God, Who Lives in the Forest

Rose Island, Ranchi, Jharkhand

When I came to Jharkhand as a Gandhi Fellow in 2024, I carried with me the beliefs and practices I had grown up with. As a Hindu, I had always seen God through idols, temples, rituals, and prayers. These forms gave me comfort and helped me connect with the divine. But my journey in Jharkhand slowly changed the way I understood spirituality.

I still remember writing in October 2024 that the rivers, forests, and hills of Jharkhand felt sacred to me. At that time, it was just a feeling I was trying to put into words. Today, after spending more time in this land, I can say with confidence that those feelings were the beginning of a deeper realization.

Living close to nature has taught me something that no book, temple, or classroom could teach. There is a presence in the natural world that is difficult to explain but impossible to ignore. Sitting beside a river, walking through a forest, or simply watching an old tree stand silently through seasons makes me feel connected to something much larger than myself.

I have started to feel that there is a difference between the God we know and the Creator we experience. The God we know is described in stories, scriptures, rituals, and traditions. We learn about this God from our families and communities. But the Creator is beyond words and descriptions. We do not fully know who or what the Creator is. We only experience that presence through wonder, silence, and a sense of connection with all life.

In Jharkhand, I found that connection. The forests do not preach, yet they teach patience. The rivers do not speak, yet they teach movement and surrender. The mountains do not demand attention, yet they remind us of strength and permanence. Nature became my temple, and every tree, river, and hill became a reminder that the divine cannot be limited to any one form.

This realization has not taken me away from my faith. Instead, it has deepened it. I still respect and pray before idols, but now I also bow my head before a flowing river and an ancient tree. I have learned that spirituality is not only about seeking God in places made by humans. Sometimes, it is about listening to the Creator through the world that was created.

For me, Jharkhand has been more than a place of work and learning. It has been a place of awakening , a place where I came closer to understanding the mystery that lies behind all existence.