Nirvana - India on a Van

Story of #vantonirvana (part 6) One of the most beautiful things about slow travel is the journey. And traveling with Nirvana showed me a whole new meaning to "The journey is more important than the destination"! We were parked in Jagasar village after a long and arduous day. The next morning was peaceful and we started out early after having tea and Poha. Jaisalmer was around 250 kms away and we thought we'll reach by lunchtime and have enough time to go around the town. But the universe had other plans, as always. 👀 The highway we set out on was quite good to begin with. But 5 minutes into the drive and the black tarmac gave way for a sandy road.. I followed a jeep into the left side of the road only to realize the tyres were sinking into the sand. Tried to revv a bit but the loose sand made the tyres go right in. After struggling in vain to get the van out with the help of some passersby, a local man went to send a tractor. Waited for around 20 mins before a tractor with 8 people pulled up in front of the van. Luckily I had a good rope and we used it to pull NirVANa out. 2 hours of being stuck in the desert, having driven only 10 kms for the day, it was already 11 am. The remainder of the journey was pretty smooth. Reached Jaisalmer around 5 pm and walked around the fort area market to get some groceries. We found a beautiful spot by the lake overlooking the Fort to Park for the night, with the help of some local friends. The next morning was magical with the sun rise visible in all its glory from my bed in the van! After having a tea, we started early and headed towards Udaipur where a Swamiji I had met a couple of weeks ago in Himachal was joining us! After driving all day around 500 kms, we reached Udaipur around 6 pm. We stayed with Swamiji in a hotel for the night and gave NirVANa a much needed wash and cleaning. Had a great evening talking to Swamiji and planning the route ahead. What route did we take and where all did we go? Stay tuned for more. I hope you are enjoying the story series as much as I enjoy putting them up. If you really did read the whole thing and enjoyed it, do leave a comment and share the post. :)

Story of #vantonirvana (part 5) Day 2 into the trip and I was enjoying the drive and the trip. Driving through rural India is quite interesting because of the sheer variety of everything that you come across. After fixing the small issue in the van at Khajuwala, a town in Rajasthan, we were headed towards Karni Mata Temple (or that's what I was thought) following the map. It was a little post 2 pm and we were driving through a very remote route in the middle of the Thar Desert. The road was narrow with endless stretches of sand and shrubs. As we kept going towards the destination, we started seeing what looked like army bunkers all along. I took a closer look at the maps to realize that we were just around 4 kms from the Pakistan border. Slightly famished due to no lunch and the bad roads, we parked the vehicle by the side of the road and made some tea. Just as we stopped and turned the stove on, a local vehicle came from the opposite direction and stopped in front of us. I saw a press sticker on the car. The driver of the car got down and came to NirVANa and asked us who we were and what we were doing in this remote place, close to the border. He was apparently from a newspaper and I explained to him about our journey and that we were following the maps to the Karni Mata Temple. That's when we realized the blunder we had made. Although the map was taking us to a Karni Mata Temple, it wasn't the temple we had wanted to go. This was some very small shrine by the border which is not functional. The temple we wanted to go was 120 odd kms behind us. The guy also told us about how we were just 3 kms from the border and we were not allowed to loiter around these roads without permission from the BSF. Not that there were any check posts or stops in the entire route, but looking at the situation, we decided to turn back and head towards Jaisalmer which was around 250 kms from where we were and camp somewhere enroute. * * * * * * * * * * * * Continued in comments.

