Nothing's Going To Change My World!

On our way back home from a spectacular visit to Landour (a sleepy little town in the foothills of Himalayas), we took a detour to see the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh. It was a place the Beatles visited in 1968, to rejuvenate & learn meditation with their guru, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi. This magical place also inspired the Beatles to manifest the White Album. They composed over forty amazing songs here. I was filled with peaceful anticipation, as I looked forward to stepping on this sacred ground.

Listening to "Across The Universe", we zipped through dense forests in the hills, and headed towards the mighty Ganges. Lennon's creative genius combined poetic lyrics with a Sanskrit mantra, as he sang "Nothing's going to change my world". So much of India along with his personal anguish was beautifully woven into the lyrics.

We crossed the bridge over the Ganges and walked on a muddy path, alongside the wide pale green river, that led to the Ashram at the edge of a forest. My heart initially sank as we entered my sacred grounds . . . it was in ruins. But as I slowly trudged along the beaten trails, they gently lured me to magical spaces within the Ashram. The old trees, beaten rocks, desolate buildings with fantastic graffiti on their walls, seemed to whisper secrets of a forgotten time. I thought I heard laughter and the strumming of an acoustic guitar. It was only, the gentle breeze playing with my ears. There was not a soul around. The serene beauty of this desolate place calmed my spirit and I was suddenly filled with gratitude . . . For the Beatles and all the songs they wrote & sang for the world.

I walked through a beaten down museum whose walls adorned beautifully faded copies of photographs of the Beatles when they stayed at the Ashram. Those exquisite timeless moments were captured by a talented young photographer, Paul Saltzman , who also came to India in search of peace, and landed up in the Ashram at the same time! Thank you Paul!

After a mesmerizing meandering through the magical landscape, I finally walked through Stone faced eerie meditation huts that reminded me of Hobbit homes in the Lord Of The Rings. They stared at me blankly as I passed by, and seemed to be silently chanting mantras from within their dark interiors.

It was finally time for me to go. I found a quiet spot in the Beatles Cathedral (the meditation hall as it is known now) , to listen to "Across The Universe" one last time before I hit the road home.

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup

They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe

Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind

Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva, Om

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world"

Closing Thoughts On The Ashram

This once glorious Ashram, built in 1963, on the banks of the river Ganges and nestled in the beautiful forested foothills of the Himalayas, was a grand vision crafted by the Maharshi. It was to be his global gateway, to ancient Vedic traditions of spirituality through Transcendental Meditation. This form of meditation was the Maharshi's innovation and he had a lot going for him then. It had great promise.

• He successfully raised seed funding from Doris Duke, an American?billionaire?tobacco heiress and philanthropist. This aided the construction of the ashram on land leased from the state forestry department in India
• He had a long list of famous celebrities including the Beatles as his brand ambassadors
• He had built credibility with his meditation techniques and the Ashram had the potential to attract a large following from across the world

And yet the vision dissipated by 1970 and the ashram shut its doors. It is not always easy to successfully execute a vision, and, it is almost impossible to thrive when mired in controversy. Maharshi had both these challenges at hand.

It is believed that Transcendental Meditation has around 8 million followers around the world today, and continues to grow. The Beatles however went back to their world after a two month stay . . . a little disillusioned with their experience at the ashram.