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Khuda Hafez to George Harrison!
Khuda Hafez to George Harrison!
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George Harrison died the way he tried to live: out of sight and quietly in Los Angeles on
November 29, 2001. The family of George Harrison is preparing to scatter his ashes on
the River Ganges in India, in accordance with his final wishes. But for some, Harrison
brings back memories of a time when the Beatles turned to India for inspiration and
enlightenment.
The 1960s counter-culture of alternative lifestyles, drugs and anti-materialism was a
perfect time for anyone seeking cultural, personal and sexual freedom. He led the Beatles
in exploring Eastern mysticism, something, which was to change him profoundly.
In 1965, on the set of the Beatles' second film, Help, he discovered the Indian string
instrument, the sitar. Soon after, he introduced the sitar on Lennon's 1965 song
"Norwegian Wood". It was the first western rock band to use the sitar and herald the
short-lived "raga-rock" genre. A year later, Harrison was in India, to learn how to play
the instrument under the renowned sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Harrison produced some
of Shankar's albums including the very successful Chants of India. Harrison and Shankar
also inspired the 1971 concert for Bangladesh, the first major rock charity fundraiser.
But it was his openness as much as his peacemaking which was his greatest contribution
to the band, introducing the Beatles to Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar and bringing them to
India to learn yoga and meditation at the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. "When you
have had all the experiences, met all the famous people, made some money, toured the
world and got all the acclaim, you still think - is that it?" he once said. "Some people
might be satisfied with that - but I wasn't."
George Harrison's Indian adventure became a significant catalyst in a mass shift of
thought and taste that ranged from the adoption of non-violent resistance in the counter-
culture to the desire for a purer, simpler, more natural way of life symbolized by the
popularity of organic food and loose-fitting clothes.
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