!!

Having fed my creativity, now I also had to feed my empty stomach, growling for some food! We decided to venture into a pizza parlour in the city of Ajmer. This I know, was getting a little adventurous. Checking on the menu, I saw weird combinations. It seemed like a global fusion happening on a pizza pie. It had pizza originating from Italy, but having traveled the globe through America, Mexico, China, Punjab and where all!! The menu had Chinese pizza, American pizza, Mexican pizza and the list was endless!

We settled for a mushroom garlic cheese pizza and some Chinese pizza with schezwan sauce! It looked like the pizza parlour hosted a world cultural meet on the menu card. Now that’s what I call Globalization in a pizza parlour!! I wouldn’t be surprised to hear if we as Indians also start selling Italian jalebies topped with cheese and add it to the already existing menu of American sev puris, Mexican dosas, Chinese bhel and end up in the soup of GLOBAL GADBAD!!!!!

Having the Desi Global Pizzas I headed back to Pushkar and retired at the end of Day 30!!! ZZZZ!!