There is nothing I can say that has not already been said about Hampi (or anything else for that matter). The frequency of my posts should vindicate my conviction that keeping quiet is better than repeating, unless repetition is necessary.Not much can be heard in noise anyway; and I suspect speech has been reduced to another form of salesmanship, to another type of promising investment for a careerist, to a vehicle that takes people places, and pollutes the air in the way.
Due to the excess that characterizes modernity, words have begun to arouse distrust as soon as they are spoken, precluding any possibility of meaningful communication, something which can not take place without basic credulity. The alternative of speech - silence - is also seen with suspicion, as it is traditionally considered as a mark of hubris if not malice. In this dilemma, language must be released from its appeal mania if any appeal were to be left in it. Meanwhile, till appeal is dethroned and meaning is restored to words, sense of futility must be countered with Sisyphean sense of duty, and honesty.
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Tungabhadra might not have been blessed with mysterious Himalayan herbs or mythological favors, but she can also heal wounds; she can also wash away our sins as the sacred Ganges does. This secret was not known to me before I parked my bike, took a dip into the cool currents of the river and saw my memories (and with memories, sins too, for where else do they reside?) fading away in water. You just have to dip your head and lo! your brain is washed clean; and when you look around, the world looks beautiful once again.
That's precisely why we go to distant places - to forget the pains and banalities of the life we live, to get rid of the ghost - the Betaal - sitting on our back. Traveling is nothing if it doesn't involve forgetfulness, and elements of meditation. And that's why I see traveling as a pilgrimage in a truly spiritual sense.
When I came out of her waters, I came out clean; and when I started my bike to leave, I heard her parting message - "don't fear. if your freedom is limited by your needs, so is your bondage." While riding back, I realized that my needs have never been extravagant - more than anything else, I still needed clean air, clean water, a moon in the sky, and peace of mind to feel poetic about the moon. And they were all there in plenty, ironically for those who could not afford the fancy items that are sold in big malls.
It's hard not to meander when rivers flow in your mind. So let me disclose another secret before I meander with the flow - Hampi is green*, so much so that your eyes might acquire a lovely greenish tinge if you stay long enough on the right side of Tungabhadra. Unfortunately, we couldn't. But fortunately, Hampi was in best of her moods - an unseasonable drizzle on our very first night made our second day a veritable romance to remember. Being there, enveloped by that earthy fragrance was delightful enough, but with those banana and coconut trees around wherever you go, biking in Hampi was something dreams are made of.And so is sleeping on a rock after a tiring day. It was a joy to sit at the top of hill and see the sun sinking in silence of the forest. Looking at the sunset, I got the impression of Holi - the festival of colors - being played in sky. It was such a beauty to behold! I was so mesmerized that I do not remember when I fell asleep there.
With the night-fall my friend and I used to climb up the stairs of ''Roof Top Cafe'', where we dined as long as we stayed there. After a series of bitter disappointments with Idlis and Vadas, we had come to a conclusion that North Karnataka can not offer eatable South Indian food to save its grace. The celebrated ''Mango Tree Restaurant'' was good for lunch because of its lovable ambiance, but it was the cafe that served dinner at its exotic best. In three nights, I had had Arabian Thali which contained mainly Israeli items (Humus, Pita, and Falafel), an Italian delicacy called Lasagne, and finally a Nepali Thali in honor of our hosts. I admit that if I feel like going to Hampi again, it is primarily because of this cafe.
Does that mean that Hampi can not engage us? The truth can not be farther from it. Hampi might not entertain our multiplex generation, but it does have a potential to engage us at many levels - archeology, architecture, epics and mythology, photography, and the list goes on. The more important question is how deeply we can engage with Hampi. A weekend is sufficient to see this place with reasonable satisfaction. But when you come back, you know that you have only been picking shells at the shore; you know that the pearls are still lying on the bed, down in the depths of a world you never cared to explore, a world that is respected even by its destroyer - Time, the hand of Shiva.
*the recommended time to visit Hampi is from November to March.
The photos can be seen here.
