The Himalayas had always been calling to me. Not in the grand and adventurous way listed by the Instagram influencers, but in the quiet, almost whispering way mountains knew something I did not.
There was nothing about dressing up and summiting peaks, nor was it about checking names off places on my bucket list. I didn’t go searching for a vacation. I sought something more sense of calmness, a space to breathe, or, perhaps, just to hear myself.
Setting Off: Letting Go of What Is Familiar
When I got to Rishikesh so-called Yoga Capital of the World-there was no set itinerary. I walked with the Ganges beside me, whose waters carried stories older than civilisation. The aroma of incense blended with mountain cool air, scintillating with bells from distant temples.
For the first time in many days, I was not rushing. No deadlines, no notifications, and no need to prove anything to anyone. Just me, my backpack, and an open road.
At a chai stall, I met a local monk who said something that struck me: “The mountains don’t change you; they just show you who you’ve always been.”
At that moment, I could not fully comprehend it, but something inside told me I definitely would soon.
Accepting Silence in the Monasteries of Dharamshala
Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and a large Tibetan community, became the next spot on my journey. I felt drawn to the Tushita Meditation Centre, a peaceful Buddhist retreat enveloped by mighty pine trees.
The retreat was observed with rigorous silence, the most challenging thing I had thought of beforehand. Yet, as silence went on, I slowly realised just how much of my life was spent filling the silence with the meaningless noise of gunfire. And here, I had to sit with my thoughts, observe, and realise that I am not my thoughts; I am only the observer.
There was a tale that was told by the monk one evening.
“Picture how your mind is like a glass of muddy water. The more you stir it, the more muddied it becomes. But if you allow it to attain some stillness, the mud settles, and the water becomes clear. That’s the essence of silence for the soul.”
He was right. As distractions were let go, clarity took their place.
The Trek That Changed Everything
There is no trip to the Himalayas without a trek, so I set off on a five-day trek to Triund and beyond to the more secluded villages in Himachal.
The trek was exhausting, yet every bend in the trail unveiled something extraordinary—a valley seemingly preserved in time, a shepherd minding his flock, and an expansive sky now streaked with colour.
But the real transformation came between the views: it came in the stillness. The moments when the only sound heard around me was my breath mingling with the faint rustle of the wind.
One night, someone posed a question while sitting around the fire with fellow travellers:
“Whahavead you learned so far?”
I sat for a moment and answered:
“That happiness is not in reaching the top of a mountain, but in the steps taken to reach there.”
And I meant it.
Living Plainly in a Himalayan Village
For a later part of my trip, I landed at a small village near Spiti Valley. There was no WiFi, no fancy ca, es; just mountains, fields, and people living in harmony with nature.
I spent days assisting with the daily routine of a local family: milking cows, cooking on woodfires, and walking for miles just to fetch water. The manner of living seemed much preferable to that of most city folk I knew, yet they were the happiest people on earth.
A first-old woman who welcomed me into her home told me, “We don’t chase happiness here. We just live, and happiness follows.”
That had me questioning everything. Had I spent too many years chasing something that was never to be chased but lived?
Coming Back, Never the Same
Upon returning to Delhi, with the noise and chaos of the city, it started feeling weird. The overwhelming feeling was no longer there. I discovered an inner peace and quietness that I can carry with me wherever I find myself.
The Himalayas never changed me. They held a mirror to reflect who I have always been: one in search of meaning in the ordinary, never in the extraordinary.
Perhaps that is what all of us seek- not just destinations to visit but places that remind us of who we are.
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