In Pursuit of Happiness

 Imagine a morning when you wake up with the chirping of birds and when you step out you find yourself in a thick grove of trees, with a very gentle breeze caressing your face and then as you move along there is a canopy of trees which have literally screened the sky above. That is how this place is, quiet apart from the sweet  tweeting of the avians which in any case is music playing in the background. Yoga follows, prior to that I embark on a stroll in the retreat gently ambling along to the paddy fields adjacent awaiting the Sun to rise from behind the coconut grove, a little distance away and lo and behold, the mighty Sun gradually peeping out slowly making a majestic appearance in its full splendour, a Golden hue surrounding the orange ball. I take my fill, bow to thee in reverence and then move on for the Yoga session. 

The Guru is a Yogi, against the background of the paddy field, he resembles the sages from the Himalayas with a flowing beard, his hair tied in a turban, eyes full of compassion, in his deep sombre voice he begins chanting the morning peace prayers to initiate us into the session. Practise of Yoga for a full two hours appeared to be a little too long and I was naturally apprehensive of being able to go through with it. Surprisingly, the session is organised in such a manner that there are plenty of pauses for getting one’s breath back by getting into ‘Shav-asana’(Corpse pose). The twists, contortions, breathing cycles each one gradually pushing the bar towards more flexibility, help us focus and concentrate. After the session one is reinvigorated and rejuvenated rather than fatigued, that is the beauty of this ancient science.

Practise of Meditation in an organised manner is conducted in a number of wellness programmes and courses, the methodology remains the same gradually lull the body activities by means of sonorous commands starting with deep relaxation of all body parts to make you aware of the special place which they hold in your well being. Then gradually you are drawn into a meditative trance, where the mind is surprisingly quiet. Although to be frank that state doesn’t last long but even a few minutes is adequate to give you a glimpse of the bliss which awaits you if you can master the art and be in this trance for considerably longer duration. 

The amazing aspect of this whole experience was the presence of a number of friends from Western nations considerable younger than us, belonging to a different culture but dedicated in their pursuit of happiness and peace through such interludes. There were a few couples, some singles, some were fresh from a course of Vipasana, some undergoing Yoga and wellness courses in India itself, some on a sabbatical some finding solace in this lap of nature in their day to day  struggles.  They were not only at ease performing the various asanas, savouring the frugal vegetarian fare being served, preferring to spend the leisure hours in the hammock rather than in the rooms.

The Almighty has a design that we all know for sure, but that it manifests itself in such diverse ways is a fact we are reminded of often, when all of a sudden post dinner, we embark on a exploration to a temple not knowing what was in store except that there were some celebrations being planned. We were with another couple from Holland Anya and Adrian who were the initiators of this adventure. It turned out to be a 1500 years old God Narsimha’s temple, where the celebrations were to commemorate the inauguration of the temple. The story goes that the chief priest of the temple would invite different deities to worship, the other deities would return, however God Narsimha grew so fond of the priest that he stayed back and then the Priest installed his idol there. Dances were being organised where pretty damsels attired in the traditional veshti and mundu, the two piece Malyali Sari gyrated gracefully in a style which resembled the traditional ‘garba’ of the Gujaratis.Imagine the cultural unity of this country, two places as diverse and distant as Gujarat and Kerela had a dance form which bore such close resemblance. We got the opportunity for the darshan of the Deity, duly removing our shirt, as per the tradition, were blessed to get an opportunity  to offer grains’i.e. “Anna Dan” in their unique method. Obviously this visit was not part of the tour, it was the will of the Almighty who was instrumental in granting us this boon.

Feeling blessed and happy more at peace with ourselves , here we are on our way back to the grind. Thanks Hinterland Village for making these moments so special and memorable.Looking forward to more such moments of bliss…..