Today (November 29) is the 12th death anniversary of George Harrison, the popular British songwriter and musician known best as a member of the famous Beatles.
Harrison wrote a song especially for Dehradun during his stay at the ashram of Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh in the late sixties. Known as the ‘Quiet Beatle’, Harrison passed away at the age of 58 on November 29, 2001. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Ganga, according to his wishes. Harrison had embraced the Hare Krishna tradition and remained a devotee till his death.
In the summer of 1969, he produced the single Hare Krishna Mantra, performed by the devotees of the london Radha Krishna Temple. That same year, he and fellow Beatle, John lennon, met AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Soon after, Harrison embraced the Hare Krishna tradition and became a lifelong devotee.
On the occasion of his 12th death anniversary, it would be in place to recall the strong link this world famous pop group had with Rishikesh. They were so taken in by the charm and beauty of the Doon valley that they were inspired to create many numbers here. Harrison composed the number titled "Dehra Dun" in the spring of the year 1968 during the time the group was in Rishikesh. This song was sung by Harrison and remained unavailable for years. It was not included in any album but its studio recording can now be heard on the net. It is one of the rarest Beatles’ songs.
The words of the haunting song capture the gypsy-like spirit of the town, especially as it used to be in the sixties. The lyrics of the song are ‘Dehra Dehra Dun, Dehra Dun Dun/ Dehra Dehra Dun/Dehra Dun Dun/ Many Roads can take you there /Many different ways/one direction takes you weeks/ another takes you days/ many people on the roads /looking at the sights/ Many others with their troubles/looking for their rights/see them move along the roads/in search of a life divine /beggars in a gold mine …Dehra Dehra Dun /Dehra Dun Dun". For the Beatles, their stay in India was their most creative period. When they were in Rishikesh for several weeks in February, March and April of 1968 (They stayed at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s spiritual centre in Rishikesh), they wrote many songs, most of which were included in their White Album, one of their best known. "Dehra Dun "missed getting included in the album. This song is seen now as a rare gem of the Beatles. The song captures the past simplicity of the valley and is very special for Doonites, especially for those who have seen the days when the Beatles came here. The nostalgia in this song and the fact that it was sung by Harrison makes it unique. With their iconic long hair and necklaces of marigolds, the Beatles came to the ashram when they were at the height of their fame. They were looking for an escape from the pressures that came alongwith the fame.
Harrison had met Paul Mc Cartney in the mid-fifties and later played lead guitar in the band (initially called the Quarry Men) that eventually became the Beatles. He is remembered for his introspective manner and his keen interest in Hinduism. In the mid-1960s, he began playing the sitar, which influenced the sound of the Beatles music in such songs as Norwegian Wood and love You To. His experimentation with the sitar brought him in touch with Ravi Shankar, who became a close friend.
After the Beatles split in 1970, Harrison released a number of albums that were critically and commercially successful. He expressed a torrent of emotions in the first major solo work released after the breakup, the triple album All Things Must Pass. Harrison organised a major charity concert The Concert for Bangladesh, with Ravi Shankar on August 1, 1971, drawing over 40,000 people to two shows in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The ashram of Mahesh Yogi, has, however, been lying abandoned for many years now. It is known popularly as Beatles’ Ashram. The Yogi passed away in 2011 in the Netherlands at the age of 90. Paul McCartney commented on April 3, 2009, prior to his performance at the David lynch Foundation benefit concert ‘Change Begins Within’, that Transcendental Meditation was a gift the Beatles had received from Maharishi when they were looking for something to stabilize them.