I put on my wet suit, helmet, and tightened the strips for the life jacket. I stared at my journey ahead. Questions came to my mind – will I complete this ? Is it going to be easy? How is the path ahead ?
I was in Devprayag early morning on the 24th October 2025, looking at the point where we began our Wilderness Recharge Journey. This part was the Ganga river expedition where we were about to raft. The colour of the Ganga was unusual to me, river Bhagirati appeared lighter in the green shade and Alakananda was darker in green with heavy water flow.
Today the river Ganga appeared green in color. The color was unlike what I have seen earlier in Varanasi or Prayagraj. The water quality appeared different, we must do the baseline assessment here to compare the difference in pollution when Ganga passes human settlements. I was smiling in my head – the work mode was on.
The raft was pushed inside the river, ready for beginning the journey. We had two rafts, each one led by experienced members of the Wet & Wild Company who were coordinating this experience for a bunch of individuals who were coming together for different experiences than usual. Few experienced individuals took to the river on their kayaks. After the safety instructions, some of us, including me, were still not “ready” for the journey. The raft leader put some water using the paddle onto all of us – and we were blessed with the chill sensation that brought us alive and suddenly with the roar – all of us started the 3 day journey on the river.
This Wilderness Program brought together 10 different pioneers from the social sector with immense collective wisdom. I’m glad to have been shortlisted and participated in this group. Each one of us were working on systems that were complex, imperfect and giving our best to organisational missions. The goal of this program was to focus on oneself, to prioritize yourself over other things for the 5 days as a time capsule. I prepared myself to be in each moment and enjoy them. This was the mental reset which helped me focus on the moments about to come.
The Program focused on two aspects which I feel that made this a unique experience for me. It is these reasons that I highly recommend this for the future.
- Breaking out of your work and life as a mental reset to pause, reflect and most importantly reconnect with the joys and brightness with oneself.
- Learning practical skills by sharing collective wisdom and implementing them for personal well being.
Focusing on your joys
For the first aspect, I found that my mind was now used to getting out of the moment, drifting into different directions. One message on the phone was sufficient. Rules and discipline came to my rescue when we were instructed to carry only essentials in this journey. But I also learnt a vital lesson – the more we try to control, the more easily it slips away.
Every morning and evening – we had yoga sessions by the river, this part of the program focused on mindfulness. Practicing the asanas was very helpful in building the awareness of our breaths in our body. Finding the balance was essential where the mind is present as much as it can. Our Yoga instructor was amazing and she curated different asanas that supported our journey – keeping in mind our body requirements.
For the first two days, the experience was truly a wilderness one. It was just our group on the river Ganga. Early in the morning we were paddling on the river. Initially the physical activity was strenuous, doing rafting for the first time was a liberating experience. The view of the river cutting across, finding its way through the big mountains was beautiful. I was subsumed into the vastness and suddenly all my challenges seemed smaller.
At this point, my memories of watching similar wilderness movies came before me. The calmness on the river flowing, the light piercing through the narrow spaces between the mountains was a blissful feeling. It brought me joy in exploring the different sections of the river, jumping into the river, and trekking to reach a waterfall. I realised that I often miss doing such experiences.
Learning Practical Skills
The expedition taught some fundamental lessons that were useful not just for work but also how we navigate in our lives. Learning practical skills was happening at different moments. In the very beginning, we were organised into different groups and raft together. Being present in the moment and awareness was needed to navigate the points where the rapids – a point where the water moves very fast and it is quite a turbulent section. I remember getting help from my team when we had turbulent times in the rapids. This resonates with me in my work and life – where we have someone – who is lending a supporting hand to get over the challenges. I’m very grateful to have such individuals in my life.
When Ganga was calm, everyone jumped into the river to enjoy the cold waters and experience being in the river. In the evening hours we were camping at the river site – learning how to put a tent, supporting each other for camps, looking for firewood and sharing our reflections. The bonfire was an amazing point of sharing stories and knowledge exchange. Part of which I liked was each one of us had to give our TED talks i.e. one mantra you follow to navigate through life’s struggles and challenges. For me, a quote from the Lord of the Rings – still rings in my head. In the conversation between Elf Queen Galadriel to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring, she says “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future”. It reminds me that our actions and choices can still matter, gives me motivation to overcome every challenge.
With every TED talk, each story was unique, inspiring and reminded me that one must be grateful and not judge based on first impressions. One of the members was from New Zealand – shared how such sharing is difficult and not accessible to many people. Collectively they improve your perception of challenges, focus on critical lessons like asking for help or just calm yourself in the moments of challenge – they will help you to overcome them.
At the river bank at Rishikesh, on the 26th Oct 2025, I removed my suit, the helmet and life jacket. I looked at the wall painting which said We love Rishikesh – I felt a sense of accomplishment for completing this expedition. I was proud of myself. A while later – we were congratulating each other that we have completed this expedition and continued for our reflections journey. It also brought me back to the rhythm of everyday life. This expedition reminded me that joy is not something to chase, it is something we return to when we are fully present.
The experience stripped away the noise, the rush, and the endless need to control. It helped me realise what truly matters: awareness, gratitude, and the strength we build with each other. Everything else flows from there. Even securing water-safe communities for India and the world.