Story of #vantonirvana (part 4) After having driven around 300 kms through the day, we went into deep slumber, parked in a small village in Rajasthan just beyond the Haryana border. It was the first camping night with NirVANa and it was super comfortable. It must have been around 6.30 am when I heard someone knock on the door. And when I opened it, I saw this super lively young elderly person standing there with a pot of tea! Who would've thought we will get such a hospitality? I mean I did expect good hospitality across rural India, but bed tea? It was surreal. We had the yummy masala tea and thanked the elderly man. He offered to let us use the restroom outside his home which we did before taking the van to the nearby canal to give her a wash! We then set out towards Karni Mata Temple somewhere near Bikaner. I put the location on the maps and started following the route. Around 50 kms in, a weird sound started coming from the engine area. Pulled over to find out that the AC belt was loose and creating the noise. Googled to find out that there was a mechanic in the next town. It was around noon when we reached Khajuwala, where I got the AC belt fixed. Luckily Mr Singh had given me a lot of spares including the belt. After fixing the belt we hit the road and kept driving. We entered the desert area. It was so surreal to drive through that narrow highway with nothing but heaps of sand on both sides. With amazing music and this beautiful landscape, I just kept driving following the maps. Little did we realize that the situation was suddenly going to topple! Stay tuned to know how we ended up in a completely wrong direction and got interrogated by BSF near the Pakistan border. Thank you so much for following the story of #nirVAVa. Do share the post and support this novel initiative! 😄 #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #explore #wandermile #wanderlust #vanlifediaries #newagesanyasi #soulofindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #Rajasthan #vanlifediaries #storyofnirvana #vanlifestories

Story of #vantonirvana (part 3) Driving from Tohana, we crossed Hanumangarh and around 8 pm took a detour at this small village called Pilibanga. I saw a temple, parked outside the gate and went inside to get permission to park the Campervan in the premises. The pujari told me the vehicle cannot be brought inside and suggested an empty gated plot nearby to park for the night. One thing about Campervan travel is understanding that you can't randomly park anywhere. It is important to get permission from whoever is around before parking anywhere, since there are no regulations as of now. Understanding the location and route suggested by the Pujari, we found the parking spot. There was a house opposite to the plot. I spoke to the owner and asked him about parking for the night and he came down and guided us to park inside. After parking, @arjunnarayanan_ got to cooking dinner. The first proper meal in Nirvana. Just as we were cooking, I suddenly heard the gate being forced open and a group of 3 to 4 people barged into the compound. Startled, I went to them. They started enquiring about the van and why we had parked there. I explained to them about seeking permission from the house nearby and told them about the van and my story. They apologised for the way they had barged in and told us that it was their duty to ensure the village is safe. We had a good chat with the panchayat leader who invited us home dinner. But since we had already started cooking, we thanked him and told him we were making our own food. After a good 15 mins of chatting they went back leaving us on our own. And this was my first reality check with the campervan. That I cannot park at will and get away with it with my reasoning. I should take permission from local authorities before parking for the night. This time we were lucky that the group of elders were really understanding and let us stay. What happened the next morning was one of the most beautiful moments in the entire journey and will stay etched in my memory for a long long time! To be continued in the next post. :) Picture of the group of people from the village who enquired on us. Ah. What memories.

Story of #vantonirvana (part 2) After getting Nirvana all ready in Tohana I set off on my first ever Campervan journey, towards Chennai. It was a surreal moment for me to be driving my own RV that was just a dream and idea few months ago! The universe was really kind and I was filled with nothing but gratitude! From Tohana I drove towards Sirsa in Haryana where @arjunnarayanan_ joined me. I had a rough route map planned which included going towards the border roads of Rajasthan and getting into Jaisalmer via Gharsana and Bikaner. After lunch we started from Sirsa and drove towards Hanumangarh, a town in Rajasthan. It was a 200 odd KM journey and just as we reached close to the town the sun started setting and it got dark pretty soon. Not wanting to camp near a town, we got necessary groceries and I decided to drive further away towards Gharsana. After an hour of driving, we took a detour from the highway and entered a tiny village. And that's when I got my first reality check of Campervan travel. What was that you're wondering? It's a super exciting story, to be continued in the next post! If you like the posts and the concept of the #vanliving, do share a post from the feed and let your friends know about @van.to.nirvana . #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #vanjourney #rvjourneys #lifeinacampervan #vansofindia #storyofnirvana

