Kamakhya to Kanyakumari

Kamakhya to Kanyakumari

To soothe her frayed  overworked nerves,  Nandini Sarkar traversed Assam,  Kerala, and Tamil Nadu  on a rejuvenating  journey—a veritable  massage for the body  and soul! 

Once in a while, I get trapped into long and vicious  spells of work. During such cycles, I’m barely  sleeping. My daily sun-bathing and energisation  exercises come to a screeching halt and my Kriya  

Yoga is also on the back-burner. It’s only work, work, and more  work. I try to silence the voice of my soul by telling it that the  work is important and is going to be of service to others. My  soul remains unimpressed and prods me to get real. It reminds  me that I’m soon going to fall sick and have a total burnout.  However, even though I well know the consequences, I’m  possessed by the devil. Last year, I hit such a nadir in December.  My pressure fell to ridiculously low levels, a doctor had to be  ar summoned, and I was unable to go to work for three days on the  trot. Divine grace manifested in the form of our family friend, Ajay Jasani,  who insisted that we travel to Assam and enjoy hospitality at the famous  Deha tea estates in Jorhat. Ajay is a self-made, self-taught, tea trader, who  has been working since he was 10 years old and has built his business  from scratch. When a man of this indefatigable spirit and willpower makes a recommendation, it sure counts. The Deha tea estates, we were informed,  are owned by the iconic tea-garden man, Satyanarayana Aggarwal and his  able son, Bikas. My husband, Sushobhan, the ever-nomadic Bong, jumped  at the idea of travel as a cure for illness. Soon, Sushobhan had worked out  a great sounding plan. Our family of six eager travellers, with parents and children in tow, was soon on its way for a year-end break to the incredibly  lush and green Assam. We would relax, bond, and unwind over endless  cups of Assam chai. 

Preparing to enter the land of the Rhino 

For us, the journey of a thousand miles always starts with prayers for  divine support. We started by seeking blessings from the Divine Mother at  the famous Kamakhya shrine in Guwahati. Despite having a special entry  pass, we had to wait in the serpentine darshan line for nearly two-and-a half hours.  

Lesson 1: In the journey of life, your patience will always be tested. If you  can stick it out somehow and go with the flow, victory is yours. Standing  in the line, we chanted, did japa, and prepared ourselves for the joy of  imminent darshan. Finally, when we reached Mother’s yoni and the priest  singled us out to receive coins from the altar, we felt the Divine Mother’s  loving approval! Patient sadhana is a prelude to reaching the goal, and there are always sweet rewards in store, as we soon discovered from  other unfolding events.  

Lesson 2: Plunge into the ocean of samsara  like the great karma yogi Vivek, having full  faith and overcoming all fear.  

The Divine Mother Kanyakumari, who had  done tapasya on the opposite side of the rock  and has a famous temple dedicated to her,  had inspired Swamiji to sit and meditate on  the rock. Swamiji had ended five years as an  itinerant monk, travelling all over India and  needed divine inspiration to formulate his  vision for a new India. This vision came to him  as he sat continuously on the rock for three  days, 25–27 December 1892. 

As we sat on the rock for three hours, with  an incredible oxygen-rich wind blowing all  around us, refreshing and re-energising  us, we ourselves took a renewed pledge to  love, serve, and leave the rest to God. At the  confluence of the three seas and the temple of  the Divine Kanyakumari, we ended our journey  with thanksgiving for an incredible journey  of healing and inspiration, through spiritually  Incredible India, that started from the Mother’s  lap at Kamakhya and ended at the Mother’s  feet at Kanyakumari! 

Our chatty driver, who had taken a liking to us, led us to the  Navagraha (nine celestial bodies) temple, 10 kms away from  Kamakhya. Most tourists are not aware of this ancient and ‘awakened’ or jagrata temple since the tour operators rarely  take people there.  

Lighting lamps at each graha and chanting the Navagraha mantras was  a beautiful, moving, and cathartic experience. The hoary temple and the  hoary mantras added to our feeling that an  event of spiritual cleansing had just taken  place for us.  

