Aaloo Baba

There is a person called Aaloo Baba. He has a small place near Pushkar called the Aaloo Baba ashram. Don’t be worried. He has no major cult following of sorts. He is a simple man living a very simple life.

I went to visit him. Why is he called Aaloo Baba? That’s because he eats nothing but Aaloo and Chai. Just boiled Aaloo with salt. No rice, no Chapati no nothing. And he has been on this diet for more than 50 years. His original name is Chandan Giri.

He says he is on this diet to control and curb his wants and needs. More tastes you experience, the more you will want it. Restricting it is a way to restrict other temptations too. If you don’t agree or understand it, it’s ok as you might not be in the path to become a Sadhu. 😂

The Shiva temple in the ashram is built in a natural cave. It existed before Aaloo Baba came to this place over 40 years ago. Before coming to Pushkar he had roamed around a lot in India. He then chose this as the place he will spend the rest of his life. And in the last 40 years he has planted so many trees, built a small temple complex and so on. The place feels so calm with so many birds. You can see peacocks in the Ashram.

The ashram also had another Baba. He was called Roti Baba as he eats only Roti. He keeps visiting and stays at Aaloo Baba’s Ashram for a few months. His story is also similar. Apart from this both smoke Bolenath’s Prasad almost continuously. That’s all their intake is.

The route to the Ashram from Pushkar is through agricultural fields. Riding in the rural areas through the fields is a good experience of it’s own. You can spot so many birds while you go past these fields. It’s a pleasure to ride.

And that’s what you call as digital revolution in a India. Even a remote Ashram’s donation box has a PhonePe scanner on it.