Snakes, Sadhus and Incredible India

Original Publish Date: November 16, 2007

'Incredible India’… you have all seen the commercials… colorfully dressed dancers, ridiculously flexible people doing yoga, spectacular wild life. But does all this really make India ‘Incredible’? Is this what makes it unique? What is this invisible bond that draws us back again and again? They are questions which I sort of struggle with. I mean, if you want to see dancers, flexible people, and elephants, you can always go to the local circus, rather than traveling half way across the planet. I mean, really, why should one travel to India? As any Indian has to admit, it’s polluted, overpopulated, corrupt, and if you are not careful, the mosquitoes might just eat you alive. It probably makes a lot more sense to travel somewhere nice and safe… Europe, or maybe the Caribbean. You can always get your ‘India Experience’ by watching the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Right?

I beg to differ. If I may, I would like to take the next few minutes of your time, and briefly relate to you an experience I had last December, in Haridwar, Uttaranchal, India.

Anyone who has been to Haridwar knows of the many ghats that are on the riverbank. The water is quite clear, and at times, the setting is quite peaceful. One fine afternoon, I was just sitting along the shore, minding my own business, when I was approached by a somewhat shady looking Sadhu. I had seen many Sadhus in Haridwar, but what stood out about this one, was that he had a particularly large snake wrapped around his neck. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, let me tell you that I’m not terribly comfortable around 7 foot long snakes, especially those which seem to have a habit of hissing at passer Byers as they stroll by. The Sadhu proceeded to walk up to me and held out a small can in which he was collecting alms. I took a 5 rupee coin out of my wallet, smiled, and dropped it into the can, hoping that he would be satisfied. Apparently, this was not the case…

He asked, "Beta, kya tum Ganga Maiyan ke bhakt ho?” A bit taken aback, I nodded in approval. He then proceeded, "Agar tum sach mein bhakht ho, phir jev se ek note nekalo, aur ‘Baba’ ko chuo." It took me a few seconds to try and figure out what he was talking about, when I realized that by 'Baba', he was referring to the giant snake wrapped around his neck. Now, at this point, partially out of curiosity, partially out of faith, and partially out of fear, I again reached into my wallet, pulled out a 50 rupee bill, hesitantly stuck my fingers out and touched the snake. Pleased, the Sadhu began to recite some mantras and after some time, he asked me to repeat after him, "Bolo Ganga Maiyan ki jai!" which I did without hesitation. At this point, he removed my hand from the snake, took the bill out of my hand, crumpled it up, put it into his palms, and then started rubbing them both together. As he rubbed his palms together, he asked me to place my hands under his palms, and after some time, 'magically' out of his palms plopped a Rudraksha bead. At this point, I thought the ordeal was over. Apparently, I was wrong.

The Sadhu now REMOVED the snake from around his neck, and much to my displeasure, proceeded to place it around my neck! At first, I hesitated, but the Sadhu calmed me by saying "Darro mat beta, Baba kuch nahin karega". I now sat there, frozen, with a large snake wrapped around my neck, hissing, and the Sadhu continued to recite more mantras. After what seemed an eternity, he again asked me to repeat "Bolo Ganga Maiyan ki jai!” which I did with a terrified yelp. Finally, mercifully, the Sadhu removed the snake, 'blessed' me, and proceeded onwards, as I sat, somewhat shaken, not sure of what just happened to me.

What is really weird about my experience (other than the fact that I didn’t pass out when the snake was wrapped around my neck) was that for some strange reason, I didn’t feel cheated. A shady looking Sadhu had just practically threatened me with a snake, took off with my money, and for some reason, I felt richer for the experience! Perhaps I’m some sort of fanatic. Maybe I’m kind of a fool…

Over time what I have come to realize is that for the same reason that I can’t explain why I actually enjoyed being cheated, no one will ever be able to describe in words what it is that makes India, ‘Incredible’. It’s just something you just have to go and experience on your own, be it the good, the bad, and the ugly. People of Indian origin, and Indians themselves, travel throughout the world to experience different cultures, to view different relics or monuments, or just to party and have a good time. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, often, they neglect to travel their own country. In the midst of the daily grind, and the myriad of problems which plague it, one forgets about just how spectacular and unique India really is. It is a fascinating country with a fascinating way of life. Most importantly, it will always be your country, and I suppose what I have come to recognize is that one should try and discover their own country before they go around exploring others. For me, apparently all it took was just took a shady looking Sadhu, a 50 rupee note, and his seven foot long hissing snake to make me realize this!