Beating Retreat

The world famous pop band Beatles had always wanted a retreat to relax and rejuvenate their sense so that they could come up with youthful melodies. And in order to achieve this feat, they searched far and wide to find such an abode. Their search ended at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s spiritual centre in Rishikesh http://hillsguide.com/garhwal/rishikesh/index.html.
The band members were so taken in by the charm and beauty of the Doon valley that it inspired them to create a number by the name “Dehra Dun” in the spring of 1968 during their stay in Rishikesh.
The song was sung by George Harrison and remained unavailable for decades for the listening pleasure of their fans. “It is one of the rarest Beatles’ songs. Dehra Dun feels great pride in the fact that the great band was so fascinated by the valley town that they composed a special number on it,” says Sharad Kukreti http://falcon.org.in/sharad, a Doon-based IT professional, who has produced a short video film using the unreleased studio version of this melodious song as the accompaniment to the various sights and scenes of the city.
The words of the haunting song capture the gypsy-like spirit of the town, especially as it used to be in the ‘60s. The lyrics of the song go like this:
Dehra Dehra Dun http://falcon.org.in/sharad/#Doon Valley, Dehra Dun Dun…
many road take you many different ways,
one direction takes you weeks, another takes you days…
many people on the roads, looking at the sights,
see them moving on the roads, searching life divine…
beggar in a gold mine…Dehra Dehra Dun, Dehra Dun Dun…

For the Beatles, their stay in India was said to be their most creative period. When they were in Rishikesh (for several weeks in February, March and April of 1968), they wrote many songs, most of which were included in their White Album, one of their best known. “Dehra Dun” missed getting included in the album. This song is seen now as a rare gem of the Beatles.
With their iconic long hair and necklaces of marigolds, The Beatles came to the ashram when they were at the height of their fame. They were looking for an escape from the pressures that came along with the fame. “It was through one of my neighbours that I could get this rare song,” says Kukreti.
The video made by Kukreti matches the words of the songs and captures the beauty and tranquility of the valley. However, it is this beauty and calm that the city is fast losing and one wonders whether the Beatles could have been inspired to write a song had they visited it in this day and age. “The song captures the past simplicity of the valley and is very special for Doon’ites, especially those who have seen the days when the Beatles came here,” Kukreti says.
He has placed the clip on the net and has received a lot of appreciation for it. “The nostalgia in this song and the fact that it was sung by Harrison makes it unique and I feel it should be highlighted more,” he says.
Renowned film director Mira Nair is making a film on The Beatles and their inspirational stay at Rishikesh to learn transcendental meditation. The 90-minute “docu-feature” will capture the band’s experiences at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram, which led many celebrities and youngsters to travel to the East in search of peace.
The ashram has, however, been lying abandoned for many years now. The Yogi passed away in 2008 in the Netherlands at the ripe age of 90. Paul McCartney commented on April 3, 2009, prior to his performance at the David Lynch Foundation benefit concert “Change Begins Within”, that Transcendental Meditation was a gift the Beatles had received from the Maharishi when they were looking for something to stabilize them. Tourists and pilgrims even now come looking for the “Beatles’ Ashram” in Rishikesh and are shocked to see it in such a dilapidated condition surrounded by overgrown weeds.
It was in 1961 that Mahesh Yogi obtained a 20-year lease from the Forest Department to start the ashram. In 1982, the lease expired. The Yogi closed the ashram and it came under the control of the Forest Department.
If the State Government really gets down to it, this ashram, a heritage property, can become a great draw for Beatles fans from all over the world. Rishikesh gets a large number of foreign tourists and a lot of them come specially looking for the place where the pop group stayed to get peace of mind and spiritual solace. “If it is rejuvenated and done up, it can prove to be a major tourist attraction. Beatles’ fans from all over the world would love to see it as a place which houses memories of their stay in India,” Kukreti adds.

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