Far and away our best driver was Akhand from Udaipur. Sitting behind a podium in the courtyard of a grouping of shops, Akhand’s “real” job is a palm reader. But we were fortunate enough to catch him on a day when he was also offering his services as a driver in his nearly new nine-passenger van.
Akhand at work.
Jon and I, along with two young New Yorkers, Chris and Charlie, were in need of a driver to get us to Ranakpur, the largest Jain temple in India located a couple of hours away from Udaipur.
Not only was his van comfortable (Charlie, over six feet tall, was able to spread out in the back seat), but Akhand proved to be both an excellent guide to the region and sites as well as our spiritual guide for the day.
Akhand explaining the finer points of a fort we visited near Ranakpur.
Here are some memorable quotes from dear Akhand:
** Two things are true of India
There is no system (you have to make your own).
Everything is on overload.
**With regards to the hundreds of languages that are spoken in India: People who love each other and get along can understand each other, even if they speak different languages or dialects. If they don’t get along, they can speak the same language and still not understand each other.
**It will be a long time before India sees the type of violent crimes we see in U.S. cities. Most Indians live in a more natural environment and don’t have New York attitudes.
** Astrology is perfect but not all the time.
Akhand eats one meal a day in the evening. He allows himself water after 2:30pm and then allows himself dinner later in the evening. He’s done this for 12 years and has 11 more to go. At that time, he’ll start eating only fruit as he believes he can attain needed energy from other people and from the sun and air.
I can’t doubt him. He was far more full of energy than we were – excitedly telling us about India, the Udaipur area and his philosphies on life. This was quite possibly my best day in India.
The temple at Ranakpur.
Happy Travels!
Margie Kircher says
Hi, Beth and Jon,
I loved reading about Akhand. His philosophies remind me so much of India and people we met there. My impression is that Indians think a lot. The two truths of India are profound! I hope you get this. Thanks for the beautiful postcard from Gujarat. Love, Margie