I believe in the power and timing of the Universe and getting Nirvana was one of those reaffirming moments for me. I had given an advance for a much smaller Toyota van in Pondicherry but was struggling to find a good mechanic to fix its engine and gearbox. That's when I got in touch with one Mr Beeboy from Madurai through dear friend @goldfis . Beeboy gave me the best reality check till date and convinced me to get a Force traveller modified rather than going with Toyota, for traveling in remote India! And through Beeboy I got introduced to @jaibirvirk from Tohana, Haryana. He was selling his private, modified van. I met him on my way to Himachal and took a test drive on the Van. I was out in the mountains for 2 weeks and after that I came back to Tohana to get some modifications done to the van. Jaibir hosted me and showed me his beautiful town while making me adept with the mechanics of the vehicle. I stayed in Tohana for 5 days and got the Van ready for the road. I was planning to drive back to Chennai over 14 to 15 days. The kind of experiences that I gathered on the trip are 😍😍. Story continues with tomorrow's post. #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #explore #wandermile #wanderlust #instagood #explore #traveldiaries #travel #travelgram #rusticrambler #traveltales #getlost #natgeotravel #incredibleindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #adisankara #inspiration #nirvanashatakam #Campervanbuild #Haryana #vanstories #vantonirvana

I've been living in the Campervan for over 2 months now in Chennai and places around I travel to. The freedom that Nirvana gives me is unfathomable. I can be on the road for as long as I want and camp in nice locations and go into deep slumber in this comfortable bed. I got this van made in Haryana and from there I drove it back to Chennai over 2 weeks. Such amazing experiences we had on the way. I'll narrate the story of the trip from the beginning, from the next post. The bed forms one of the most important parts of the Campervan. I spend most of my time apart from driving, either working or sitting or sleeping on this bed. The amount of memories this bed has given me already is just wow! 😍 In fact the idea for the logo for @van.to.nirvana was conceived by @dvait.art.hma sitting on the same bed! This space of the van has become sort of the creative and intellectual hub. Below the bed are 2 huge storage compartments. One of these I'm going to convert into a tank. Would you live in a van like this? :) P.S tagging a few people who have helped make memories in this van! Give a shout out if you've been inside #nirvanathevan and if you would like to get a sneak peek. :D #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #explore #wandermile #wanderlust #instagood #traveldiaries #travel #travelgram #rusticrambler #traveltales #getlost #natgeotravel #incredibleindia #vantonirvana #vanlifechennai #vansofinstagram #vanlifeideas #vanlifemovement #easylife #beautifullife

Before we go deeper into the interiors of #nirvanathevan, for the sake of instagram feed hygiene, here's a post explaining the bottom part of the logo of #vantonirvana project. I believe all of us are a beautiful combination of the 5 elements and I wanted to depict this in the logo for Van to Nirvana. The elements of Air, water, earth and fire are depicted in the background, with a sketch of the van, which represents the journey inward to the all pervading element of space, as the foreground. The inverted triangle in a box is the Mooladhara Chakra which represents the grounding factor which forms a big part of my personality and something I believe in. No matter how big or popular we get in life, one should always be grounded and humble. In the words of Guru Adi Sankaracharya - गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे मनश्र्चेन लग्नं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं The verse that tells us why being grounded is the most powerful thing ever. #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #vanlifediaries #newagesanyasi #soulofindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #adisankara #inspiration #nirvanashatakam #chichidanandarupahshivohamshivoham #spiritualjourney #rooted #chakra #mooladhara

