Back in Beloved Bharat

29 May - Day 70

India! Or “Bharat” as Sadhguru prefers to call it—a whirlwind of sights, sounds and smells that are equally intoxicating and overwhelming. We’re on the Soil where it all began and where this Journey will culminate.

It’s day 70 and we’re at the docks in the Western Indian port city of Jamnagar.  This city was apparently established in the 16th century (we’re getting a taste of what the India leg is going to be like—with ancient history, architecture, monuments casually jostling for space with modernity of steel and concrete). It was among India’s earliest vibrant maritime trading ports, so commerce and trade is deeply entrenched in this community.

Today, a representative of the Royal family of Jamnagar, Ektaba Shoda, is here to receive Sadhguru. She’s visibly excited. “It’s very important to note that today is the second time in the history of Jamnagar that at the invitation of the royal family, a civilian is arriving at the cargo port with a special notification,” she says trying to make herself heard above the din of rising excitement.

When Sadguru arrives, the frenzy acquires a new pitch and volume. The traditional Kutchi dhols (drums) pound away, an energetic folk dance starts up and the visuals are terrific and distracting. The Navy band pays a musical tribute that gives us goosebumps. This is just the beginning…

Banas

22,000 people have gathered at Banas to greet Sadhguru and hear him speak! It’s dizzying to just look at the crowd. The heat doesn’t help, either. Folk artists dressed in bright traditional folk attire join the massive audience in a “Save Soil” chant. Locally, Banas is a revolution that Gujarat is proud to showcase. It has transformed rural Gujarat into wealthy, self-sufficient communities. They seem to have found that perfect balance between preserving and progressing—ecology and economy, in other words.

It’s fascinating to watch Sadhguru in this crowd. With every continent, every country, every kind of audience, he keeps reinventing himself right before our eyes and he fits right in wherever he goes. Here in India, he’s first and foremost a Guru—looking at how people respond to him, we know this will never change in India. It doesn’t matter what he’s saying, people are flocking to him for who he is—they know and understand him in a way that even they may not know or understand.

Gujarati food has a unique flavour (why do we get the feeling we’re going to say this a lot in India?) sweet & spice and all that’s nice. It’s an acquired taste. Well, if Gujarat is anything to go by, we’re in for the Ride of our Lives in the days ahead.