Meet this 28-year-old Assamese sanyasin

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 22: With Ambubachi Mela off to a good start at Kamakhya Dham atop Nilachal Hill in the city today amidst religious fervour and sanctity, devotes, including an Assam girl, seem to be at the peak of their enthusiasm.   

Meet this 28-year-old Assamese girl, who spends her days with ga Babas at Hrishikesh in Mathura and currently staying at Ju Akhara atop Nilachal Hill. She was initiated as a sanyasin some ten years back for, what she says, peace of mind.

Talking to this reporter, Sadhvi Shakshi Giri said: “My father’s a sanyasi. When I decided to be a sanyasin first, I started to be alone. I wanted desertion by the girls of my age set. I knew what the life of a sanyasin exactly is as I had the opportunity to experience this in my family. Origilly I hailed from Sivasagar in Assam. After initiation as a sanyasin I had to leave Assam to stay at Ju Akhara. I’m getting mental peace as a sanyasin. Though I can’t speak Assamese for my long stay among Hindi speakers, I know the language of my home State. My father did prevent from becoming a sanyasin as they have no permanent shelter. They may even stay for the night on roadside or under a tree, as the situation demands. At the initial days of initiation as a sanyasin, I started to bow down and greet the sanyasis staying at Dibrugarh and horkotia ashrams.”

When asked for her comment on Ambubachi Mela being touted as mini-Kumbh Mela, Giri said: “It’s not like that. There’s a sea of differences between Ambubachi Mela and Kumbh Mela that have a whole lot of activities. ga Babas do play a leading role at Kumbh Mela, which isn’t seen here.”