Those rooftop terraces are still there — still basic but redecorated. More luxurious and cleaner restaurants have been added (most of the basic restaurants always feel a bit shabby), some of which even serve alcohol and make me feel as if I were in Ibiza. It is perhaps for this reason that I was a little shocked by how Pushkar is now: commercialised.

It may well be that it was always like this but I now experience it differently, having arrived here from the organised Netherlands rather than from the always-overwhelming Delhi. I sense that, because of my lifestyle back home — so organised and comfortable —, I can no longer enjoy this town in the same way I once did.

In Delhi, my life was a challenge every day. Getting from A to B was time-consuming, managing the daily work of the house staff was a chore, getting around in traffic without losing your temper was a task, and braving the heat was a victory. Apart from the hot sun on my skin being even hotter in Rajasthan than in Delhi, Pushkar was a haven where I didn’t have to be preoccupied with those kinds of stimuli. Those pleasures seem less accessible now that I have different expectations and needs because of my predictable life in the Netherlands.

‘Discovery through rediscovery’

However, it allows me to discover the other facets of Pushkar. For the first time since I came here, I have the time and energy to take Rajasthani cooking classes, I have joined yoga classes, and my daughter and I went on an organised hike outside the city, visiting almost all the temples. I take pictures of scenes that were then normal to me but are now a treasure to observe.

More than a decade ago, I was occupied with discovering those parts of India that welcomed my energy, naïveté, adventurousness and rebelliousness; now, I go looking for silence and serenity in the simple things here, and I’m able to connect with myself in ways I could never have imagined in the past.

India always has — and will always have — something to offer for everyone as long as they understand themselves well enough to know where to look.