Years ago, my partner Raj and I wanted to drive to a place that was far far away from civilization, as we knew it. A place that was high up in the liquid mountains of the sky. Where silence would be the background score and divinity, an omnipresent, palpable reality in every breath we were to take.
For years it seemed liked that place would be Tibet, for at least in my mind's eye, that's what it meant to me. But after being extensively involved with the 'Cause of Tibet,' the idea of visiting this mystical land now seemed like an unsavory prospect. Occupied by the brute force of the #Chinese, with numerous curbs and restrictions, lies, deception and spies embedded in the landscape, Tibet was no longer tugging at my heart strings.
To add to that, my experience with the #TibetansInExile and the administration of #HisHoliness, the 14th #DalaiLama made me realize many unpleasant facts, especially vis-a-vis their attitude towards #India and #Indians, a country that has thrown open its gates for them at the cost of disrupting diplomatic relations with its most formidable enemy, #China. These facts finally dissolved what remained of my interest in #Tibet. But my heart still yearned for that landscape, to experience the #spirituality that was now lost in that land. To be in the midst of that kind of life, to smell it, feel it, live it was the one thing my heart had long yearned for.
Little did I know at the time, that it was all there, always had been there, within my reach and right here in my very own country. It is called #Spiti, or the "Middle Land," named so as it lies between Tibet and India. Joined together by the gigantic ranges of the Himalayas that imposingly flow from one country to another, Spiti and Tibet share the same altitude, landscape, religion, culture, food, butter tea, houses, monasteries and people with distinctly similar features. They are in fact like a pair of twins adopted by different parents. There are so many times that I seen a picture of Tibet and mistaken it for Spiti, and the other way round.
The most stark difference between the two #ColdDeserts is that Spiti is free, untouched and unscathed, while Tibet is an occupied land, whose culture and religion are close to being extinguished. Spiti still thrives as an ancient bastion of Buddhism and is undoubtedly one of the most stunning parts of the planet. It's also literally and figuratively #breathtaking. Literally, because in these #HighAltitude ranges, the air is so rarified that it can actually take your breath away :) This amazing #HimalayanValley is a land of abundant #dualities. The landscape is as rugged as the people are gentle. The living conditions are very hard, yet life is simple. The weather is tempestuous and unpredictable, yet the energy is serene and unchanging.
Over a decade ago, when we first went to Spiti, it was a place a few had heard of, and not even one person we knew had ever been close to. I think we were guided there by our #SoulSherpa, it was as though our #KarmicBlueprint took us there. It felt like home from the very first second we spent there. What started as a deliberate and passionate pursuit of the gigantic Himalayas, turned into a soulful and wondrous journey of #SelfExploration, discovery and #SpiritualAwakening. Along the way, I met people who have made a indelible mark on my being, my psyche, my growth as a human being. And Spiti has left a #SpirituallyWatermarked my soul forever. And for that I shall be eternally filled with #gratitude.
Image courtesy: www.wallsave.com
