Hello hoomans… let’s talk about Pushkar.

Yes yes… I know you already know that we are talking about Pushkar from the heading. But this time I won’t be talking about what you should do or where all you should visit in Pushkar.

Instead, I want to talk about how Pushkar made me feel.
How Pushkar made me think.

So this blog is all about my thoughts on Pushkar… my feelings from there.

And if that’s something you want to know — let’s get started.

As you all know, Pushkar is a place of culture.
It’s a place for worship.
And it’s a place for memories.

So let me start with why I was there.

WHY Pushkar…?

I always wanted to visit Pushkar ever since my buddies Binto and Shibin made it there on their cycles from Kerala.

I still remember those days when Binto used to call me and talk nonstop about this amazing place where, according to him, time flows differently..

He used to tell me:

“Once you come here… you won’t want to leave.”

It’s been years since those calls.

Now they have settled in the main streets of Pushkar near the Pushkar Lake with their tiny little spice shop from Kerala — Soul Spices Kerala — while also looking after the hotel they stay in, The Pushkar Inns.

So finally, after years of wanting to come here, I found myself standing in front of the famous Pushkar Lake.

Calm…. Serene…..

The sun reflecting beautifully on the water. Splendid indeed.

I arrived in the first week of March. Everyone was getting ready for Holi, one of the biggest festivals of the year.Other than celebrating Holi, I really didn’t have many plans. I just wanted to help them a bit with the shop and roam around if possible.

That’s it.

Simple as that.

THE PLACE

When you think of Pushkar — a place in Rajasthan — you probably imagine dry land, dusty streets, and deserted grounds without much greenery.

Most of the time, that is true.

But…

The place where I stayed was different.

It was filled with trees, birds, dogs roaming around. It was calm and quiet in its own way. Yes, there were noises — but a different kind of noise.It was a compound carefully carved out for peaceful minds.

And I’m sure you will find peace here.

Why?

Because I found it.

Somehow, almost all the guests in the compound were foreigners. There were stories happening everywhere. There were places to relax, places to exercise, even places to camp.It was everything.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t go out much. There was already a lot happening inside these walls — more than enough to fill my memories.Pushkar is a lot of things.But I wouldn’t suggest coming here with a proper itinerary and trying to follow it.This is a place where you shouldn’t plan anything.

A place where you explore without plans.Walk without maps.Ask people for directions. Talk to them. Discover the place through the people.That’s how you explore Pushkar — not the other way around.

Pushkar has been a place for travelers and hippies for a long time. Almost everyone speaks good English.You can ask them anything. You can talk to them for hours.And they all have interesting stories.

From rickshaw walas to chai walas, from swamis to shopkeepers — everyone has a story.

Talking about people, I need to start with two very special humans I met there. Without them, this visit could have easily turned into a disaster.

My dearest people from Germany — or should I say:

“Meine lieben Lu und Eli aus Deutschland, sie sind wundervoll.”

From strangers to the closest ones.

Everyone was taking things slowly in Pushkar. During my first few days, I spent most of my time at the shop helping with packing and small things.

Lu and Eli had already been staying there for a few days and were also helping around the shop. That’s how I met them. Two energetic souls, always ready for an adventure. From morning chai walks searching for the best masala chai in Pushkar, to hikes to temples, to wandering through the markets — they were ready for everything.

But it wasn’t just them. Everyone you meet around Pushkar seems to carry this same kind of energy. They are ready to explore. Ready to share.

You will meet all kinds of people here — young, old, rich, poor.And strangely, there is one thing common in almost all of them.

They are happy.

Happy with what they have. Happy with what they do.No regrets. No doubts.Just enjoying life to the fullest.

And that makes you question a lot of things.

My friends always tell me that I’m living in a loop — a never-ending one. Working most of my life. Spending most of my time in an office like most people in the world.But I never really accepted that idea.

I travel. I explore. I enjoy life.

So I always thought — I’m not in the loop.

But Pushkar made me question that.To be fair, I do have a decent job and a balanced life. Because of the money I earn, I get to travel and I’m grateful for that.I know the work I do has helped me gain experiences.

But when I was in Pushkar, something strange happened.

I felt like a small kid.

A kid with just a tiny drop of experience compared to the people around me.Some of them don’t have big jobs. Some are students. Some are just travelers moving from place to place.And yet somehow they seem to have seen more of the world… understood more of life.

