More than a half-century ago, the northern town of Rishikesh, nestled in the Himalayan foothills along the Ganges river, emerged on the global tourist map after the Beatles pop group spent some time in a spiritual retreat learning meditation and writing some 40 songs. Foreign tourists began heading here to learn meditation and yoga. Domestic visitors were drawn by its scenic location and young people came for adventure sports – until the pandemic shut down hotels, hostels and yoga retreats that line the town.
Now as the fear of the novel coronavirus diminishes due to a dramatic dip in India’s cases of COVID-19, cars ferrying visitors from nearby towns are back on the roads, and brightly-colored boats with excited rafters course…