the unusual guide....cont'd

had ended recent entry....just beginning to introduce the "unusual" guide and friend i encountered in rishikesh.

had been in town 3 or 4 days, and was just settling into rented hut on ashram grounds....50 rupees ( $2 canadian ) per night, including 2 meals.

this ashram was approximately 100 meters along a pathway from the large spiritual centre of "maharishi mahesh yogi" of  "transcendental meditation" fame....yes, the place where the beatles hung out during their india days.

quite separate from what brought me to the area, i learned that a major hindu festival was soon to occur in the next city down-river, haridwar, a hindu holy pilgrimage site some 30 kilometers away.

"Kumbha Mela"....translated...."Big Party" !

wasn't long before discovering that approximately 30 million visitors were expected from all over the sub-continent (and the world) over the next 6 weeks or so.
these were the weeks building up to this monumental spectacle.
beggars, hawkers, entertainers, and anyone with something to sell or a service to offer, were arriving in the area from far and wide....hopeful of exploiting this incredible marketing opportunity.

both sides of almost all pathways, byways and narrow streets were lined with these folks.

one afternoon i chose to take advantage of a shoe repair wallah along the narrow trail leading down from my hut....who for a few rupees, was busily working on one of my boots, while i sat in amazement admiring the deftness of his handiwork.

suddenly at my side, this slim articulate native fellow materialized, seemingly from thin air and introduced himself as "thiagi".

i was immediately impressed by the ease and sophistication with which he spoke in flawless english....this was no average local villager.

he was dressed in typical "baba" attire, basically two robes and a head wrap, with old tennis runners in need of laces.

what's a "baba" ?...the term used to describe a "saddhu" or "renunciate male"....one who has chosen to renounce wordly affairs and devote his life to spiritual pursuits....someone we in the west might call a homeless man.

i'm not exactly sure of the moment the unspoken agreement occurred, but it was soon quite obvious we could help each other.

during my time in rishikesh, he would prove to offer priceless service as a guide, interpreter, bodyguard, middle-man for purchasing jewellery and silver ( he was able to receive the "native" price), a buffer person keeping me safe from countless threats and potential cons, and ultimately as a friend and companion.

it seemed mutually understood from the first meeting that we were equals freely choosing to engage in a relationship within the roles of employer and servant/guide.