A Stop At Rishikesh

We left Joshimath at around 6:30AM on the 25th of December 2024. On our way, Abhigyan, Lovekush and I had a very interesting discussion. It began as a discussion over films and then moved on to Philosophy. Shekar listened to us attentively and commented when he agreed to something. It was an interesting interaction with the youngsters. I was surprised by the amount of knowledge Abhigyan already had on many of the topics we discussed. Of course, the present generation has access through internet, but how many take interest in Philosophy? 

On our way, we stopped at Dev Prayag and had Malta orange juices. We reached Rishikesh by around 2PM. All of us except Lovekush got off at Tapovan. 

My hostel was close by. Shrishail and Rudra who had booked the accommodation on the other side of Laxman jhula were not aware of the situation. Due to the bridge being under construction for an eternity now, it is not possible to cross over. By road, it would take them 30 minutes or more to reach there. They canceled their booking and joined me at my hostel. 

The hostel I was staying in had a caretaker from Gujarat. Since I brought him two more customers, he offered my room also at the day’s price instead of my booked price - which was Rs200 more.

We had a late lunch at Ttav cafe. This is my go-to place in Rishikesh. After freshening up, we headed to Ram Jhula. Shrishail and Rudra watched the Aarathi at this new place  that had recently begun. I sat by the river. More people have begun to gather here and this place has become commercial. I then took them to my favourite place - Saraswati ghat or Sai ghat. It was peaceful out there. There was no Aarathi or noise - just the river and people peacefully observing nature. 

We headed back to town and looked for a place that had live music. It was Christmas and many places had DJ music. Our hostel caretaker insisted that we go up to the roof top cafe and have a look. Which we did. We sat there for a while despite the loud Bollywood music to which some youngsters were hesitantly dancing. Rudra and Shrishail realised what I had already told them earlier - We are getting old for this kind of a place. I was insisting on going to a place with live music. After some food, we headed back to the dorm and went straight to bed. 

Next morning, I woke up early and left to the ghat. Shrishail joined me. I sat there for more than an hour - on my favourite rock. I wondered if this place would exist when I return. A madness to ruin nature in the name of development has begun in this country. 

On our way back, we stopped at my favourite tea stall. I often have tea and Bun Maska here. We stopped again for some hot samosas. 

Upon return to the hostel, Shrishail and Rudra got ready to leave. They had plans to explore the place that day. I would not see them again, se we bid farewell and discussed about making trek plans in Bangalore. 

It was a lazy morning for me. I got ready and headed to have a brunch. After some looking, I finally headed to Ttav again to have my hummus platter. 

Afternoon, I took the help of Vedant to book a taxi. While waiting for the cab, Vedant told me that the place was owned by two brothers from Gujarat. Recently, the younger one, who was only 26 years old, had died of heart attack. It was he who mostly handled the business here. 

I thanked him for his help and handed him a tip of Rs200. After all, it was because him that I got a discount on the fare. His face lit up and that made me happy. I shook his hand and wished him a happy new year before leaving him, still happy with the perk he had received.