Samar Garg lost his peace after his beloved passed away.

Navya Sharma abandoned her peace in the hands of drugs.

Vandana doesn't want to let go off her peace, but destiny has other plans for her.

We are all looking for peace of mind. So are they.

An adventure which began at The Ashram, in Rishikesh, becomes one of the most soul

crunching journeys ever!

Will they find out what they are looking for?

Will they find Inner Peace?

Will in the process of reading this book, you find out a thing or two about yourself?

Read to find out!

I believe that the city of Rishikesh holds more adventure than it is given credit for. It was in late 2011, when I had finally quit my job to become a full time author and entrepreneur that my love for Rishikesh truly grew. With more control over my time after quitting the job, I realized it was becoming increasingly difficult to not take the bus to Rishikesh at every chance that I got. Yes, I fell in love with the city.I bumped into freakish backpackers, made random friends and heard some unusual stories in the time that I spent there. But more than anything, I realized that if ever there was a place tailor made for self-discovery, it would have to be Rishikesh. The credit for the genesis of this book would have to go to someone to whom I would refer throughout as Swamiji. He has a real name and he has his own Ashram. But unlike many fame hungry Swamis and Ashram owners around, Swamiji insisted on maintaining a low profile. I understood his distaste for popularity, simply because popularity attracts the wrong kind of people and wrong kind of headaches for him.

THE PROLOGUE

They are happy with the filtered foot fall which ensures that only genuine people show up. And they want to keep it that way.As a result, I have changed names or have just alluded to them by their Ashram designations. I am not going to name the Ashram too. I have shared Swamiji’s story in the book and people close to him might be able to recognize him; but that is done after his permission. The idea of this book came to me on a lazy monsoon evening, as I sat in Swamiji’s kutiya, in the middle of a philosophical conversation with him. We were discussing the kind of people who came to The Ashram. What Swamiji meant to them and what his mission in life was.“But what brings people to The Ashram Swamiji? When I lived in the city, I believed nobody had any time for spirituality. I come here and witness that it’s almost fashionable to be broken. Young folks seem to be coming here simply because it’s such a cool story they can take back to their friends”Swamiji always weighed his words before speaking, which was probably why every word coming from his mouth was a gem.“There are two types of people in this world, Sachin. The first, who comprise the majority, are simple people who lead simple lives. They may or may not achieve great things through their simple ways. They wake up every morning, go about their daily chores and labour and do pretty well for themselves. If somebody were to ask them questions like why are they here, on Planet Earth, they would frown and rush to work.”“I know! And I have lived amongst such people all my life,” I said.

“Yes, you have. And then there is the second type. These are the people who consider themselves broken. They can see questions which the first type is blind to. They can have thoughts which they would want to disentangle themselves from, but they can’t.”“I can’t agree more, Swamiji. But isn’t it sad that this second category pushes itself into sadness and state of brokenness?” I pondered.“The reason why they consider themselves broken could be any of the following:1 – They have had an event or a tragedy which has had a lasting impression on them. No matter how hard they try, they cannot get it out of their heads and have stopped seeing a point in all things in life. For a short while, they manage to convince themselves that they are over it and world is alright. But it’s definitely not. Time coats sad memories with dust but it is bound to fly off if we don’t find a permanent solution to heal ourselves.2 – They have been disowned or cheated by someone they loved. They were normal, happy people like the rest of us. But then, one act of failure or distrust or deception has left them so devastated that all else seems juvenile and empty.3 – Forces of Life, or, if you wish to call it God, has dealt a terrible hand to them and all they can do now is wait for everything to end. Someone once said that dream as if you were to live forever. But what if you know you were going to die soon? How will you sleep peacefully at night? Will you become permanently depressed or excessively cheerful for the remaining time you have?”

I listened to every word coming from Swamiji with rapt attention. Swamiji had obviously given a lot of thought to this. I was lucky to have known a man as wise as him.“And you have taken up the mission of changing some of these lives?” I asked.“I am too small an entity to make any significant change, Sachin. But I try to help whoever comes to me” “Is there any way in which I can help?” I asked him, even though I knew I was incapable of it.“You sure can. But it would require a lot of effort and commitment from you,” Swamiji said.“I would love to try it”“You are an author, Sachin. Your books reach out to the youth of the country. Even though you don’t realize it, you are leaving an impression on a lot of minds. I want your next book to be based on what you have learnt staying in this Ashram. I want you to tell our story, without telling our names. I want you to help us reach out to people we have always wanted to reach.”“I will be honoured to attempt something as meaningful as that,” I said, albeit with a withheld fear and hesitation.“You don’t seem absolutely convinced”

“Swamiji, my concern is that even though I would love to write about what I have learnt, the people of today don’t want to read about such things. I believe in what I have learnt and that has changed my life. But people are too busy watching movies and tv serials and killing time in ways they won’t even realize. They wouldn’t care about what is happening in an obscure Ashram in Rishikesh.”Swamiji heard me out. And then he grew silent for a few seconds. And then he spoke, as if an idea had hit him. “Rishi Vyas wrote The Mahabharata. Gita, which is a part of The Mahabharata is considered the biggest learning of Hindu religion. But why is it to relevant? It is because when you read The Mahabharata, you know the story and the people who are talking about The Gita. You know Krishna, the person who is delivering it. You know Arjuna, the person who is receiving it. You know Arjuna’s dilemma’s which are being addressed in The Gita. You know the methodology Krishna has adopted to solve them. You understand The Gita so well because it’s a part of a story.”I had a confused look on my face. I had somehow lost track of what he was saying.“The point is, Sachin, that I want you to write a story, like you do in your books, and deliver my message through it. As Gita forms a part of the Mahabharata, I want you to weave a stimulating story, and incorporate my lessons for people. That’s the only way we can reach out to them.”And once again, I knew I was sitting in front of a genius.

Sachin Garg is one of the highest selling authors in India. 

His books regularly feature on most Indian bestseller lists.

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