Like the rippling fields of Bodh Gaya, with its  expansive blanket of white kash flowers, the  rippling tea gardens of Dibrugarh charmed  us at first sight. The warm winter sunshine,  lighting up rows upon rows of green tea  shrubs, uplifted our minds and took us right  into the bosom of divine nature. Darshan at the  Jagannath temple in Dibrugarh, a prototype of  the famous Puri Jagannath temple, delighted  and gladdened our hearts. It’s easy to spend  a couple of hours at the Jagannath temple,  admiring the sculptures in the different  temples inside its boundary, the wonderful  murals, the peaceful silence, and sitting quietly  under the azure blue sky, soaking in the divine  vibrations.  

The Kaziranga trail 

One of my favourite books as a child, was  the award-winning title, The Kaziranga Trail. Hence, I was waiting with bated breath, to do  the Kaziranga safari. Waking early at 3:00  am, we reached the Central Range at 3:45 am  and were issued our elephant ride coupons.  Peals of excitement rent the cold morning air as groups of six, mounted elephants from tall  boarding points and entered the jungle. We  were delighted with the ethereal morning light,  traversing vast expanses of jungle tract on  elephant back, darting after rhinos that were  periodically sighted. The grey, one-horned  rhino, with its layers of thick impenetrable  skin, strolling nonchalantly on jungle roads  or suddenly appearing right in front of our  elephant, took us back to prehistoric times. We  felt like prehistoric hunters, out in the jungle  with its wild animals. The marvellous Assamese  fish curry that we feasted on at night, after  returning to our jungle lodge, also added to our  contentment and feeling of being in the wilds. 

Organically yours, Deha 

Before proceeding to Deha tea estate,  we were invited for tea and snacks at the  Dibrugarh home of the owners. Sitting in their  huge colonial mansion, with tony antiques  and artefacts, surrounded by well-dressed  sons, nephews, wives, daughters-in-law and  brothers, Satyanarayanaji’s family presented  a scene straight out of a Balaji TV serial.  

A constant stream of visitors entered and  touched his feet; food and conversation were  flowing and laughter emanated from all  corners. The patriarch has a large heart and  supports a mission called Eklavya. The Eklavya  

Healing Journeys 

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari mission sponsors the education of children in remote villages of India, by  providing teachers and learning materials. Satyanarayanaji has successfully  spearheaded Eklavya across 10,000 villages in the North East. The next day,we travelled to Deha, which means, something that has emerged from the body  or deh. The Deha Tea Estate has 266 hectares of land under tea plantation,  providing employment opportunities to more than 1000 workers. 

The world of organic tea 

Early next morning, we sat on the verandah with Bikas, sipping tea and enjoying the  beautifully landscaped gardens surrounding us. We played Hari haraye namah in  the background as we chatted and Bikas told us it was one of the best mornings  

he had ever experienced at Deha; a blend of the spiritual and the secular. Another morning treat was in store for us, as Bikas took us to his organic and spice garden  behind the bungalow. With fresh, orange carrots eaten straight from the ground,  tasting healing leaves plucked fresh off trees, spicy peppers to bite into and make  you feel wide awake, a magic masala leaf that tastes like masala chai, and a Dilwale  Dulhaniya... moment in the yellow mustard field, it was truly a healing and calming  foray into Mother Nature’s warm and welcoming bosom. Deha follows the system  of Vedic agriculture, which has been picked up from the Vedic script of ‘Vrikshayurveda’, a  system which is self-sustainable and uses local ingredients to replenish the soil with the use  of cow dung and cow urine. 

Moksha at Mekosha 

Recharged, I stepped into the new year, 2018. But January and February 2018 proved to  be months of ceaseless travel. Hopping between flights and hotels, all the danger signs  of another body breakdown started appearing on the horizon. This time, a dear friend  Mamta, appeared as an angel in disguise. Mamta’s husband, Ram is a well know hotelier  and one of the movers behind the Michelin-starred restaurant, Indian Accents, in Delhi.  Mamta informed me that Ram had started Mekosha, an Ayurvedic boutique spa and  resort, just off Trivandrum, in Kerala. Mamta and Ram graciously extended an invitation  to take healing Ayurvedic massages and unwind at Mekosha.  

Mekosha stands like a powerful testimony in the heart of Kerala, of how man and Nature  can work in tandem, to create a thing of joy. It’s a Seven Senses kind of property on the  banks of a meandering green river with the  lush greenery that you can find only in God’s  own country. It has its own organic spice  and vegetable garden to delight you during  mealtimes. There are heaps of seating points  all over the three-acre property where you  can just plunge into the heart of Nature, sitting  by the side of a wide and expansive green river,  under gently arching trees and listen to cooing  birds enliven the atmosphere. They conduct  yoga and meditation by the side of the river.  

