Rishikesh, long hair and other extra-curricular activities of The Beatles

As a teen growing up in Kolkata of the sixties, TV commentator Ajoy Bose fell in love with The Beatles but his father hated the legendary English pop band chiefly because of the length of their hair. So, later when the Statesman- the bible of the Bengali genteel folk- acknowledged the band, it was vindication for fans like Bose for whom the four lads in bangs, long locks and mop tops- defined rock and roll.

In 1968, when The Beatles came to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, "there was a huge controversy," recalled Bose. "The communist and socialist opposition were up in arms thinking they were CIA spies," said Bose, setting the tone for a discussion with Philip Norman, British writer and chronicler of pop music, on this landmark visit that was said to infuse the band's songwriting with spiritual undertones.

For five years prior to this visit, the band had been on a punishing schedule. "The Beatles never really got a break from being the Beatles," said Norman, adding that this was when they were discovering that being rich and famous wasn't enough and something else must exist. "The band was sickened by the hysteria and John (Lennon) was always looking for a way out. For him, it was Yoko. For George (Harrison) it was India," said Norman. A strange twist of fate had made George Harrison pick up the sitar and eventually meet sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

"The sitar was no stranger to British pop. The (Rolling) Stones used it. The Kings used it but not in a spiritual sense, just for the novelty of it. As soon as Harrison was connected to Ravi Shankar, learning the sitar gave him a foothold in the band that he didn't have before," said Norman, adding that the sitar maestro had the aura of a pop star in London. In India, however, people who disliked The Beatles felt their major cultural star had been "stolen" by the Beatles.

The band had first met the Maharishi in London but soon after, their manager, Brian Epstein, died suddenly in 1967, leaving the Beatles feeling armourless. This was when the yearning for what Norman calls "a fast-track to divinity" became stronger and a visit to Rishikesh for transcendental meditation was their "interlude". A catalyst of this trip was also what Norman called the band's "group mind". "If one member grew a moustache, every member would grow a similar moustache. If one wanted to meditate, everyone followed," said Norman, who recalls that the band later went back into their business enterprise of giving money to young perfomers who had to struggle. "It was a disaster," said Norman about the enterprise. "The Beatles never had to struggle," he said, eliciting laughs.

Norman- who also went on to introduce Paul McCartney and Lennon as academically brilliant and drummer Ringo Starr as "a bit of Liverpool that the band carried everywhere like a lucky charm"-put the enduring charm of the Beatles down to their ability to infuse any lyric including "I'm a loser" with joy. It seemed apt then that the session ended with a joyful video clip of Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma belting out the famous 'All My Loving' at his daughter's wedding.