SUNRISE AND THE GREAT RIVER GANGA by Tina Romenesko

THE GREAT RIVER MOVES ME, FREES ME, AND MY HEART IS SWEPT UP IN JOY - Uvavnuk

About 11:00 PM, I realize we picked the wrong morning for a 4:00 A.M. trip to see the sun rise in the the Himalayas.  The Diwali firecrackers continue until after 2:00 - and I try really hard to remember the peacefulness of the Vasishta caves, to no avail.  Regardless, we are out the door, right on time, and headed for Kunja Puri, a mountaiin top temple honoring the many incarnations of the Goddess Shakti.  The drive up and into the Himalayas was itself breathtaking.  Toward the very top, the hairpin curves were guarded by large white pillars and bench-like structure with a bright red polka dots on the front.  The were strategically placed (Hari Om) and somewhat random at the same time.  Needless to say, Susan and I were wide eyed as we reached the summit.  We climbed 159 steps to the temple, which was perched on the highest point looking eastward.  The sky was endless layers of pink and light blue, the mountain darker blue and gray.  A fine mist rose above and below the horizon adding to the ethereal nature of the dawn.  

Then suddenly, a tiny speck of bright yellow peeked out  - and the entire sky changed color in one moment.  An amazing experience to greet the sun’s arrival over these sacred mountain.  We snap photos and stand quietly in contemplation.  Without moving, I am practicing Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).  The group is varied and as we are leaving, we stop at the temple to get a blessing from the monk, always in orange robes.  With his middle finger he places a dot on my third eye and decorates it with the Styrofoam coconut.  “Bindi?”, I say brightly?  “No.  Tika.  A bindhi is a decoration, but a Tika is a blessing.”  So much to learn.  Always.

The afternoon is rafting - We are both a little anxious about the rapids. There are 9 of us “tourists” in the boat  - four young Indian men on holiday, two college girls from Mumbai, one of their younger brothers and Susan and myself.  We introduce ourselves, smile a lot, and make numerous Indian/English jokes through translation on the ride up the canyon.  What a gift to spend the afternoon with teens on Diwali vacation.

The guides are your typical, pony tailed, athletic hippie types.  Our guide, Alli, is wearing a wet suit.  I suddenly remember Susan’s warning about liver sucking parasites in the Ganges….  They tease us royally about a 50-50 chance of overturning in the rapids, and when they ask Susan to put her watch in the dry bag, she knows we are in for a ride.  

She is right.  

In the summer, the Ganges overflows its banks and overtakes part of the city of RIshikesh, but in November it is at its lowest and most “fun” according to Alli.  One of the rapids we will be riding is class 4 (class 5 is the highest rating!) which makes the young men in our group very happy! Alli turns out to be a great guide.  His instructions are clear in the teaching and strong in the follow through.  We got soaked to the skin, in every rapid, and there is a lot of squealing and cheering.  What a great way to experience the flow of Mother Ganga.  

The ride into RIshikesh is much more tame.  Gentle rapids and the chance to view the shoreline filled with ancient steps, abandoned temples, and modern, albeit slightly dilapidated apartment buildings.  We both agree that our experience in the Ganges has been an anointing - a dropping into the actual experience of her clarity,

her beauty, and love.