The International Yoga Festival at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the Ganges river in Rishikesh began this morning in true Indian form, with a change of schedule. As festival participants from around the globe arrived at the ashram, the infamous television yogi, Ramdev invited Swami Chidanand Saraswati (the spritual head of the ashram) to attend a celebration of the national holiday, Holi at a leper colony in the neighboring town of Haridwar. Haridwar also happens to be the host of the current Kumbha Mela, a religious festival that occurs when the planets align once every twelve years. Full of a who’s who of Hindu saints, mystics, and sadhus, Haridwar is pregnant with pilgrims and celebration. The trifecta of the yoga festival, Holi, and Kumbha Mela brought us (an international group of yoga festival teachers accompanying Swamiji) together with Ramdev, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (another famous figure who founded the global meditation program, the Art of Living).

The Holi celebration at the leper colony was mostly for the benefit of the children of the lepers who live separated from their parents to avoid contagion. The “play” of Holi involves smearing the people around you with brightly colored powders as well as showering them with colored liquids and rose petals. The game is not limited to children however. Adults (mostly men) take to the festivities with an enthusiasm that is fueled by the accompaniment of alcohol and the perhaps the opportunity to grope women when applying color to their body.

After being publicly doused on stage in front of television cameras by the honored guests, we drove in a caravan of spacious SUVs to the kumbha tent of Sri Sri Ravi Shanker to join his Holi celebration. I remember looking out the window at the scene of camps of endless pilgrim tents when the car jolted. Sitting in the middle of the backseat row with no seatbelt available and nothing in front of me to break my thrust, I flew forward and opened my eyes to discover them two inches away from the dashboard. The hood of our car crumpled into the SUV we rear-ended. Both cars however continued to drive without even stopping to review the damage, let alone discuss the notion of fault. The only issue of concern was whether or not the car was functional enough to reach the next destination. It is said that our karma cannot be avoided. If we are meant to be in an accident, it is destined. But the circumstances of our lives, the company we keep, and our sadhana (spiritual practice), can minimize the severity of the manifestation of karma. I’ll choose to regard it as a blessing that I managed to burn some due negative karma unscathed.

We dusted ourselves off and proceeded to the stage of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar where the guests of honor were greeted like rock stars by a packed audience. The three long haired, bearded, robed holy men smeared each other with colors, embraced, sang and danced like a group of schoolboys. They gave speeches and the famous percussionist that had been in our party roused the crowd while pounds of rose petals were tossed through the air. After returning to the ashram stained in bright green, yellow, fuschia, and red, we bathed (fully clothed) in the sacred Ganges. All in my first morning in Rishikesh.

Thinking of you all with love,

Marla