"A strong instinct of self preservation and a lot of courage," he said, laughing and wagging his chin.
Sanjeeb stopped in mid-stride along the raucous of Chowak Chandi, the main thoroughfare through Old Delhi. We were a short sidestep away from the incessant horns and blur of green and yellow tuk-tuks and too-lean ragged men pulling ox carts of someone else's dreams.
"All of India can be explained on this street," he said, his hand coming out of the pocket of his Levi's to gesture around. "A Hindu temple right there. Next to it, a Jain Temple. Just down there, a mosque. And there, that's a Sikh temple. One of the few religious places where you will not be asked for money. They are true servants."
"If you look there, guess what that is: a baptist church! And look there what's next to it, a temple of another kind." We immediately saw America's ubiquitous, yellow golden arches and laughed.
Maybe this is why India is so special. The hundreds year old red sandstone of the Red Fort and the translucent white pearl of the Taj Mahal are special. Of course. And the white flowing lungis, prayer calls and shadowy minarets at the beautiful Jama Masjid mosque in Old Delhi sends my soul flying with its birds heavenward toward Allah.
But it is India's vast diversity that makes her beautiful. A song from a siren that casts a spell on anyone who glances and gets locked in her eyes. For they are bulbs of great happiness and sadness, victory and loss, growth and destruction, wealth and poverty, but most importantly, tolerance and acceptance.
They feel no different toward a strange woman (or two, in our case) riding through the most rural villages on bicycle. They called after us, welcomed us into their homes--"just a run-down old shack," one villager told us as she giggled and pointed to her simple dwelling. She sent us off with fresh millet for our hotel to make into chapatis, so we could taste the local staple eaten for every meal. They cheered us on. They shouted and jumped from the fields to greet us. They welcomed us time and again.
We have a lot to learn from India. And my voyage on bicycle through her country roads on this tour taught me a lot. It will probably take me years to process the raw beauty and illuminating kindness that was bestowed on me. A place that gets into your system and doesn't let go. From women balancing large vessels on their heads to the men leading towering camels to the next village, they are a people of great diversity and kindness.
Everywhere we heard shouts of "Namaste!" as we cycled along. I know from my yoga practice that the gesture of Namaste is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. Literally, it means "I bow to you."
It allows two individuals to come together to a place of connection and understanding, free from the bonds of ego and background. As one yoga guru says, if it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.
Cycling through India will do just that. If you open your heart to her, she will come in. And your spirits will surely soar together.
Learn more about India on Bicycle and their tours here. See all of our India tours here.