The #vantonirvana project is about traveling the remote reaches of this beautiful country gathering experiences from the outside world while traveling inwards personally! And with that we're going into the van as well to get a sneak peak into the interiors of this mobile home! The driver's cabin here is one of the most important parts of the Campervan. I'll be spending most of my time in this cabin driving through the beautiful villages and gathering beautiful experiences! The cabin houses the driver seat and a passenger seat. I got electronic seats from a Toyota Fortune installed in these for added comfort. Both the seats have safety buckles and are super comfortable for long drives. The van is fully mechanical with a non power steering and a 5 speed gearbox. There's a fully analog display and a Sony 5.1 audio system installed. There are 2 fans and a clinometer installed in the cabin. The heavy duty curtain makes this a private space and also keeps the cabin cool. We'll go deeper inwards and have a sneak peek into the living cabin of Nirvana in the next post! What all do you think should be part of a Campervan? Let me know in the comments! 😄 #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #explore #wandermile #wanderlust #vanlifediaries #newagesanyasi #soulofindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #adisankara #inspiration #nirvanashatakam #chichidanandarupahshivohamshivoham #spiritualjourney #rooted #driverscabin #Mercedesengine #myvanlife #dreamjourney

Travel is more than just the journey or the destination. It is more about the experiences that you gather on the way. Experiences stay on as memories for long and those experiences that give you a sense of expansion from within are the kind that you have to strive towards not just during travel but in anything you do in life. I live for these experiences and living the #vanlife has given me these experiences more often than ever! The most exciting part of living the van life comes around dusk when it's time to look for a place to park and spend the night. The nights spent parked under the stars in some remote place (with proper permissions from concerned authorities), with a campfire, cooking good food, listening to good music and getting some time to unwind gives me a sense of fulfilment, No matter how good or bad the journey was! That being said, the constant movement during the day is not, by any means, any lesser! But the right balance goes a long way in creating that complete experience, not just in travel, but in every aspect of life! This picture is from the recent New year trip to a beautiful place in Jawadhu with @wandermile . We parked the van in an open ground, made a campfire, bbq, played some beautiful music and had some like minded people for company! Picture shot by Chirag. #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #vanlifediaries #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #dualityoflife #vedanta #travelwisdom #nye2021 #elements #advaita

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥१॥ is a verse from Nirvana Shatakam, a beautiful chant by Adi Sankaracharya. This particular chant has been a life changer for me in terms of understanding the essence of the energy within that's keeping us alive and bubbling all the time that we're in this body. The verse roughly translates to "I am nothing but the ever pervading consciousness (shiva tattva) and bliss" which is a way of dissecting the life in us and arriving at the ethereal energy, realizing that we are nothing but just another form of the unfathomable energy that runs the universe. Adi Sankaracharya, for those who don't know, was just 12 years old when he set out on a journey from Kalladi in Kerala and traveled the length and breadth of this beautiful land, going upto Kashmir, Uttarakhand and traveling all the way South to Srilanka, back in 8th century CE! He and his disciples composed intense and extremely grounding works of literature in the form of poems and interpretations of Vedas and Upanishads. The name "Nirvana" is an ode to this phenomenal chant and this @van.to.nirvana journey is inspired by the astute travelers that once dotted this part of the world! #gratitude #vanlife #vanlifeindia #indiaonavan #nirvanaindia #explore #wandermile #wanderlust #vanlifediaries #newagesanyasi #soulofindia #vanlifegoals #chennaicamper #campinglife #lovetotravel #loveoutdoors #vansofinstagram #chennaiVanlife #adisankara #inspiration #nirvanashatakam #chichidanandarupahshivohamshivoham #spiritualjourney #rooted @rakesharr @wandermile

The possibilities that Campervan travel opens up are immense. As someone who loves to explore, and having explored several places by means of local transportation and backpacking, when I made the dream of Campervan real, the first thing that I realized was that this is one of the most exploration friendly ways to travel. I can stop my van anywhere, make tea, make some food, feed people on the way and make friends very easily, anywhere I want to. In continuation with the story of how the idea for the Campervan came about, I'm always in wide-eyed wonderment at how the Universe propels every random and wild thought that comes from within. Of course, with a little bit of effort and attention in the right direction. Being aware of this made me realize this dream faster than ever. From the thought and idea to execution took me exactly 2.5 months. In these 2.5 months I almost thought of going for another old vehicle and was in double minds. But all of a sudden this van happened. The way things fell into place is for another time. I'll probably write a book about all this sometime. There's no looking back now.