Ganga Aarti
“Have you ever watched the Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh”, asked Sanjana.
“Not really, I mean I have been to Rishikesh, but I haven’t watched the aarti. You know na, I am not much into religious stuff, because I just don’t know how to be into it.”, I replied and she nodded knowingly.
“But, you must. It’s a whole together different experience. I mean even I’m not that much into god and all but trust me just the vibe and aura of the place is something else entirely. It….it seems straight out of one of those fantasy books that you always keep on reading, all epic and magical”, she pressed. “In fact you know what”, she paused dramatically and at the same time didn’t give me any time to speak.
“Let’s plan a trip to Rishikesh, over the coming weekend”, she finished.
Just like that, the next thing I knew, I was in a Hostel with Sanjana. We reached there at around 3 or 4 in the day. It was a beautiful place, situated atop a hill, with heavenly weather and an even better view. There were cafes all around it and the whole atmosphere had a very cozy and comfortable vibe. With all the mango trees surrounding the hostel and there being sort of huts to live in. Above all, the girl you love standing next to you and holding your hand, while a gust of wind blows her hair in your face. It doesn’t get any better than this, does it now?
Now here’s something you have got to know about Rishikesh, it’s always full of people either lamenting their pain or celebrating their joy. Because where do people go when they have too much to be sad or ecstatic about, that’s right, to their God and hence to Rishikesh. So to get the proper view and vibe of the aarti and you have to be there by 6PM. Me and Sanjana therefore quickly freshened up and got dressed in our traditionals because why not. We rented a bike and left the hostel by 5:30.
The road to the ghat itself seems to be celebrating a festival. Full of lights, ornaments and people all bustling about. Somehow though we reached our destination more or less around 6 only. Now, I am not much of a religious guy because I’ve never known how to be one but the ghat really was something else entirely. As soon as we entered through the main gate, just the overall aura of the place with people all chanting, praying, having their own silent and some not so silent conversations with their God, was magical to say the least.
There was a room where you can keep your footwear and some volunteers taking care of them and returning them when you leave. The place had both natural as well as materialistic appeal, not to the mention the overwhelmingly spiritual one. There was a marble statue of a chariot carrying Arjuna to the battlefield with Krishna holding the reigns. And In front of us was the Ganga for which we were all there. There were people selling all kinds of things low in prices but priceless in their spiritual values. It also had a huge tank sort of thing, the purpose of which I didn’t quite understand.
The area from where the aarti is seen was huge and had a shed, its perimeter having a railing and steps which you can take for a better view of the aarti. It had carpets laid down to sit on to and there was singing going on and people dancing in elation. We sat there for about 45 minutes taking it all in, when finally the stars of the show came in, the priests who were going to perform the aarti. I was expecting a crowd of old heads but most of them were hardly 18 years old. All of them wore a red kurta and a white dhoti with a white cloth tightly wrapped around their waists. They all had an air of mysterious beauty about them, some more than the others and all had almost bald heads with a ponytail each. Two of these guys especially stood out and caught my attention who looked characters straight out of a book.
The first one was a tall and proud guy with a slender and strong body. He held himself with a regal pride and carried the kind of confidence that makes you dislike him for no reason other than your own lack of confidence. He walked around with shoulders all squared up and tight and a stiffness to his body. It seemed as if he knew that people around him were all there to watch him and he enjoyed that. The way he was looking around himself, some people might even call him an arrogant brat, but not me, because I am not in the business of judging people. But at the same time I’ll understand if someone sitting next to me called him that. I may even nod but that is just to be polite, because you know, I am very confident about myself and I am not in the business of judging people. But for no apparent reason at all, I named him Malfoy in my head.
The other guy was a bit shorter than him with a healthier physique. It seemed as if he was happy to be there and he walked with a more casual stride and a spring in his step. He seemed to be excited and happy but at the same time proud and important as well. He too knew that everyone there was to watch him but he didn’t seem to be boastful about it, he just knew it but played it off with a smile and a nod. I am not quite sure if this actually was the case or it was just in my head but I felt like the two of them had some friction and didn’t see eye to eye with each other. Now, someone might think that Malfoy only must have done something to piss him off, but not me, because well, you know why. And again, for no apparent reason at all, I named him Harry in my head, don’t know why but it just seemed to fit.
All the people who came to watch, were sitting in the shed and standing on the railings while the priests descended to a balcony sort straight ahead of the arena which was just touching the Ganga. The balcony had stools next to which was another stool with all the apparatus required for the aarti, for each of them. The Priests started taking there places on the stools and Malfoy took the centre one, because obviously. It seemed that Harry wasn’t amongst the guys who would be doing the aarti and that for some reason made me feel sad.
When Sanjana saw me, she asked, “What happened?”.
“Nothing much, I’m just feeling a bit bad because Harry won’t be doing the aarti”, I sighed. When I saw that she was looking at me with a dumbstruck expression, I explained her everything.
She just shook her head, dejected and disappointed. Much like a mother who loves her child but at the same time is fed up with him. I nodded, she didn’t speak for sometime and then said with quite a dramatic effect, “You never know, looks and appearances can be deceptive”, and gave a self satisfied grin. She does that, try to sound like one of the wise wizards that we all love.
