I haven’t been able to post these past couple of days.

The ashram doesn’t have wifi.

Nor does it have alcohol.

Nor does it have sausages.
Or any kind of meat.

In fact there’s a law that decrees that alcohol and meat are banned within a 15km radius of Rishikesh.

Which means no egg and bacon breakfasts – and no beer of an evening…

That’s ok.
This is a holy town.

It’s been a full couple of days since I posted last.

Yesterday we went on a walk from one suspension bridge across the Ganges to another – a trek of about 2kms – and along the way we explored Rishikesh.

The ladies also spent a good deal of yesterday having Ayurvedic treatments – and came out fairly glowing.

And yesterday afternoon we attended the Parmarth Aarti ceremony, which happens every day, and is renown throughout the world.

It involves singing chants to various deities, and lighting of lamps and fires as offerings to these deities, and to eliminate darkness.

Here is some information on the Aarti ceremony –

Aarti ceremony / wiki

Because Jennifer and I filmed at Parmarth last year, we were given VIP treatment last night – thanks to Laurie Larson, who is Sadhvuji’s assistant. Sadhvuji and Swamiji are in NY at the moment, at the invitation of the United Nations to formalise an agreement concerning pollution.

These folk don’t just sit in their ashram and chant mantras – they get out and change the world. I noticed this sign on my walk yesterday, and it summed it up…

At the culmination of aarti last night our group was handed the lamp, the diya, which they swung in time to the very rousing music.

Here are some shots I took yesterday…