Mekosha feels like a rishi’s ashram from olden  times, however, it has all the luxe amenities of  a modern resort. We were welcomed with a  soothing, fresh lime-cucumber-and-mint drink  and escorted to our room. Mekosha rooms  are huge suites done up very tastefully with  eco-friendly designs, artefacts, and materials.  Each suite has a large verandah overlooking  the river and clusters of trees. 

Prayers to Dhanwantari 

At Mekosha, a bouquet of Kerala Ayurvedic  massages and healing ayurvedic treatments  are on offer and they form part of the room  package. Soon after arrival, we were gently  encouraged to start the healing massages.  We were led to the Spa centre. My masseur,  Shaiji, a gentle, smiling Amazonian, gave me a  wonderful spiritual experience along with the  massage. A devotee of Shri Karunakar Guru,  founder of the famous Shanthigiri Ashram,  

Trivandrum, she generated huge positive  energy by chanting throughout the massage.  Shaiji lit a lamp and chanted to Dhanwantari,  the God of Medicine at the outset. Then,  throughout the one-and-a-half-hour full body  massage, she chanted various invocations to  the guru. Entering the quaint wooden chamber  at the end of the massage and then a typical  Kerala washroom with brass tubs and brass  mugs, and besan to scrub the body were very  interesting experiences. Mealtimes at Mekosha  are an organic and culinary delight. The brass  plates and bowls, the organic salads and juices  to begin any meal with and the cooling drinks to  end the meal were a gourmet’s delight.  

Anoop, the F&B Manager, does not allow a  single item to be repeated at any meal. The  beetroot and oat soup, the tasty local curries,  and the lighter than light uthappams were a  treat for our tasting buds. We chose to sit on  the portico by the riverside and eat our meals.  That in itself was a heavenly experience,  

With a verdant and tastefully done up  estate sprawling along a meandering  and expansive river, Mekosha  symbolises how man and Nature work  in tandem to create a thing of joy., especially during Dol Purnima, when we sat  under the light of the full moon, listening to the  mantra chanting, pealing bells from the nearby  temple and the cooing of birds. 

From Mekosha, we made memorable  excursions to the nearby Poovar Lake and the  Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari.  Gliding down the Poovar Lake for two hours,  with the incredible greenery all around us,  the migratory birds flocking on trees, and the  floating restaurants to replenish our thirst  and hunger was a magical experience for the  senses.  

The huge one-foot butterfish and the  golden fried tiger prawns nested on a  bed of green chillies is every Bong’s  idea of a great vacation, and we were  no exception.  

From Poovar to the iconic Vivekananda Rock  Memorial at the confluence of the Indian  Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal  was a nirvana moment. As we crossed the  ocean to reach the rock memorial, we were  reminded how the great Swami Vivekananda  had plunged into its shark-infested waters  since he had no money to cross the ocean. 

The huge one-foot butterfish and the  golden fried tiger prawns nested on a  bed of green chillies is every Bong’s  idea of a great vacation, and we were  no exception.  

From Poovar to the iconic Vivekananda Rock  Memorial at the confluence of the Indian  Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal  was a nirvana moment. As we crossed the  ocean to reach the rock memorial, we were  reminded how the great Swami Vivekananda  had plunged into its shark-infested waters  since he had no money to cross the ocean. 

The Divine Mother Kanyakumari, who had  done tapasya on the opposite side of the rock  and has a famous temple dedicated to her,  had inspired Swamiji to sit and meditate on  the rock. Swamiji had ended five years as an  itinerant monk, travelling all over India and  needed divine inspiration to formulate his  vision for a new India. This vision came to him  as he sat continuously on the rock for three  days, 25–27 December 1892. 

As we sat on the rock for three hours, with  an incredible oxygen-rich wind blowing all  around us, refreshing and re-energising  us, we ourselves took a renewed pledge to  love, serve, and leave the rest to God. At the  confluence of the three seas and the temple of  the Divine Kanyakumari, we ended our journey  with thanksgiving for an incredible journey  of healing and inspiration, through spiritually  Incredible India, that started from the Mother’s  lap at Kamakhya and ended at the Mother’s  feet at Kanyakumari!

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