The aarti then finally started with a trio of singers singing it and the priests performing it. They all had these big candle stand sort of things with multiple things burning on them. They all were going about their routine in a very co-ordinated and majestic manner. Even the fumes rising from the candle stands were together in complete sync moving in and out and forming a torrent of flowing energy. Malfoy was extra graceful with his hand movements and gestures because obviously. But Love him or hate him, you’ve got to admire him. Each of his move and posture was so confident and right that even though I didn’t know about the routine, I just knew he was doing the right thing whenever there was any uncoordinated movement.
All the people were humming the aarti along while trying to capture the magic of the moment in their respective phones. I was just standing there awestruck looking into the grandeur and yet the subtlety of it all. The very air around the place was radiating a glow that if looked from a distance must have been like seeing a giant candle burn. Ganga too as in response rose to the occasion and the water flowing seemed a bit more fuller and proud. All the humming and clapping was creating an energy ripple that everyone was riding on. Now, you know I am not much of a religious person but at that moment I was not able to help myself and I too started humming along because, I just didn’t know how not to.
Harry finally came into view after the aarti concluded and we were all standing there just soaking it all in and trying to come out of the stupor. He then woke us up with drops of Gangajal. He had a mug in one hand and was sprinkling Gangajal over everyone present there, as a gesture of the Ganga’s goodwill. He had such a disarming smile and demeanour about him that anyone standing there with a frown instantly was smiling as soon as he crossed them. He seemed to be enjoying himself out there and people were enjoying his enjoyment. Almost completing his circle he went close to the railings where a trio of girls stood. It seemed as if he was blushing and sprinkled them with Gangajal, not once but thrice. They too were laughing and trying to get him away while keeping him there at the same time. After all this, one of the senior priest came and gave us all some prasad and people started moving out of the shed.
Me and Sanjana came out of the shed and saw an old woman selling containers to take Gangajal to your homes. I had been instructed by my mother to bring some and hence I obliged. She had a stall full of white and tangerine containers and a small boy, hardly 10 years old, standing next to her. She told me that he’ll go and fill this container up with Gangajal, right from the middle of the river if I gave extra 50 rupees and so I agreed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Malfoy and Harry having a quarrel about something and then Malfoy stormed off somewhere. That is when it all started going downhill.
The boy who was hardly upto my waist got into the river, a few meters away from the railing. He had collected the water and was coming back towards us when out of nowhere a large wave came and water level rose significantly and he lost his footing in the water. I saw that he started going along with flow all the time flailing his hands uselessly in an effort to tackle the force of water. Not sure why I looked at the balcony where all the priests stood and tried finding Harry amongst them, because I just felt that someone will do something about it and someone actually did. It was Malfoy, yes you heard it right, it was him who dove into the water and started swimming towards the boy.
There was complete chaos throughout with the woman who was selling the containers shouting at the top of her lungs to save her son and all other people frantically getting back from the steps that led into the river. Amongst all the chaos it was Malfoy who looked all cool and calm, swimming towards the boy at a godly speed, assisted by the flow of water. I was trying to find Harry amongst it all but he was just sitting next to one of the stools on the balcony without a trace of worry in the world. I saw that the stall of this woman was empty, so me and Sanjana stood next to it to make sure that nothing of hers got stolen or lost.
After a few frantic minutes, that felt more or less like days, Malfoy came out of the river holding the boy in his hands and smiling. All the people gathered there around him and thanked him for his bravery. The woman hugged her child tightly, not as tightly as one generally would but still she hugged him. It seemed as if I saw the woman taking some orange things from the boy’s hand and tucking it behind her back, but I didn’t quite get what it was. For some reason I felt like the child was a little too calm for the situation but I ignored it and I felt Sanjana’s elbow nudge at my ribs.
With a victorious and smug look to her, she said “See, I told you, looks and appearances can be deceptive. Whom you were considering the antagonist was actually the protagonist of your little story”.
I did the only thing that I could in such a situation, I nodded defeated.
The women then came back to her stall and I asked her about how the child is.
“He’ll be alright, don’t you worry about him, thanks anyways” and returned to her stall.
I just stood there while Sanjana was tugging at my elbow to go back. I lent down next to the woman and asked, “What about the money I gave you, I didn’t get the Gangajal and I guess no one would be going in there anytime soon.”
She looked at me as if I had assaulted her and then I felt a sharp pain up my arm and saw Sanjana pinching it. “Are you mad or what, she just had a near death experience with her child and you are asking your 100 rupees back”, she thundered. I tried saying something but she never quite gave me the chance and steered me off there. I saw 4–5 more couples and families steer away from the woman with that.
“Next time would be my turn”. I heard the woman sitting next to the woman I took the container from say.
When we were waiting in the line to get our shoes back I noticed that the tank that had been standing upright when I came in was now inverted and there was a lever next to it that was pushed down. When I asked a man about it he told me that the tank actually stores water for the use of people and it also acts as a water cleaner for the river. After every aarti, when the ghat is all empty that water is poured in the river to clear away any stagnant or impure water in the vicinity of the ghats.
“I don’t know how it was emptied during this time, it usually happens in the night.”, the man said.
I saw Malfoy talking to the woman and her child. He then talked to the next woman and went off smugly. That is when it all clicked in.
I nudged Sanjana who was hearing everything and said, “Sometimes they are not”. It was my time to rock the victorious and knowing look and she did the only thing that a person in her situation could do. She nodded, defeated.
Only thing that I was then thinking about was how cheap life is for some people and how costly the living is.
