The Kerala Journal

Day 2: Rasayana, the path to rejuvenation

I wake up to the chirping of birds. So many different types of sounds! There are beautiful Koels singing on the tree tops. Just like peacocks, the male Koel is more colourful and prettier than the female. Their song plays all around like an orchestra.

I walk out. The tranquil lake in front of my bungalow takes me by surprise. A small boat with two tourists quietly passes by. I make my way to the breakfast place. Too many choices. It reminds me of a haiku I had written long ago:

Temptations galore
Option paralysis hits
Indecisive me.

I am a dosa idli fan. It'll be dosa. Everyday. I make a mental note: must check calorie count for dosa, idli, sambhar, poha and vada.

A beautiful dark skinned woman wearing a white cotton saree with a gold border brings me my dosa. I ask her the name of the saree. 

"Setta Saree" she says. (I later learn it's called Set). 

"Can I get it here?" I ask.

She swings her head side to side. Pretty soon I will start to say 'yes' by saying 'no', I think. Another waiter, Mohammad Shafi, is very happy to find a Muslim woman traveler. I have a tell-tale name. He gives me a rundown on the place, and instead of regular coffee, he brings me nice Kerala coffee.

I spend the next hour with the Ayurveda doctor who tells me that Ayurveda, one of the upavedas of the four Vedas, is 5000 years old. Brahma had memorized it and it's been passed on from smriti (memory) and sruti (hearing). He points out that if Brahma had memorized it, it must have existed before that, that some other power created or discovered it! Interesting! Aliens, perhaps? 

He recommends the Rasayana therapy for me. Which literally means the Path to Rasa or essence of life. It will apparently help me gain longevity and memory among many things. I am sold already as I am already struggling with a fading memory! I share with him how the basic principles and practices of Ayurveda are similar to Islam: waking up at 'Brahma muhurta' as we do for Fajr prayers before dawn, cleanliness by bathing everyday which is similar to our Wazu, and how the Ayurveda practice of eating only three fourths of one's food is also a lesson from our holy prophet.

Later, a guide takes a British NRI couple and me around the property. We see a butterfly park, the meditation and yoga rooms, sunset viewpoints and the Vechoor cows – small cows that are similar in size to calves.

I spend the next two hours getting rejuvenated the Rasayana way. And. to make amends for the dosa gluttony of the morning, I opt for a watermelon rocket salad at lunch. Except, the rocket is our very own deshi 'thaankuni paata', known as koduvan in Malayalam.

I run into the NRI couple again and have a cool cucumber drink with them at the pool bar. He is a pharmacist by profession but by the end of our conversation, he is ready to come to Bangladesh and start a glass etching business.

I rush to get my camera and then get on the boat for a sunset cruise on the water. A spectacular sunset and the tranquil backwaters have me spellbound. There are two other women travelers from Israel on the boat. We become friends instantly. A flautist plays while a white and gold 'Setta saree' clad beauty brings us lime and mint juice. The sky is cloudy and the breeze feels like silk on my skin.

My Israeli friends and I end up having dinner by the pool: fresh snapper and jumbo king prawns. Over dinner, I learn more about the Jewish religion – most of which they don't follow - than I have ever heard or read about.

I am not usually an early riser but my plan is to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to do yoga. Slowly a calmness seems to be sinking in and rejuvenating my soul. The open roof toilet no longer bothers me and I am sure the smell of citronella and jasmine will soon lull me to sleep.