an overdue love letter to my Soul House in the Himalayas.

i was only 19

a staunch little Richard Dawkins loving atheist

secretly leaving home with nothing but a backpack

alone i boarded a bus in a chaotic station in chandigarh

the wrong bus

somehow we still found each other

you were my last resort

my mind plagued with thoughts out of my control

“mild depression” my GP called it after

a 7 question

1 page

form

you opened your arms and welcomed me

showered me with more love than i even knew possible, without saying a word

tears welled up in my eyes, i fought back

how did i feel so much knowing so little about you

“you are an old soul who has come back home”

i didn’t believe a word, my mind attached to an identity id built as an “intellectual” of sorts

I saw Muslims from Iran, Hindus from across India and Christians from Russia all come to you