Ground Reality

Deep in the woods of majestic Himalayas’ foot hills lies  leisurely   a non-descript hamlet  Sathkol, perched on a height of 6000 feet above sea level. Whistling pine trees impart suspense to the environment which is filled with wafting  fragrance of  wild flora and fauna. Reading “Save wild life and  forests” small tin plates kiss an internationally famed meditation  centre's  outer fences.  The centre, cocooned in  mesmerizing breathtaking  environs, holds a raft of intriguing attractions like Heartfulness meditation in surreal calmness. Ice capped Himalayan peaks paint a befitting background. The serene tranquility here is punctuated only by chirping of Himalayan birds. Abhyasis (Practitioners) who get a chance to visit what they call ”Sathkhol Ashram” are a few in numbers. Only small batches are permitted at a time due to limited capacity of two dormitories.  One gets this chance only once in a span ...

It was early morning and a motley crowd of onlookers was craning necks to catch a glimpse of their master. He was to arrive among them for meditation in a green and serene corner of otherwise concretized Gurgaon, at the outskirts of India's capital on a  Sunday  morning. A hushed silence was conspicuous by its presence as if the meditation was already underway by the huge assembly. People from all walks of life and faith occupied every inch of space available on the sprawling swathe. Cuckoos call and birds chirping at flowering trees in spring were the only melodious distraction. Fragrance of water soaked mud hung in the tranquil air.   Dressed in blue cotton shirt, white trousers and a brown jacket, a smiling face with reassuring demeanor got down from a vehicle, and briskly walked to a spick and span room. He gently bowed before a hanging medium seized frame of a black and white photograph of his master.             ...