Continuing on the story from Haridwar train station, Yogini Medori, Yogi Petiy and I all took a rickshaw from Rishikesh to Ram Jhula, three kilometers away. Yogi Petiy was assured an admission to Sivananda because he had prior arrangement from three months ago. Medori crossed the Ram Jhula bridge and went to her place of stay. I waited for my turn to talk to the General Secretary of Sivananda hoping to be admitted. It did not take long for them to shake their head and said no. I explained that I had been at their ashrams in San Francisco and spent a retreat at their Grass Valley ashram in California. He told me to talk to their Swamiji next door. He barely lifted his head, to looked at me and said “No, no exception.” I quietly left his room and had one more task to do before leaving the premises (go to the toilet).
I left my big backpack outside the reception area on a bench and left my small backpack on the floor in the reception area. Off I went to do my business. Fifteen minutes at the most, I was gone. I returned, retrieved my luggage and headed to cross the Ram Jhula bridge. I read the posts slowly and there were many signs of places to stay, yoga centers to study, restaurants to eat, etc. One place piqued my interest and I reached for my mobile phone in my backpack so I can make a call. SOMEONE STOLE MY MOBILE AT THE SIVANANDA ASHRAM!
The next two hours was hell for me, crying, lost beyond comprehension. How could someone do this? At an ashram? At a place I least expect to be victimized? I could not comprehend. It is my $300 Samsung Black Jack. First, my money was stolen at my hotel room in Chiang Mai. That was a month ago. I was over that. Now this! The people at the ashram said they never saw anyone near my bag. The culprit must have used magic as he wanted my phone that bad. My ipod was in the same compartment next to my phone but it was not taken. I happen to have my camera in my pocket.
Yes, I cried and cried and cried. But, life is all about survival regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the location. I have learned over the years that someone’s doing is beyond my control. I can only control my conduct and that I must do. I must look beyond the demerit of others and focus on how I can pull myself together, minute my minute, day to day, moment by moment. This moment is no exception. This moment is when I need my mental and emotional maturity to prevail.
As I walked by the Ram Jhula bridge and read the signs. One Indian man noticed me and suggested a place to stay. It was acceptable and I took the place. Right there is a good karma. I must focus on the good things, all the good things. Like Chiang Mai, regardless of the fact that I can not retrieve my phone, it must be reported to the police’ and I did. I spent another futile hour at the police station arguing how I will write the narrative of my report. They told me to put on the Subject line, Mobile Phone Missing. I corrected them and said it is not missing, it was taken from my backpack. It was stolen! It was stolen! It was stolen!
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