*** A TRANQUIL DAY IN RISHIKESH AND HARIDWAR ***
On 12th September, the Thiruvonam day i was in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Though i like travelling, the sole reason for my third visit to the place was to perform the rituals on the 12th day after my Grandfather's demisal. With my limited leaves to travel to Kerala on this occasion, Haridwar was the ideal location to pray for the late devotee of Krishna.
I reached Haridwar before sunrise and rested on the Ganges embankment. And spent some more time watching people starting their day by dipping themselves in the holy river. After taking a refreshing bath in the Ganges, i approached one of the Pundits to perform the rituals. The ghat was filled with people. Not spending much time in Haridwar i started to Rishikesh. Rishikesh, which is a 45 minutes travel by bus from Haridwar is the ideal place to sit in solitude. I walked to places called Ramjhula and Lakshmanjhula. Walking through the narrow roads in these places was a pleasant experience. In the evening after taking a bath in the Ganges i sat on the embankment watching the holy river & people. Initially i had planned to return to Haridwar by evening to see the Aarti performed at 6 p.m. on the ghats. But the tranquility in Rishikesh made me to spend the evening there than being one among the crowd at Haridwar. After listening bhajan at one of the temples on the ghats i decided to walk. The preparation for a pooja at another temple attracted me and i halted there. The pooja was followed by a pleasant bhajan and aarti. The event seemed not to be a regular one. It was organised by some medical professionals from outside and was participated by a known sadhu and a group of children. After the event i spent more time on the ghats sitting in peace. Finally i left the place in reluctance to catch a night bus to Delhi.
This visit brought the memories of my first visit to the place with my friends Hareesh and Vinod. As usual i was missing Hareesh with whom i made many tours earlier.
