11 English Kumba Mela

All 12 years, holy men of India meet in a place, I have luck, because one of those places is on my travel route.
Haridwar! The Saddhus, holy men dedicate themselves to God. They live on alms of their citizens.
It is an ancient custom in this part of Asia that the Saddhus pray for the normal person who gives alms. Meanwhile, I have get the feeling, that this law has always been caught in imbalance.
Like so many in India, even some ot the Saddhus are no longer on the spiritual path. Just as foreigners we are often viewed not as a creature of God, but as a source of money, you will hear from some corners the cheeky call for money.

I wander through the tent city, tents are everywhere and in most sit a few Indians and pray, or do a ceremony. The Hindus pray to their gods most vociferously, and it is not always put on a good sound value.
I am invited to a tea... the usual small talk begins.
One asks me, why I do not smoke? I tell him that I had lung problems and therefore not smoke. He gives himself macho and thinks that if he has no problems, then I need not have problems.
At that moment something is clear, the Saddhus train their will to the extreme. Corporal sufferings are trivialities. I feel a cold snap at the same time, to me it is strange, because that energy of willpower suppresses the feelings. I will therefore not be a Saddhu, because I do not particularly like this strong discrimination.

The intellectual elite of the country is gathered, I hear some witty words, and to me the conclusion is near that every man wants to find God. Everywhere it is the same pattern, humility, respect and a little bit crazy. The rigid idea of a separate identity, or a book (Bible ,...) are perhaps not for God finding helpful.
We live in a time of religious freedom, but the truth needs arguments to be in this world.

The luck speaks to me on the street, an elderly man invites me to a theater. The story of Shankara, an Indian saint, is shown. The language is Sanskrit, I do not understand, it is beautiful, the tears come into my eyes.

Like a dream goes by the stage, in the end I see the Khatak dance and it happened to me, I felt in love with this country.