What happens when the journey becomes the destination? This question has made Raunaq Sahni jump out of bed for the past decade, and travel the country under the alias Monkey Magic.
Raunaq first rose to prominence in 2022, when he spent 100 days travelling the country and documenting it on YouTube. For two days then, Monkey Magic was the fastest growing YouTube channel in the world.
Last year, he followed the river Ganga for six months, from its source in Gaumukh to its sangam at Gangasagar. Apart from creating a YouTube show, Raunaq also wrote about his experiences in the book, Melodies of India. My Kolkata caught up with the internet sensation when he dropped by Kala Kunj Auditorium on June 11 for the launch of the book.
The seeds of this idea were sown back in 2018, when Raunaq first visited Rishikesh. “I was instantly fascinated by this small town, and felt like spending more time by the ghats of the Ganga, rather than in watersports. This was also the place where I first met Sachin bhai, who would go on to become my brother, friend and mentor,” he says. Since he turned 18, every birthday, Raunaq made it a tradition to leave his home in Delhi at 5am and drive down to Rishikesh to say hello to the holy river. Even then, he remembers being curious about why the river was revered as a mother. “She gives water and sustenance, but I always felt that there was an emotion beyond this transaction too,” he said.
The 270-page book explores Raunaq’s journey across the Ganga in 11 chapters and over 150 photographs
While there was always a soft corner for the Ganga, he doesn’t think the grand journey would have happened had it not been for an unexpected occurrence. In March 2023, Raunaq had to go to Japan for a project, but his visa got rejected. “Sachin bhai saw that I was feeling low, and recommended that I do the Narmada Parikrama. The Narmada river is even more revered than the Ganga in Madhya Pradesh, and they say that merely glancing at it can wash all your sins away. Bhaiya even told me to leave my wallet at home, because throughout the trip, food and water would arrange itself for me! I was amazed at how this could happen in today’s capitalistic world.” Raunaq decided to walk for 100km and document the culture around this river.
Five days in, his feet were covered with painful blisters and he decided to take shelter in an ashram for the night, run by a lone woman. A lady in the neighbourhood had just been blessed with a grandson, and invited everyone for a celebratory meal. “I ate at her home and we briefly interacted before I went back to the shelter to rest. The next day, she came to meet me since she hadn’t been able to give me time during the dinner. When she found out about my blisters, she treated me like her own grandson. She tended to my blisters, cleaned the pus and applied medication on my feet with her own hands,” he said. The people’s warmth overwhelmed him. “I had never experienced something like this in my life, and the craving for more such experiences is what gave me the idea for Melodies of India,” Raunaq explained.
What followed was a journey of incredible compassion and camaraderie, and Raunaq constantly found himself moved by the impact faith had on people. He noticed this particularly in Pandav Nritya celebrations of Uttarakhand’s Harsil village, where he was documenting the bakre ki bali (goat sacrifice) ceremony. “I was feeling a bit jittery during the ceremony, until I realised that the goat they were sacrificing was made of pumpkins! It was incredible to see how the villagers had held on to their traditions without harming animals.”
Parambrata Mukherjee, a Class XII student of Sri Aurobindo Vidyamandir Chandannagar, was overjoyed to be able to present his sketch of Raunaq to him. ‘He really proved that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself,’ beamed Parambrata
However, he also noticed the duality of humanity, with people littering and polluting the very river they worshipped. This was perhaps most evident at the Gangasagar Mela. “It is the second-largest human gathering in the country, but I was shocked to see people ready to push and squash each other in the six-hour long line. We all want to pray to the river, and yet, every year every year there is a stampede at Gangasagar,” he lamented.
One of his most fundamental observations came from a naked naga sadhu. “In his nudity, his authenticity shone through. This was a sharp contrast from the fakeness I observed everywhere else. People would light diyas and pray, and minutes later, make their children urinate in the Ganga. I feel Gangasagar was the most important part of my journey because it broke all my preconceived notions and showed me the real world. It was like someone shook me awake,” he said.
Being a filmmaker himself, Shreyansh Pandey found immense inspiration in Raunaq’s work. ‘I’ve been following Monkey Magic’s content for the longest time and seeing him in person was surreal. Getting his autograph was the cherry on the cake,’ he said
This journey not only resulted in the 270-page book, packed with over 150 photos detailing Raunaq’s travels, but also redefined his relationship with the river. “I realised that Ganga wasn’t my mother, but my sister. I can joke with her and exchange banter, but also listen to her with respect.”
His work has resonated with people from all walks of life, as was evident at the book launch. A large number of people had travelled from different cities just to attend the event. Many even broke into tears when he signed their books. “Everywhere we’ve gone on this book tour, people have come down from different cities. They hug me and cry, thanking me for helping them with my videos. It’s really surprising for me, because I was just discovering myself through my content. I never thought YouTube could have this kind of impact,” he added.
Raunaq was joined by fellow creators (left) Abhishek Bawa and (right) Devenko at the event
Ranuaq also confesses that he doesn’t intend to make YouTube videos all his life. The eventual plan is to move on to feature films. “I have always been a storyteller, and my travels allow me to collect stories and characters. Kab tak chhoti screen mein dekhoge? Ab next Bollywood mein dekhna,” he smiled.
You can purchase the book here and watch the YouTube show here.
