Welcome to Nothing As Real a podcast about the Beatles. Everybody thinks they know the Beatles, but how much do we really know?

My name is Jason Carty. My name's Stephen Cockcroft.

And we're live on tape from Dublin and Belfast.

This is the second part of our look at the Maharishi and his life with the Beatles.

At the end of part one, our heroes had arrived in Rishikesh in India in the midst of a retreat

with the Maharishi that was due to last until April the 25th.

And in a bit of foreshadowing, John and George arrived first, and then a few days later, Paul

and Ringo arrived.

But they are all present and correct on the 20th of February, 1968 in the ashram in Rishikesh.

And they are due, they're already three weeks late, and they're

due to study with the Maharishi and others. And it is a busy time. And there's lots of people

there and lots of people from the Beatle universe are kind of swinging in and out. They are, they are,

they are not your average ashrram punter hanging around here.

They have hangers on and people doing jobs for them

and they have a slightly VIP experience.

They do.

I think there's definitely a two-tier level,

two-tier experience and they're in the VIP Express lane.

So as well as all of the other if you like

celebrity people who are there that we come on to you know there are general

devotees there but also as you say people come in going so Mal has been sent ahead

good old Mal to organize organize things. Anvils, yes.

...