Did The Beatles turn Rishikesh into a yoga Disneyland? Is Kerala really communist, and Auroville a utopia? How much colonial baggage is stuffed in my rucksack as a British citizen? In this travel journal, I explore these questions and gauge how modern India is dealing with its imperial and cultural ghosts of the past.
I also do a bit of travelling. First, through the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, following the paths of the Ganges. The Ganga is a revered river for Indians and has been historically important for commerce too (William Dalrymple called it 'the M1 Motorway of Indian trade'). I explore mainly the historical significance of the Ganges, whilst nearly getting seduced into its religious flow by a Shiva pilgrimage on the ghats of Haridwar. My scientific approach to yoga receives a few karmic slaps in Rishikesh before I head for the hills of Devprayag and New Terhi and the higher snow peaks of the Himalayas.
The second half of the journal heads south to Kerala, at yet another yoga mecca- Varkala. Guided by Arundhati Roy's essays, I explore the communist developments of Kerala and discover a rich multi-cultural history and some interesting myths about Doubting Thomas and the Syrian Christians. I enjoy the beaches too and the beautiful laterite bluffs shaped by the Arabian Sea in this tourist haven and progressive polity.
I then cross overland through Tamil Nadu and the wonderful temples of Madurai and on to Pondicherry. In large part, I end the journey at Auroville, the last remaining utopia project from the 1960s, which kind of brings me back to the questions I start with in Rishikesh. Travel as escapism, exploitation or well-being enhancement and positive cultural exchange? Probably a mixture of the four and much more.
