It was wonderful to be with gypsies again this year. They appeared more confident, better dressed, healthier and happier than we had ever seen them. We went to see them on the feast day of Kanum Pongal, the last day of one of the most important festivals in Tamilnadu, the harvest festival. Rather fittingly, on this day, every Hindu goes out on a look-see. The roads, therefore, were thronging with people, all on foot, making their way about with eyes agog at a bus full of westerners peering down at them through the large glass windows. They laughed, waved and prodded their children to take notice, tickled that they were the object of our attentions.

Since our bus was too large to make its way through the narrow lane that leads to the gypsy village, we parked off the main highway and cut through an open area where a group of young boys was engaged in a heated game of cricket. They reluctantly paused their game as our group meandered through the playing field. The gypsies, who were expecting us, literally flew out of the village to greet us, old friends that we had now become. The children, washed, dressed, powdered and dolled up with black and red dots on their cheeks and foreheads, clamored about us, taking our hands and shouting “hello”, “how are you” and “what is your name?”

The village certainly showed signs of improvement. A whole street of their homes now featuring brick and cement buildings was a huge leap from the shanties we first sighted over ten years ago. However, they lacked roofing, so our donation to them this year would go toward that purpose. They do have electricity and running water though, utilities they had accrued in recent years, and we were delighted when they pulled out a large television set and blasted pop songs that they ecstatically danced to, drawing a good many of our pilgrims into the frolic. Obviously, we had a great time, and they were reluctant to let us go, fussing about us as we held up the game of cricket again on the way back to the bus, this time evoking impatient comments from both the game’s spectators and players.

Despite the love for fun and laughter, not to mention a generous spirit, this was a serious group of pilgrims strongly drawn to meditation. Thus, our retreat at the ashram was often punctuated with many profound moments of charged silence. It is always rather powerful to meditate in a group; however, when the group consists of experienced meditators with a passion for the inner world of spirit, the effect is amplified many times over. Because of this, I felt especially drawn to reading from the Upanishads to inspire many of our sessions together with our chanting of mantras.

More than half the pilgrimage group, almost three-fourths, stayed on for the extension to our main pilgrimage that began with a Deep Meditation retreat titled “Journey into Silence”. As you can imagine, this period too was charged with the depth of the group’s meditation sensitivities. Rather aptly, we used Patajnali’s Yoga Sutras as inspiration, covering the entire opening pada of 54 sutras, which deals with Samadhi (enlightenment). Our Deep Meditation retreat involved maintaining a personal silence, speaking only if necessary. We practiced various forms of meditation together for 3 hours each morning. In the afternoon, we met for another 3 hours, beginning with the breaking of our silence for about an hour or so to discuss our spiritual process. It was during this period that we reflected upon the Yoga Sutras and then resumed our meditation practice that altered between sitting and movement meditations. It was powerful to share this deep silence together day after day and keep returning to it with greater clarity and comfort.

Toward the end of our silent retreat, which lasted for about 6 days, an extraordinary individual arrived at the ashram. He was a Naga Yogi from the lower Himalayas, a resident of one of most revered spiritual regions on the banks of the holy Ganges up north. His quiet presence attracted us all, and, although we did not speak about it (for he arrived at night, and we first saw him at night prayer and supper), almost everyone admitted being riveted by his aura. This Naga was on pilgrimage himself, and he was on his way to the yogini ashram across the river where the consecration of several new sacrificial pits was to take place in the days to follow.

I approached him after mass, the next morning, and asked him if would meditate with our group. He refused! However, he agreed to a brief personal interview on his life. I was thrilled since I had known of the Nagas for many years but had never met one. The Nagas are an ancient sect of yogis, very ascetic and highly revered throughout India, although their communities, like small clans, are concentrated around the Haridwar area, one of the first towns where Ganges emerges from the mountains to touch the plains. One of the five holiest sites of pilgrimage in north India, it is a site for the Kumbh Mela, a festival that draws millions of pilgrims every three years. At the Maha Kumbh Mela, (the “great” festival) once every twelve years, the Nagas are the first to bathe in the holy waters to open and to consecrate the ceremony. Only then, do all other sadhus and religious sects enter the waters, so you can imagine the high esteem these yogis are held in.

Our Naga Baba had sought acceptance among the Nagas about 20 years ago. Before being accepted, he was first required him to live by himself in the forest for 10 years. When I asked him if there were wild animals around, he replied: “Only tigers and bears!” When asked if he was ever afraid, he explained that he lit a fire each night, which kept them away. At the end of the conversation, he rescinded on his earlier decision and agreed to meditate with us, which he did for about 15 minutes. It was immensely powerful to meditate with him and he left after blessing us. What more could we ask for?

The Deep Meditation Retreat that extended beyond our main pilgrimage also included three days at Mount Arunachala, arguably South India’s holiest mountain. We had last been there in 2007 and this time increased our period of residence here to three whole days having discovered the power and depth of the place. By spending extra time, we could make more than one excursion to the ashram of Shri Ramana Maharshi, the Sage of Arunachala, the caves that he himself used on the holy mountain, and the grand Arunachaleshwara temple, one of the most revered Shiva temples in all of India that is associated with the element of fire. Here, we experienced some powerful ceremonies. A new experience we added this time in the temple was feeding temple devotees. A specially prepared, ritually consecrated dish was prepared and our pilgrims offered it to about 200 devotees on their way out of the temple. Another addition here was receiving a traditional Vedic lesson in the ancient corridors of the temple, an unforgettable experience that took us back thousands of years to the time of the great rishis of India. Two learned Brahmins sat us down and chanted from the Vedas together with an occasional commentary that connected the ancient text to the holy mountain. It was nostalgic, especially for me, as this is how I had done a fair amount of studies in India prior to coming west.

We will be offering this extension to Arunachala together with the Deep Meditation retreat in 2010 as well. We are also offering some concessions for those travelling with a friend, spouse or relative. We are also offering discounts to early registrants and pilgrims who have travelled with us in the past. For more information on our special offers, to view video clips, photographs and read articles our precious pilgrimages, please visit www.russillpaul.com and click on the “Pilgrimage” link. We look forward to journeying with you.