My Trip to India

Every year around March and April, I go on a short personal sabbatical leave to rejuvenate my inner strength. Sometimes, I take personal development courses. Other times I attend certification programs in order to serve people later in one way or another. Yet, other times I go on self-discovery trips to find out more about myself, my purpose in life, and how I can serve others more. Do you take such personal sabbatical leaves?

In the past few years, I was always looking for a trip to India but it did not happen. I knew that someday I would go but I didn’t know when. Every year either something would prevent me from going to India or I would procrastinate because of the busy schedule, the costs involved, and so on.

In October 2010, my wife and I attended a workshop by Janet Attwood, the best selling co-author of the Passion Test. She is a sweet lady full of passion for helping others find their passions. In that workshop, Janet showed us some videos from her trips to India and her interviews with some of the masters and yogis there. After showing the videos, she said that she was planning for a spiritual tour to India and interested people could join her. As soon as my wife heard that she told me:”Honey, you should go. This is something you always wanted. You should go.” I am very lucky for having such a supportive wife. She always supports me in any way she can so that I can achieve my dreams. I would say that I strive to do the same for her although she is usually ahead.

Anyway, I signed up for the two-week spiritual trip to India with Janet Attwood. Despite this, I still felt my trip to India would not be complete without visiting Brahma Kumaries Spiritual University in Mount Abu, India. This is the headquarters of the meditation center that I attend for meditation practice in Edmonton. I always wanted to attend one of their live events where over 15,000 people participate. The good news was that they had a live event planned for March 16th fitting perfectly in my plan for staying one week in Mount Abu after completing my 2-week tour with Janet’s group. Wonderful! So, I was quiet excited for the trip to unknown!

Week 1
I got to Delhi at 2 am on February 24. Even at this time Delhi was busy, dynamic, and noisy something that we don’t typically see in North America. We spent the first day at the Maharishi Ayurveda hospital for Panchkarma treatment with full body massage with warm oil in order to get rid of jet lag. That was a perfect massage that re-energized my body and helped me get rid of jet lag very quickly.

The next day we went to an Ashram where 40 pandits sang for our group privately and performed some religious practices. It was interesting and fun. You could see how devoted they are to what they believe in.

On the third day we went to Bahai temple and then to Akshardham, the biggest Hindu temple in India. You should see the beauty of this temple. It is a masterpiece which was built from marble in 5 years by 11,000 artisans.

On day 4 we visited one Ashram on our way to Agra. Agra is the where Taj Mahal is located. I think Taj Mahal is the jewel of India. It is a masterpiece built by Shah Jahan after his wife passed away as the symbol of his love for her. Both king and queen are buried in Taj Mahal.

On day 5 we moved toward Rishikesh in Himalayas to attend the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh. Our trip by bus took over 14 hours not because it was very far from Delhi but mainly because the traffic was heavy with all sorts of transportation on the road from cows to donkeys and from bicycles to buses and trucks. We got to Rishikesh at 2 am on day 6.

Week 2
We spent the second week of our trip in Rishikesh enjoying the weather and the spiritual atmosphere beside the river Ganga and inside the Parmarth Niketan Ashram. Almost 500 people from 30 countries attended this year’s yoga festival. Many teachers taught attendees various types of yoga.

During our stay we also visited few more ashrams and had private group meetings with swamis and masters. Without Janet who personally knew these masters we would not be able to have private meetings with them. We also had a great lunch in the Ananda castle which was nested in the mountains.

Overall, it was a great experience for me and the rest of the group during our stay in Rishikesh. We all enjoyed vegetarian food and shopping from local stores where their owners offered us free Masala Chai and hot lemon honey ginger drink. One of the owners even invited all 14 of us to his home for dinner. We quiet enjoyed their hospitality and the home-made food.

Week 3
On the last day of my stay in Rishikesh before taking the train to Mount Abu, we went to rafting and enjoyed the whole experience. It was a new experience for many of us. We were all soaked in water right at the beginning of our rafting journey as we had to overcome the most difficult part of the journey right at the beginning!

I left the group on March 10 and went back to Delhi to take the train to Mount Abu. It took 12 hours by train. I arrived in Mount Abu at 4 am. I was picked up by a brother from Brahma Kumaries organization to the BK complex nested in the mountains. The spiritual atmosphere there was highly uplifting. The weather was warm. The people were very calm and kind. The experience was amazing. I particularly enjoyed a silence walk to the top of the mountain, sat on the rocks, and gazed at the horizon where the sunset was taking place. This was the first time I was pulled by the beauty of sun in the evening in the mountains.

We had few classes, lots of meditations, and 2.5 days of silence practice before the big live event on March 16. Over 15000 people attended the live event out of which 4000 were first timers. Many could not get in because the capacity was full. I felt very blessed there. I felt that my spiritual home was there. You cannot explain the experience. You just need to be there to experience the atmosphere yourself.

My journey in India ended by visiting Udaipur before my flight back to Canada. I took a three-wheel taxi for 500 Indian Rupees (only $10) and in 3 hours the driver showed me nice places in Udaipur. I also got a chance to stand beside an elephant, hold his ear, and take a photo with that giant animal.

Overall, I had great time in India. Apart from all the noise, traffic, messy streets, etc. the spiritual experience was excellent. I recommend a trip to this mysterious ancient country to everyone. Just remember to see behind what can be seen with physical eyes. This way you will enjoy every moment of being there. I will certainly go again if I get another chance.