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It was still dark. The air was laden and hinting rain. There, in the early morning silence, I could hear my footsteps hitting the graveled, narrow lanes of Rishikesh. From a distance, came the sad, lonely song of the river. Soon, I would be by her side.
 Hands in pockets, shrinking into myself in the cool, still air, I walked past the closed shutters of the shops occupying both sides and thereby blocking the view to the river. The river still beckoned me through the narrow openings on one side, wherever the ill-matched structure of the shops let them be. The surroundings conspired to remind me of the childhood innocence, and not-so-distant memories of summer days spent here. The innocence has melted away and the summer days never feel the same.
The congested lanes metamorphosed into vast expanse of water at one of the turns – holding me in an enchanted trance for a long while. The grand river sang its sad song, like she has been standing there all by herself for years incalculable to man, waiting for company. I sat by the side of the river, while the sound of temple bells trickled in from a distance.
I decided to take the walk in the direction from where the bells trolled. The sun was still a gossip, and the moon shone disturbingly on the surface of carelessly flowing water. Stepping on the thin coated floor, letting the mild swings of the Ram Jhula sway me, I looked across through the trusses of the bridge at the steadily flowing river. On the other side of the bridge, as I stepped towards Parmarth Niketan, the sounds rose in decibels.
 Inside, it was a scene that contrasted with the outside – people singing at the top of their voices in the room grown humid by the breathing of the hundreds present. I sat in a relatively quiet corner listening to the hymns being sung by Indians and foreigners in unison. The prayers penetrated into the day break. As the room lit in the natural light, I headed out.
Outside, the town reflected transparently through the early morning smoky mist. Captivated by thoughts, people moved around urgently doing their chores, which for most was taking a dip in the holy waters. I decided to take a walk to the other more famous counterpart of Ram Jhula – Lakman Jhula, which lay a few kilometers further.
Passing the thatch huts, slipping under the stare of saffron enveloped sadhus, negotiating poor children asking for money, and avoiding the more older of them who boldly came up to me to sell cannabis, I slowly moved towards the other corner of the town. Though share taxis run frequently to Laxman Jhula, an early morning walk through the dirt-laden lane, with trees lining on the steeper side and the river accompanying on the other, is an ideal way of experiencing the less crowded, rural side of Rishikesh. Apart from this pleasant walk, another option available for tourists ready to explore the town on foot is the 17 km walk to the Neelkanth temple. With not the entire day to spare, I satisfied myself with this 2 km walk.
The defining images at this bridge are those of 13 storey temples of Swarg Niwas and Trayanbakshwar that stare arrogantly from the other side. Temple studded Laxman Jhula looks down on a gorgeous valley. If you stand there for a while, surely you will see a few rafts passing by in the water below. These rafts, looking from the top, give off an impression of some true adventure happening down there. Despite the spectacular, the feeling of loneliness was undercurrent. As the fascination ebbed away, the morning restlessness grew back. Inspired, after looking at the altogether different life below, I decided to raft the afternoon away.
 White-water rafting, in addition to cannabis and instant spirituality, adds to Rishikesh’s popularity among the young. A raft can accommodate eight persons, and even if you are alone, groups are easy to find. The cost for the entire raft can be bargained down to Rs. 2000/- for a 14 kilometer course. Luckily, I was absorbed in a group of four, and we drove to Shivpuri to raft down back to Rishikesh.
Blowing wild wind forced itself through the open window as our Jeep raced up the reddish brown foothills. The road carved out of these hills commanded great views of the valley below. Innumerable Pine trees lined up all the way, with Ganga complementing them well on the other side. The colours on the trees touched every shade in the spectrum - from flashing red to bright yellow, touched lightly upon by perky orange. Moving against the glacier river’s flow, dark metaled, and punctuated with temples at frequent distances, the road to Shivpuri is worth riding on.
The moistness in the air evaporated with the rising sun, which had now reached overhead. Stepping in the gracefully flowing blue waters of Ganga, I felt an immediate sense of adventurism. A historical river flowing from untold ages was now catering to a sport still in its infant stages. As we rushed through the rapids, the voice of our rafting coach directed us to paddle. At one such rapid, I found myself in water holding on to an end of the boat while the white froth rushed madly on my face. As the river opened in vast expanse, the flow became gradual, and the pace of rafting lightened. We left our paddles in the boat to take a short swim to the nearer end.
 Casually floating on the water, I felt exhilarated in the fading adrenaline rush. As the clouds gathered for an un-seasonal burst, the raft gently nudged towards the nearing town. I didn’t have a clue of what I was going to do next. From that far, I could hear the temples bells trolling again, reminding me of the early morning that looked so distant now. In a single day I had crossed boundaries, and felt that I could never go back to where I was when I woke up this morning. This is the effect Rishikesh has on you – it makes you transcend worlds, and you don’t have to wait to die for this.
Factfile:
- Rishikesh is 250 km from Delhi and is well connected by road and rail.
- There are many options available for trekking and rafting. Rishikesh is the base for trekking further up. Cost of trekking may lie between Rs 500 to Rs 700 per person per day.
- Rafting season runs from June to September. Cost of rafting may lie between Rs 650/- to Rs 1000/- per person.
- Rishikesh has many good guesthouses suited to every budget.
This travelogue and photos are contributed by Nitin Chaudhary and Kiran Patil respectively.
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