Their experiences felt far beyond mine.And that makes you wonder something uncomfortable.Is money really that important?Yes, it is important to an extent.But it is not everything.

Somewhere in the process of building the life that society tells us to build, we might have lost the chance to collect experiences that truly shape us.

And that thought slowly made me realize something.

I am indeed stuck in the loop.

But Pushkar doesn’t let you stay in deep thoughts for too long.Because a few days later…

Holi arrived.

HOLI FESTIVAL

Days passed like seconds and suddenly it was HOLI.

I woke up and stepped outside to brush my teeth.And there she was.

Eli, charging towards me with a packet of colors.Before I could even blink…I was completely covered in colors.(Didn’t even get the chance to say nooo.)And just like that, the war began.

A beautiful war of colors.

Running around, coloring everyone, wishing everyone. Soon we picked up a few colors and headed into the streets.

Chaos. Pure chaos.

Pushkar had changed its color. There were no brown skins or white skins anymore. Everyone was colorful. Red. Blue. Green. Everyone looked the same. Every soul was colored. Holi is called the festival of colors. I honestly don’t know the exact historical reason behind it.

But for me, it felt like a day where everyone became equal.

No differences.No discrimination.

All are one.

Colored powders everywhere. Colored water flying around.And strangely, no one complains.

Imagine someone throwing water at you on any other day — you would probably get angry. But on this one day…Everyone accepts it. Everyone laughs.

Holi is indeed a festival of colors — not just because of the colored powders and water, but because of the colorful minds and colorful souls that celebrate it.

After the Holi chaos, Pushkar became silent for a while. Then slowly, the town returned to its normal rhythm. Everyone went back to their daily lives.

After Holi, I spent most of my time helping at the shop. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have many plans.Sometimes I went out.Sometimes I stayed back and talked with people.Nothing big.But somehow those small moments were enough.

TEMPLES

There are many temples around Pushkar. The main one near the lake is always busy, especially during sunset. Everyone visits there. Everyone loves it. But it wasn’t my favorite.

My favorites were Mata Savitri Temple and Gayatri Temple. Both require a bit of hiking.

I visited Gayatri Temple first.I went there at night.A small hike… and when you reach the top, there is almost no one there.Just you.And the stars.Sitting calmly in front of the temple, looking at the vast town of Pushkar from above might be one of the most peaceful experiences you can have there.

Savitri Temple is different.

It’s the best place in Pushkar to watch the sunset.Absolutely marvelous.But it’s packed with people.The hike is not extremely hard, but it’s not easy either. If you’re active, you’ll manage fine.For me — someone who hadn’t been hiking for a while — it felt a bit exhausting.

But I must say…

The sunset was worth every step. You sit there watching the sun slowly disappear behind the desert hills. And it calms you. It helps you find peace. And when I was there, a group of ladies nearby started singing birthday songs for one of their friends. It made the memory even richer.

Everything comes to an end.That’s the natural law.And just like that, my days in Pushkar were coming to an end.As my friend once said — time flows differently here.

I didn’t even notice that it had been 10 days.Everything felt unreal.I was heading back to my reality.Heading back into the loop.Goodbyes are always hard.But here, they felt even harder.I don’t know if I will ever meet any of my new friends again.

The moments we shared… the stories we told… they are now memories. But I’m grateful for every single moment I spent there. Not a single moment felt wasted. Every memory carries a story.

I said my goodbyes to everyone.Messaged the people I missed meeting.Hoping that maybe someday I’ll come back and feel the same again.But we all know something important.

It’s never just the place. It’s the people.

As someone once said:

“Everything has its time. Sometimes those times come back… sometimes times don’t come back, you never know. But we can always keep them as beautiful time of our lives”

I didn’t want to leave. I kept looking for reasons to stay. Cancelled flights. Missed trains. Anything.

But somehow everything worked perfectly — almost like nature telling me:

“Your time here is over.”

I sat with my luggage in the back of the car, looking at my friends.

My heart filled with emotions, While they looked back at me as my car took the turn from them.

I watched Pushkar disappear behind me along with the people.

And just like that —

I was heading back into my reality.

But somewhere between the colors of Holi, the quiet temples on the hills, and the conversations with strangers who became friends…

Pushkar left something behind in me. Maybe one day I will return.

And maybe next time…
I won’t be in such a hurry to go back into the loop.