A peek of rainbow amidst the hues of green........ #MyTravelFirst

Ever prayed to the Sun Gods to shine on an overcast day just so that a day of your vacation does not go waste?

Well, that is not the backdrop of my story…

My ‘travel first' experience is set in the enchanted, mystique Parvati Valley. ‘Mecca for all the Shiva followers’, Parvati valley has been infamous for the Israeli inhabitants and the music festivals in Kasol, the natural hot springs at Manikaran and Kheerganga and as producer of one of the best hashish in the world, ‘Malana Cream’.

Some of these were the exact few reasons that intrigued the twenty year old me to check out the ‘Hippie trail’ of India for myself as I found myself on the bus ride to Bhuntar, an hour away from Kasol.

Kheerganga, nestled in Sylvan hills, is a 4-5 hour trek from Kasol where one will find settlements of locals spread across the area and only small hostels or homestays as their options for accommodation. The folks that I was visiting with was a lazy group and we reached Kheerganga only after around 6 hours of commencing from Kasol with no time left to explore the hot springs that day. As we started inquiring about the local culture and the attractions, the owner of our homestay asked us if we would like to check out the ‘Rainbow Gathering’ happening there.

Confused? Yes that makes the two of us, but we thought to ourselves why not and ventured out.

Now this is one warning that you might get on several occasions while visiting any place in Parvati valley, to be cautious of the locals or the foreigners, they are not very welcoming and this one was no different. We were advised against going too close to where the ‘Rainbow People’ had their tents set up, but that is exactly what made us step our feet in the lion’s den.

Guess what, we were greeted by a group of people (foreigners mostly) who were far from showing any signs of hostility. Completing their chores and getting on with their routine, a day in their life seemed just like that of a villager from Kheerganga. Based on their appearance you would be quick to assume that they are just another group of hippies wasting away their time, but after interacting with them you would get to know their real purpose.

The ‘Rainbow Gathering’ is a group of people coming together from all around the world, with normal lives & corporate jobs like yours and mine, who meet at place for around a month, help the locals there in developing their place or contributing to their lives in whatever way possible. While doing this, they set up their own community where they take turns in doing the daily chores like cooking, cleaning and so on.

As we looked into the sunset while the others returned, they offered us their simple meal consisting of lentil & boiled potatoes seasoned with salt and Nutella (weird mix, I know) post which all of us gathered around a bonfire to sing songs appreciating the nature, it’s creations and Mother Earth.

Home was an idea that evening and we were all a part of it.

This was a very simple experience but it left my heart content and life enriched. It made me ponder on the fact that have we forgotten to appreciate the creator for everything we have been given? Have we stopped deriving pleasure from the smallest things in life? It definitely put things into perspective for me.

And that was #MyTravelFirst, where I witnessed the ‘Rainbow Gathering’ in the hills of Parvati Valley, who showed me that living in harmony is not so difficult, that there is more to life than the materialistic things we are running behind and that happiness can be sought in the smallest things around us.

PS: Some fun facts about Kheerganga:

1. You will meet more foreigners than Indians on your trek.

2. While you may be panting on your way up, you will find the foreigners walking nonchalantly carrying their musical instruments and 10kg heavy haversacks as if they were out for their daily stroll.

3. The houses there had no electricity (at least until my visit), but the local shop there was selling Nutella and Sourpunk, which honestly seemed like a luxury.

4. The foreigners you meet there are most likely to know a lot more about the Hindu religion than you (that happened with me atleast).